Mike’s heartfelt music has been virtually a lifetime in the making. He got his first guitar when he was three and would take his axe to church, where he would mimic the moves of the band’s guitar player. Beyond church, Michael’s mother shared her love of music with Mike and introduced him to a wide range of artistic sounds and styles, including 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Michael Jackson, Earth, Wind & Fire, Bonnie Raitt and Jimi Hendrix. Even though Mike was enamored with music and the arts throughout his school, his focus eventually shifted to football. Michael’s work on the gridiron was rewarded when he earned an athletic scholarship to University of Central Florida. It was following a break from school to take care of his ailing mother, when Mike bought a guitar and a remarkable thing happened. “For the very first time in my life, I could play and sing at the same time,” Mike recalls. “More clicked for me musically. I was writing music to express what I was going through internally with my mom passing.” Mike then gave music a second chance. Soon thereafter, a friend asked him to play at his wedding in New York. Though Michael was working at a junior high school in his hometown of St. Petersburg, Florida, at the time he agreed. Mike played particularly well and while standing on a street corner in Time’s Square, decided making the move to The Big Apple in order to pursue his musical dreams was just what his life needed. A few years later, Mike auditioned for American Idol, which launched his recording career. None of Michael’s remarkable journey would have been possible without the second chances he has enjoyed throughout his life. Now, with Mike’s new album, Mike gets to live out his dreams. “I’ve wanted to say these things for a long time,” he says. “I feel like I was able to express myself more than ever on this album. I was able to get the things I wanted to say out in song and|in melody in a way that I’ve never been able to before.” | |
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