For Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and producer Miguel, music has always been more than a career. It’s a creative outlet that lets him express his unique perspective on the human experience.
“My work lives in a space that’s messy and sometimes funny and sometimes tender,” Miguel, 41, told Remezcla during a recent interview. “I’ve always been interested in the space between who we are and who the world expects us to be. I try my best to capture that.”
Since his career launched in 2000, Miguel, a Black Mexican-American, has shared his eclectic vision of the world through chart-topping R&B albums like Kaleidoscope Dream and War & Leisure. He’s even been compared to legends like Marvin Gaye and Prince.
Whether through songs like “What’s Normal Anyway,” which explores his racial and cultural identity, or “Now,” which condemns the hostile treatment of marginalized communities, Miguel said his music has consistently challenged societal expectations and pushed back against the forces that seek to divide and silence people.
“For people who’ve really listened to my music, there’s a theme of defiance,” he said. “My music is about self-discovery and belief systems and about curating one’s reality. I’ve never been particularly interested in following rules.”
Beyond the recording studio, Miguel brings the same passion and rebelliousness to his other artistic endeavors through Schedule One Concepts (S1C), an ecosystem that helps underrepresented creatives maintain ownership of their work, achieve financial independence and build sustainable careers.
As an executive producer of the award-winning documentary Papá Melissa, Miguel has turned his attention to filmmaking and supporting stories that might otherwise go untold. Directed by Mexican filmmaker Sophia Stieglitz, Papá Melissa tells the story of a transgender woman exploring the complexities of her gender identity while maintaining a connection to her masculinity and her role as a father to her five children.
“The beats of my human experience and my work [are] what drew me to [Papá Melissa],” Miguel said. “What the film says is that no one has everything figured out. I think that’s what makes it beautiful. There’s something liberating about watching people find the courage to be themselves.”
With Papá Melissa, Miguel has stepped into a behind-the-scenes role rather than his usual spotlight on stage. He said there is a “powerful distinction” between what an artist can accomplish through filmmaking and music.
“To me, art, across the board, is the most important thing humans can do,” he said. “The greatest artists have done it in a way that makes us see ourselves in their details. Music will make you feel something before you understand it. Film will make you understand someone that you might not have considered.”
Miguel hopes Papá Melissa will challenge viewers who are unfamiliar with the trans community – or who may harbor negative feelings about transgender people – to reconsider their perspectives after seeing Melissa’s story.
“[Papá Melissa] is a beautiful and honest portrait,” he said. “We need ways for people to think outside of their own experience and to see themselves in others. Anyone who’s stepping outside of the boundaries is what we need the most right now.”
Whether he’s producing a film, recording an album or designing streetwear, Miguel said he wants to pursue projects that genuinely motivate him, regardless of the industry.
“I’m interested in what I can make possible … and how I can make that excitement possible for others,” he said. “That’s the new chapter for me. I’m in love with that feeling.”