Miguel is celebrating 15 years of All I Want Is You. The singer shares stories about some of his favorite tracks on the album, his experience working with J. Cole on 'Power Trip' and their friendship, the re-emergence of 'Sure Thing' among the younger generation, collaborating with J-Hope on 'Sweet Dreams,' how he plans to incorporate his mixed roots into his new music, and more!
Are you excited for Miguel's new music? Let us know in the comments!
Are you excited for Miguel's new music? Let us know in the comments!
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00:00It's been such a dope experience.
00:02His fans, their fans are so just connected
00:06to every part of it.
00:08I am the most reliable, unpredictable homie.
00:11That's not what, everyone wasn't excited about that record.
00:14Kaleidoscope Dream, Kaleidoscope Dream was a chance.
00:19I made that record for me.
00:20That's where I was at.
00:26Yeah, yo, what's going on, y'all?
00:27I'm Deputy Director of R&B Hip Hop, Mr. Carl Lamar.
00:29And welcome to Billboard News and Conversation.
00:33We got a Grammy Award winner.
00:36R&B heavyweight, Mr. Miguel.
00:38My brother, how you feeling, man?
00:39I'm all right, man, how you doing?
00:41Whoo, it's a blessed day.
00:43It is a blessed day because we're gonna do
00:44something special here.
00:46One of your albums has a special anniversary this year.
00:48All I want is you 15.
00:51What does that number mean to you?
00:52Because that's a whole ninth grade
00:53that I was telling you before.
00:56It's a journey.
00:58You know, you think about, you know, how much time it took to get that album out.
01:01Right.
01:02And what it took to get there, just in terms of cycles and growth and challenges and failures
01:09and learning experiences, and then to kind of have all of the blessings in between that
01:14point and this point in my career, it's beautiful.
01:17It's just a trip.
01:18Talk us back to when you met, of course, the big homie, record exec extraordinaire, Mark
01:24Pitts.
01:25Because you played him some records, which I saw was originally meant for Usher that night.
01:29And I was like, uh-uh.
01:30We gonna keep this.
01:31We gonna keep Miguel.
01:32We gonna build.
01:33Talk about that.
01:34At the time, you know, there wasn't a lot of diversity in, and I mean, sonic diversity
01:42and what was coming from R&B music specifically, I think we have shifted so deeply into hip-hop.
01:52Really, Usher was one of the only ones that was just a titan, not just in R&B, but like,
01:57as a pop superstar.
01:58That's true.
01:59You know, he was the only one really at the forefront.
02:02You know, I was young, still developing.
02:06We're always developing.
02:08I love that quote Lauryn Hill saying, you know, if it's not growing, it's dead.
02:13So we're always striving to grow.
02:16I had a long, long way to go before I got to all the songs that were on.
02:22All I Want Is You, let alone a lot of scope dream.
02:25I was really making my chops as a writer.
02:28Right.
02:29And Sure Thing was one of those songs that Mark Pitts heard.
02:32He did submit it.
02:33He believed in the song, and it just didn't make the cut.
02:36He also could see where the game needed to go and the opportunity that there was.
02:41So being of Black and Mexican descent, being that I was left the center, you know, Usher
02:47was making his stride in the game.
02:50There was some space.
02:51There was some space.
02:52And, you know, with a lot of his time and effort, some legal, you know, some legal fisticuffs
02:59and just real diligence there, we were able to drop All I Want Is You.
03:06What I think is so interesting, man, is the fact that you said, though the record, you know, Usher didn't cut it, you know, for any songwriter that would be deflating.
03:15At any moment, was that deflating for you?
03:17Or was it a quick turn of like, okay, now this is my record.
03:20I could make it my record.
03:21I could make it my record.
03:22And the confidence just, I guess, was regained, knowing that you had ownership of the record again.
03:27Now, what I would say is, what we need is like, we don't need a yes from everyone.
03:32You know, it's just a key, like one key affirmation can set off a chain reaction and a domino effect that gives you the momentum.
03:42I think your intention and your persistence like prepares you for, you know, it's like you show up every day to the thing, regardless of what you're getting out of it,
03:54because it's something that you need to express.
03:57The rest is timing and circumstance all just kind of coming to the head and your preparation being there for it to really manifest.
04:06I think that's the, those are the seeds that we plant every day, day in and day out.
04:10Showing up when you're tired or when you're not inspired or when you're hurt or when you're broken.
04:16When you don't, when you feel faithless, you know, or when you feel, you know, at your most powerful, all of those moments and everything in between.
04:24Fortunately, that was kind of my moment where all of the time and effort and the preparation sort of really let in.
04:32So it was one of those things that I accepted with a lot of like, because I, it was my song.
04:38Right.
04:39It was coming from a very personal place.
04:41Songwriters have such an attachment to their records.
04:43Oh my God.
04:44So when you guys got to let that one go and know when that's the money record too.
04:47It's tough.
04:48I mean, I've been wrong about other songs and other, other records.
04:51What I appreciated most very early on is how you and Cole linked up so early on in the phases of your careers to do All I Want Is You.
05:01And then to see the evolution would come through and chill, power trip.
05:05Why do you think the synergy between you guys was so strong that first record and it was able to carry through multiple eras?
05:13When the intention is coming from the same place.
05:15Y'all are your simpatico.
05:17Yeah.
05:18Yeah.
05:19And I come from underground hip hop.
05:20Like that is a big part of my development, my career, even professionally.
05:27You know, a lot of that started with my education and my love for hip hop.
05:31Deep, deep.
05:32You know what I mean?
05:33And like true lyricism.
05:37Those things are what I think informed how easy it was for Cole and I to just make music.
05:43And I think with grace and the grace of, you know, everything.
05:46And I look forward to many, many more, you know, many, many more because he's not going anywhere and I'm not going anywhere.
05:52Listen, I always said y'all had an EP waiting.
05:56You know, that's an easy five, six records to put together.
05:59You know, y'all went three for three.
06:01Y'all can go six to six.
06:02Yeah. Yeah.
06:03We've definitely talked about going back and forth on production and like singing and.
06:06Yeah.
06:07Yeah.
06:08We've talked about some fun concepts.
06:10So that just feels like time.
06:12That's not true.
06:13Timing.
06:14Yeah. Yeah.
06:15You know what I think is natural too, man?
06:17Obviously, we talked about you being a savant when it comes to songwriting.
06:20When you look at yourself then at 25, what do you think was the most underrated aspect of your songwriting ability?
06:27And what song off that debut album showcased that?
06:30I feel like my piece is one of those ones.
06:36Untouchable, Uncrushable, which is a Biggie reference.
06:41That was a homage, you know?
06:43As a lyricist, that's one of my favorite MCs of all time.
06:46Yeah.
06:47Always will be.
06:48I think people just, it's the last song and, you know, maybe people didn't catch it, but I always thought that song was one of those ones.
06:56And if there's a second one, I would say a lot of my fans would probably, as a songwriter, be like, oh, but Vixen is kind of like, it wasn't a single, but it's kind of lived on to be a one.
07:07One of those ones, man.
07:08Yeah.
07:09And what I enjoyed was seeing, like, the reemergence of Sure Thing, which ended up blooming into the top 20 just two years ago.
07:17How did it feel seeing the newer generation being able to soak in and appreciate that classic?
07:22I mean, I believe in signs, you know?
07:25I believe in signs, and for whatever reason, all of those variables, all of the things that didn't come together for Sure Thing in the time.
07:34I mean, that song, I wrote that song at, like, 18, 19.
07:39The time flies, so I don't, you know, without dating myself.
07:43Without dating myself.
07:44We were talking about, you know, how long these records have been out.
07:49I wrote the song years before Mark heard it.
07:53I mean, it took years for the song to be released.
07:57Right.
07:58So there's a good six-plus years, something like that, before writing the song and it actually, anyone hearing it.
08:03I mean, even hearing it, the game was so different, which is kind of crazy, because even now, I feel like a lot of us get pigeon-held.
08:11You know what I mean?
08:12It's like, only now SZA's gonna be, you know, her songs are gonna go straight pop.
08:17But there was a time where there was no way they were gonna put any artist of color in a pop category.
08:23And that's just what it is.
08:24Or even a ball, yeah.
08:25You know?
08:26Sure Thing went number one on R&B.
08:28It never got pushed to go anywhere else.
08:31So it's really my core fans.
08:33The ones that have always been with me that gave, you know, gave me my flowers and gave the music a place to be and exist.
08:41I'm so grateful for that.
08:42Like, fast forward, you get to, you know, last, maybe two years ago, maybe I think it is now, new fans, younger fans discovering the music.
08:52It's a testament to the purpose of why I do this, well, do this this season.
08:57I feel like, I'm glad you say that, because I remember the running conversation, like, when Adorn came out.
09:03Let my love, let my love dawn on you.
09:08They were like, this is gonna be the quintessential cookout.
09:12BBQ.
09:13And I know you heard that, too.
09:14I know that.
09:15Yeah, like, this is, and it has followed since then, over ten plus years.
09:19It's a blessing to see the electric slide on.
09:21You got the electric slide and you got a Dawn come through.
09:24Yeah, come on.
09:25That's a crazy combo right there.
09:27If All I Want Is You was released today, do you think it would have fared differently in terms of, like, commercially?
09:35I mean, who's to say?
09:36Yeah.
09:37Because I remember that was a big thing where, like, yo, this guy has a sleeper album.
09:40Why is he not getting the push that he deserves back then?
09:43I mean, it's a trip.
09:45I think all things in their time, you know?
09:47Sure thing is a testament to that.
09:49Yeah.
09:50I find it's important to focus on what can be done, because I would drive myself crazy on the what could have or what I felt should have.
09:57When, in actuality, the could have, should have may have prepared me for what will.
10:03Right.
10:04I stand here now, like, you know, as a human being with so much more resilience, the worth or the value of what I get to do is different.
10:12You know, it's no longer in the hands of the commercial success of said song, you know?
10:17It's a lot more footed and firmly planted in the soil, you know?
10:23So that's the best thing we could do is stay ten toes and just stay focused.
10:28Yeah.
10:29Still the best are doing that.
10:30Yeah.
10:31You know, they just stay ten toes down and stay focused and continue.
10:33So that's what my next ten years is looking like.
10:35It's, like, just exponential output because I guess I'm less tied to what could have or should have.
10:44And I love that. And just from a present day standpoint, always time.
10:48Mm-hmm.
10:49When I listen to that record and then I put it side by side, let's say, like, with a short thing.
10:53Mm-hmm.
10:54I love the contrast because obviously it speaks to, you know, your growth and evolution as a songwriter.
10:59But the subject matter, you're looking at short thing, I got a short thing here.
11:03And then always time is like, damn, I didn't appreciate the short thing I had.
11:07Yeah.
11:08Unintentionally, I don't know if you realized that, if you connected the dots.
11:11I mean, that's life.
11:12Yeah.
11:13That's real life, like, bookends.
11:15Yeah.
11:16You know, of a slice of life.
11:18Right.
11:19I remember a couple years ago when you did your performance and that's when you were suspended.
11:23Mm-hmm.
11:24And some of your fans were unsure of the direction you were going in.
11:28Fast forward to today.
11:30Mm-hmm.
11:31Where are you taking your fans who may have questioned at that time the direction?
11:35Like, I'm going to say this, like, I am the most reliable, unpredictable homie.
11:40There we go.
11:41I am deep into a lot of conspiracy theory.
11:46Mm-hmm.
11:47Like, I follow, like, I listen to metal music.
11:51Yeah.
11:52And I grew up in a punk city, a punk haven.
11:54Punk music is a deep part of my upbringing.
11:57My father is Mexican, so I love all of the traditional things that I got to hear growing up.
12:02But he also loved black women, obviously.
12:05And so I got to listen to all the great soul music in his car when we tip around.
12:10That's the both worlds.
12:11Yeah.
12:12Where I take my fans will be about the truths that I feel I'm finally comfortable to just share with you.
12:18Because maybe I felt it was too weird, you know?
12:21And now I'm at the point in my life where I'm like, look, the weirder I can show you I am
12:25or the things that I think are weird.
12:27Mm-hmm.
12:28Maybe we find that those are the things that make us even closer.
12:30Find that middle ground.
12:31You know what I mean?
12:32Yeah.
12:33I think I will continue to surprise my audience.
12:35Mm.
12:36I think you're at a place where you've created such a catalog that you, one,
12:40don't need to explain shit to anybody.
12:42Fair.
12:43But two, you've made such great music that if you're willing to take certain chances,
12:47we've got to trust you to take those chances.
12:50Yeah.
12:51You know, everybody's entitled to have that one, two album where it's like,
12:54yo, this is for me.
12:55Yeah.
12:56I gave y'all what y'all wanted.
12:58Kaleidoscope gave y'all that classic.
13:00Sit with it.
13:01No, no, no, no.
13:02Let me tell you this, too.
13:03Like sometimes, I mean, a lot of times that's not what everyone wasn't excited about that record.
13:08Kaleidoscope Dream was a chance.
13:12Mmm.
13:13I made that record for me.
13:14That's where I was at.
13:15And that's what I wanted to make.
13:17It wasn't like R&B sounded like that or that was what was happening commercially
13:21or anyone else was making music like that.
13:23Yeah.
13:24That was literally me being myself in that moment.
13:28And we did enough of telling the story to give it the base where people could go,
13:36oh, I can relate to that.
13:38I can relate to that.
13:39I can relate to that.
13:40We were able to roll that into momentum.
13:44And crowd psychology is a real thing.
13:46It's funny you bring up Kaleidoscope Dream.
13:49It was kind of the perfect balance of a lot of momentum.
13:53You know, expectation, timing, narrative.
13:58Yeah.
13:59These are all things that have nothing to do with the music.
14:02Because we won't talk about the lead up.
14:04Right.
14:05That I remember day to day that I couldn't get the label to really get behind.
14:09I had to go outside the label.
14:10I had to go do my own thing and build the momentum myself.
14:13And then it kicked in.
14:15You know?
14:16Yeah.
14:17So I say all that to say, to kind of go back to this thing, especially for all of the incredible
14:22talent out there.
14:23You know, whether they are established or up and coming to just remember like, this shit
14:28is like, it's not about a single song.
14:31It's not about a single moment.
14:33It's about, it's about like momentum.
14:36Yeah.
14:37It's about alignment.
14:38It's about preparation.
14:39It's about patience.
14:42You know, and more will come, you know, as long as we continue.
14:45So.
14:46Obviously you mentioned your Mexican roots.
14:48Yeah.
14:49You know, your contributions to Coco.
14:50Remember me.
14:53Though I have to travel far.
14:56Remember me.
14:58Obviously you dropped the Spanish language EP.
15:01Can we get a little bit of more Spanish on the new album?
15:04Are you flirting with it a little bit more or?
15:06No, I'm not flirting.
15:07I'm excited to really like, to have been exploring how to, to really make my own way.
15:19Incorporating all of my influences from my upbringing into the music and figuring out
15:25ways to evolve.
15:26You know, my point of view as an artist and, you know, being mixed the way that I am.
15:32Figuring out the way to kind of combine them in my own unique way has been.
15:36It's fun.
15:37Yeah.
15:38Making my own salsa.
15:39Yeah.
15:40That's hard.
15:41Like, you know, Friday, he just dropped his album.
15:43I remember his manager hit me.
15:45Congrats to Friday too.
15:46Yeah.
15:47So we're Haitian.
15:48Yeah.
15:49And he's like, yo, we decided to mix R&B with compa.
15:51Hard.
15:52Hard.
15:53And when I heard it, I was like, yo.
15:55Yeah.
15:56You're like, oh.
15:57Yeah.
15:58And the crib threw it all by myself.
16:01But you know, he was still rocking though.
16:02That's it.
16:03That's it.
16:04So I love that you're saying like, you know, you're exploring different sounds to make it
16:07a fusion of what you grew up on and what you love.
16:10That's hard.
16:11Yeah.
16:12Going again, like just, just back to that, like not trying to cast a wide net.
16:16Right.
16:17Just trying to go like, you know what?
16:19I happen to be this unique mix of circumstances, cultural influences, community.
16:26You know, I got all of this sabor.
16:30Mm-hmm.
16:31This is like, it's a very unique blend.
16:33Yeah.
16:34Why would I try and make some other sauce?
16:37Right.
16:38The consideration of my artistry is so firmly rooted there.
16:42Mm-hmm.
16:43And the like, I'm making my own sauce.
16:45This is mine.
16:46I can't wait for the tour.
16:47Yeah.
16:48I could already feel it.
16:49I'm getting goosebumps right now.
16:50Yeah.
16:51That's right.
16:52Yeah.
16:53You know, new record with J-Hope.
16:54I saw the BTS fans going crazy.
16:55Yeah.
16:56Talk about that experience.
16:57How was it working?
16:58When there's nothing left but diamond necklace on you, girl.
17:03I just wanna love it like, love it like, love it like that.
17:06It's such a dope experience.
17:08Eye-opening.
17:09It's fans.
17:10Their fans are so just connected to every part of it.
17:14And of course, like, I'm coming from like, the Siberia of professional artistry right
17:19now.
17:20Yeah.
17:21I've just been in my own world.
17:22Yeah.
17:23You know, cultivating and testing the sauce.
17:26So, I'm coming into it and they're all ready.
17:29It's a nice like, pick me up when you're kind of starting at zero.
17:33Yeah.
17:34What's out there?
17:35Oh, new world.
17:36Yeah.
17:37They just give the love.
17:38It's beautiful.
17:39So, shout out to all of J-Hope's fans.
17:41We love you guys.
17:42I'm so excited about this song.
17:43It's a tough one.
17:44Sweet dreams.
17:45Only fire.
17:46Sweet dreams.
17:47You came up at a time where like, the males in ARMY was hyper competitive.
17:50Right.
17:51Whether you got Usher, Chris, Neo, you can name it.
17:54Mm-hmm.
17:55It was kind of reversed.
17:56Where the women are in the driver's seat.
17:57So beautiful.
17:58Beautiful to see.
17:59Now, what do you think it will take for our male counterparts to regain some momentum?
18:05I don't know that it's that anything lost momentum.
18:10I think we gravitate to what we need in the time.
18:14And I think, I mean, come on, this has been a male dominated genre.
18:20I think it's that time, man.
18:21I just think it's that time.
18:23I also believe there's space for everybody.
18:25Yeah.
18:26There's space for everyone.
18:29As long as everyone's in their lane.
18:32Mmm.
18:33And that's the one where I think about how important it is to stress this for like, the next generation
18:40of incredible artists that I think kind of understand that now because everything is native
18:45and they're seeing how important it is to key in on who they are and what their point
18:50of view is without the influence of needing to cast a wide net the way that we were sort
18:59of, you know, taught to.
19:04Love seeing all the women in R&B music and across all genres.
19:09Just really tap in, lock into this opportunity and just flourish because that's what we need
19:16that.
19:17I love that.
19:18What's your favorite billboard moment if you have one?
19:21Favorite billboard moment period?
19:22Yeah.
19:23You know what?
19:24Actually, my favorite billboard moment is short thing going number one.
19:27Hey.
19:28That's it.
19:29I'm really good.
19:30Yeah.
19:31You remember where you were at mentally?
19:32Honestly, I've been in life mode, you know, and trying to absorb as much as I can to pour
19:39it into the music.
19:41I was more just trying to learn.
19:44I was in learn mode, you know.
19:46Yeah.
19:47And let me look at the science.
19:48Let me look at how something like this can happen.
19:52And even now it's different.
19:54You know, it's a different game.
19:55When that started, that was two years ago.
19:57And it took a good six, nine months for it to really like pop.
20:01But it was such a learning experience.
20:04And it taught me how important, again, just staying true to the music.
20:11You just reinforce that.
20:13Here we are.
20:14It was a whole, I don't know, nearly a decade, if not more, you know, since the song.
20:19And have been released.
20:21So yeah.
20:22That's my favorite Billboard moment.
20:25First number one.
20:26Poetic.
20:27Yeah, it's poetic.
20:28Shout out to everyone who made that song.
20:30Yeah.
20:31Massive.
20:32Love you guys.
20:34Shout out to the artist himself.
20:35My brother Miguel.
20:36Thank you so much.