BURBANK, CA (CelebrityAccess) – peermusic has signed artist and songwriter Karl Michael to an exclusive global co-publishing agreement, announced today by Kathy Spanberger, President and Chief Operating Officer (COO), peermusic Anglo American Region and Michel Knox, President, peermusic Nashville.
Originally from London, England, Michael moved to Nashville in July 2020 to pursue his career as a songwriter and an artist. After coming off a European tour opening for Teddy Swims in May 2022, Michael has set his focus on songwriting while working on his next EP, with plans to release new material in the fall of 2023. Michael has already written with some of the biggest names in music—“Can We Dance,” which he wrote with Bruno Mars, racked up more than 81 million streams on Spotify for The Vamps. “Beautiful Me” has amassed over 16 million plays on YouTube for Dappy. Other past and current collaborators/co-writers include Yungblud (“Loner”), Swims (“Liar”), Mitchell Tenpenny (“Save Me”), Dallas Wilson, Spencer Rabin, On The Outside, and more.
Knox commented: “I’m very excited about Karl Michael coming to peermusic. Karl is one of the best singers in town and writing some of my new favorite songs. You can feel his energy and excitement when he is in the building. ”
Michael commented: “Working with the team at peermusic is a dream come true. This is a team of outstanding music publishers, and to be able to leverage their global reach and network is a great opportunity.”
Spanberger commented: “Karl’s talent is undeniable. I can’t wait to see what he does next, and I’m thrilled that he has joined the peermusic roster. We know that we can leverage our global network of offices to help further the impressive impact he has made in a short amount of time. The support he’s receiving from other artists and the creative community is really exciting.”
Michael’s life story is evidence that persistence pays off. Growing up in a rough neighborhood, Michael relied on that resilience to beat the odds and break from the cycle of crime and poverty that surrounded him. At 16, he struck out on his own for Nashville, where a family friend had offered to help him get a fresh start. When he landed in the United States, though, Michael was singled out by a customs officer who was suspicious of his status as an unaccompanied minor. Despite possessing the appropriate paperwork, he was detained, questioned for more than five hours, and eventually handcuffed and forcibly sent back to England.
Back where he started, Michael picked up a job at Mcdonald’s to make ends meet while he reassessed his future. Obsessed with films and movie stars, he’d always dreamed of becoming an actor, and when a friend tipped him off about open auditions at the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama, it seemed like a golden ticket.
“I had no training in the arts whatsoever, and I certainly didn’t have the money for school, but I went and auditioned anyway,” Michael remembers. “They wanted to see some acting, so I did a scene. They wanted me to dance, so I did the worm. They asked me to sing, so I walked over to the window, spit out my gum, and sang them a tune. When I opened my eyes, I had a full-ride scholarship.”
Until then, Michael hadn’t been exposed to a lot of music, but at school, it became his singular obsession. He fell in love with rap, grime, soul, and R&B and supplemented his natural gifts with a fierce work ethic. As much as he loved performing, though, he found the school to be a poor fit, and so, after six months, he set out on his own again.
Michael didn’t realize it then, but he was about to begin a long, strange journey through all the promises and pitfalls the music industry had to offer. Over the next decade, he would land not one but two major label record deals, only to watch them both fall apart before they could even get off the ground. He would make more money than he’d ever seen in his life, only to wind up broke again, sharing a cramped one-room apartment with a sibling while tending bar and handing out flyers to pay the rent. Eventually, he would become a star on one of the most popular singing shows on UK television, The Voice.
Michael returned to the studio, where he continued collaborating on various projects. Some of his tunes became major hits for other artists. On one of his trips to Nashville, which Michael now calls home, he began penning material for himself, writing a series of singles (starting with “Highs And The Lows”) that would land him his first record deal as a solo artist. The tunes were pop gems that were recorded with all-star producers Jon Levine (Dua Lipa, Alessia Cara) and Scott Spock (Rihanna, Britney Spears), reflecting the emotional rollercoaster of Michael’s personal and professional life.
In addition to working with Michael as a recording artist and singer/songwriter, the peermusic team will support him as a writer for outside projects and get him involved in writing for sync opportunities.
