James Michael | |
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 Michael in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | James Andrew Michael |
| Origin | Holland, Michigan, U.S. |
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James Andrew Michael is an American record producer, sound engineer, mixer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was the lead singer of the rock bandSixx:A.M.
He took piano lessons while growing up and sang in Holland High School's show choir, Vocal Dimensions. As a teen, he played in different local rock bands including The Way We Dress and Night Shift. In the late 1980s, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his musical career.[1]
James Michael has worked as a record producer, songwriter, and/or engineer and mixer with many rock and pop recording artists includingKelly Clarkson,Alanis Morissette,Meat Loaf,Mötley Crüe,HammerFall,Scorpions,Hilary Duff,The Rasmus,Papa Roach,Trapt,American Bang,Saliva,The Exies,Deana Carter,Sammy Hagar,Lillix,Sarah Kelly,Halestorm,Jack's Mannequin,Brides of Destruction,Marion Raven andVictoria Justice.
He put out his first solo album in 2000 titledInhale.[2] Michael wrote, produced and mixed the entire album and often played all the instruments.
Michael is co-founder (along withNikki Sixx andDJ Ashba) and lead singer of the rock bandSixx:A.M.[3] The band's debut album,The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, produced by Michael, was on theBillboard 200 album chart for 26 consecutive weeks and featured the No. 1 rock track of 2008 and gold-selling single "Life Is Beautiful".[4] He also co-wrote and handled production for the band's second album,This Is Gonna Hurt, which debuted at No. 10 on theBillboard 200 and its second track, "Lies of the Beautiful People", went No. 1 on Active Rock radio.[5]
Michael produced, mixed and co-wrote (alongside Sixx:A.M. bandmate DJ Ashba)Mötley Crüe's last studio albumSaints of Los Angeles that debuted at No. 4 on theBillboard 200.[6] He also co-wrote the song "Higher Than Heaven" forJames Durbin'sMemories of a Beautiful Disaster album released on November 21, 2011. He producedPapa Roach's new album,The Connection (as well as co-wrote the track "Where Did the Angels Go"), which debuted at No. 17 on theBillboard 200 chart.[7] Other projects from around this time include writing the track "People Like Us" for theKelly ClarksonGreatest Hits – Chapter One[8] mixingHinder's new albumWelcome to the Freak Show and writing with and contributing vocals forHalestorm,[5] plus writing and producing "Take a Hint" forVictoria Justice featured in the showVictorious.
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He released a solo song "Learn to Hate You," which premiered on November 26, 2012.
Michael met up with Sixx and Ashba early in 2013 to start writing songs for a new Sixx:A.M. album, which turned out to beModern Vintage, released in 2014. It debuted at #1 on the rock charts.[9][10] The band followed up in 2016 with two albumsPrayers for the Damned[11] andPrayers for the Blessed, before going on a successful USA and European tour.[12] The following year, they decided to take a hiatus.[13]
In 2019, Sixx:A.M. released their first song in three years, "Talk to Me," in support of the #TalktoMe campaign against opioid addiction.[14] The following year, James performed on a remake of a Sixx:A.M. song, "Maybe It's Time," featuring Ivan Moody (Five Finger Death Punch), Tommy Vext (Bad Wolves), Arron Bruno (Awolnation), Joe Elliot (Def Leppard) and Slash (Guns N' Roses), all proceeds again were donated to the battle against opioid addiction,[15] a cause important to James throughout his career.[16]
In 2021, Sixx:A.M. released their Hits album,[17] a compilation of fan favorites and a few new tracks most notably "The First 21."[18]
James Michael's 2022 releases includeThe Retaliators movie theme, "21 Bullets," written by James and Nikki Sixx.[19] He then released a solo recording, "California Smile." He is currently working in his recording studios in both the US and UK/Ireland developing new rock and pop artists, focusing heavily on his strengths as a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, lead vocalist, producer, and mixer.
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