Miguel. Welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
(chuckles): Yeah, thanks for having me, man.
You know, um, you're one of those people
who sticks in my memory
because you're one of the memories I have pre-pandemic
of enjoying life,
going out with other human beings,
and it's because I saw your performance at Coachella.
I remember how crazy it was. It was amazing.
You know, like, you were just... You were rocking it,
and we were all outside, and...
You-you take those things for granted.
I remember being like, "Man, there's too many people here."
And now I dream for a day
when there will be too many people again.
As somebody who's spent so many years
entertaining human beings onstage,
what has it been like for you
not being onstage for this long?
It's been such a weird Groundhog Day.
I thought I-- I-I really thought I wanted
to take a break from touring,
and then I felt really responsible
when it all happened. It was like, "We can't tour."
And I was like, "Oh! My bad. I...
-This-- Was this my fault?" But, um... -Right, right, right.
Yeah. Now it's like-- You know,
it's definitely something I miss the most and-and...
Just also the-the things that you can't...
you can't convey through a screen.
You know, like energy of a crowd is just a--
that feeling is-is unanimous, you know?
-It's-it's... it's just hard to capture. -Right, right.
But, you know, we're all doing our best,
and I'm really grateful to... you know, to-to see that--
and know that our family was okay
and just, you know, hope the best for everyone
who-who had to deal with any of the tragedy,
'cause there's just a lot of tragedy over the last year.
Y-You're one of those artists who's-who's just, like--
you've inhabited this space that is unique.
You know? It's not very often that an artist comes along
where they-they create their own niche
that can't easily be filled by somebody else.
And people have tried to place you. They go, like,
"Oh, he-he reminds us of Prince.
Or-or maybe it's-- maybe it's a little bit of this or may..."
But it's Miguel. That's really what it is. It's Miguel.
And for fans of yours like myself,
2017 was the last time we got our dose of Miguel.
It has been a long, long time since then,
especially because of the pandemic,
and now, finally, I'm hearing good news
and that is Miguel is back in the music.
We saw the drop. Art Dealer Chic Vol. 4.
Tell me about why you thought now was the right time
to drop the music.
Yeah, it's just been such a long time.
Um, was trying to figure out what was real to share.
'Cause I think that's-that's pretty much
what I always start with.
And I-I try my best to...
to-to...
have offerings that, you know, reveal something new about me.
And as much as I love to have fun and I want to, you know,
help add to those moments for other people,
I just feel like there's a-a ton of reality
that we're all sort of processing in real time,
and we're seeing how important it is to sort of just be honest.
I think that's what gets us to human empathy.
Like, honesty, empathy have so much to do with each other.
So I just felt like the best thing I could do
and-and the best way to be of service was to do what I do best
and hopefully give people music that allows them to feel like...
or-or reminds them that it's-it's normal and natural
to-to, you know,
sort of feel the pressure of society,
of social media,
to smile in the face of,
you know, everything that we're dealing with,
when, in reality, there are so many things happening
for everyone behind the scenes that we don't share
that affects us and-and makes it a challenge.
So, just kind of wanted to--
You know, it's really coming from a place
of "how can I be of service?"
And, um, yeah,
I-I think music is always gonna be that first place for me.
What's-what's really fascinating to me
about Art Dealer Chic is, like,
your-your EPs have always felt like a different avenue
to express yourself. What do you think it is
about the EPs versus the albums that gives you the opportunity
to give us an unfiltered taste of Miguel?
It's probably...
(stammers) Yeah, I think it's probably the-the name,
Art Dealer Chic, and the concept behind it, and-and...
that really just is-is about choosing and curating
the way that we think or, um, act,
um, the way that we feel and being-being at the helm of that,
as opposed to sort of being on autopilot
or, um, you know,
sort of succumbing to any pressures.
Just, like, really about the freedom of choice.
And because that's sort of the premise of the whole,
you know, EP offering,
it's-it's just a place that feels like, uh...
you know, it's really easy to do.
And my fans expect it, so it's-it's really beautiful.
-It's awesome. -You-- It feels like you're doing everything.
It feels like you're comfortable doing everything,
which is what I really enjoy about watching you work.
You know, whether-whether it's creating new music,
whether it's working with Rihanna for-for Fenty.
Um, even to things-- even to things
like being a mental health advocate.
I mean, that-that, a few years ago,
wasn't the sexiest thing in the world,
but you were someone who came out of--
you-you've always talked about therapy,
whether it’s for couples or for individuals.
You al-- You've always talked about, you know, um,
preserving your mental health.
I'd love to know why you felt like, "No, as Miguel,
"I'm not just gonna keep the enigma
"around mental health going--
"I will keep myself that--
"but-but talking about mental health is something
that I'm gonna instill in everybody."
Why-why did you feel the need to do that?
I mean, the...
the real thing is a platform to reach people.
You start to realize that there's opportunity
to help somebody, somewhere.
And, um, I guess just-just not wanting
to take that for granted
and realize there's a kid like me somewhere
that grew up in some neighborhood
that was underprivileged like I was
or came from a, you know, broken family
or is of mixed heritage like I am
or, you know, just all the different things
that you could be, because everyone's dealing
with something.
You know, I-I would have loved to-to have someone reminding me
that I have the choice
to choose the way that I...
-see the world, how I interface with the world. -Right.
That, you know, the way that I learned
how to deal with things,
you know, you can choose better ways.
-Right. -You can... Those things are...
That's the thing, is, like, we get operating systems
on our phones, like, every two--
I don't know-- two months now or something like that.
And, you know,
-what's the personal operating system upgrade? -Yeah.
You know? And I think the earlier we can instill that in,
you know, other-- you know, younger kids or younger people,
the more likely they're-they're going to be building
and curating their own mindset as they get up
and hopefully, you know, are happier, more fulfilled people.
That's-that's the future, so I just think
-of that kind of thing. -Yeah, man.
I-I appreciate it. Honestly, I-I appreciate--
I appreciate what you speak on.
I appreciate the-the music that you put out.
I appreciate you being you, 'cause it's just, like--
It's-- I think it's inspiring to see people
who-who work at being comfortable being themselves,
because I think it inspires everyone
to try and do the same thing.
So, uh, I'm excited. Thank you for the music.
-Thank you. -Generally, whenever we get
a-an Art Dealer Chic,
it means there's a Miguel album coming up.
I-I know you're not gonna say anything,
so I'm just gonna assume that
and I'm gonna be ready for it.
But, in the meantime, I'm gonna be listening to this,
I'm gonna be enjoying it. Keep doing you, Miguel.
Thank you so much for joining me on the show.
Appreciate you. We watch you. Every segment.
Thank you so much, man, for the information and the laughs.
-It's much appreciated, brother. -I appreciate you, my dude.
All right.