The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2026 - Issue 39

bitemusicceleb B efore breaking out as an R&B star, Miguel was a preacher during his childhood and teenage years. “Yeah, all the way up until about 16 or 17,” he told NME online in 2017. “It started when I was young. That was my mum’s influence. I would go around preaching about the Bible.” At age 13, he signed a pro- duction deal with Drop Squad in 2000 and joined the independent label Black Ice in 2004. While they recorded a full debut album titled Young & Free , they only officially released one single, ‘Getcha Hands Up’. Born Miguel Jontel Pimentel in San Pedro, Los Angeles, in 1986, to an African American mother and a Mexican father, the singer’s mixed heritage has deeply influenced his personal identity and sound. He has openly discussed how growing up navigating both cultures led him to embrace his full multiracial background. In an episode of Viceland’s Earthworks, Miguel travelled to Mexico with his father and his older brother, Nicholas, to meet his Mexican family for the first time. During his early career years and brief stint with Black Ice, Miguel co- wrote and developed tracks for R&B and hip-hop acts such as ‘IfU- Leave’ by Musiq Soulchild featuring Mary J. Blige in 2008; ‘Finding My Way Back’ by Jaheim, ‘Red Light’ and ‘Guilty’ by Usher from his album Raymond v. Raymond , ‘So Many Girls’ by DJ Drama featuring Roscoe Dash, Wiz Khalifa & Fabolous in 2010; and ‘Lotus Flower Bomb’ by Wale featuring Miguel in 2011. For nearly a year, Miguel’s former manager, Brite Ware, persistently sub- mitted the singer’s demos to legendary music executive Mark Pitts, who finally listened to ‘Sure Thing’ and was impressed. He called Miguel in for a meeting, leading to a signing with ByStorm Entertainment imprint and Jive Records (now part of RCA Records) in 2007. Pitts said of his performance, “He was like Elvis. He was all over the place at the time, but it was just different. With a little tweaking, this could be special.”