In April, Miguel returned after a long hiatus with the song “Give It To Me,” followed by “Sure Thing” in June. It’s only getting better from here after the announcement of another new single featuring an artist who this year has been on a lot of people’s minds.
“Number 9” is arriving Friday, August 11, and it features Lil Yachty, whose January record Let’s Start Here was a polarizing release. Miguel shared an alluring teaser to Twitter that previews a catchy harmony and shows the blue single art with a scorpion on it.
At the Let’s Start Here listening event, Lil Yachty explained why the record was important to him. “This album is so special and dear to me,” he said. “I think I created it because I wanted to be taken seriously as an artist. You know? Not just some SoundCloud rapper. Not some mumble rapper. Not some guy that just made one hit. I wanted to be taken seriously because music is everything to me, and I respect all walks of music. Not just rap and hip-hop but everything. I wanted to make something that showed the world that shows it, just how great music is to me.”
“Number 9” is out 8/11 on Sony Music. Find more information here.
Miguel always knew he was destined for greatness. Amid shoddy record deals, less-than-perfect auditions, and false starts, he was always willing to place bets on himself. And now, nearly 20 years since he made his debut as an artist in his own right, he continues to set records with his songs that have proven to stand the test of time. But with four albums under his belt, and even more new music on the way, one of his earliest songs always seems to come back around.
At the time of writing, Miguel’s breakthrough single “Sure Thing” sits at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It reached this peak back in May, nearly 13 years after the song’s proper release, though many fans remember hearing the song earlier than 2010.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when Miguel first shared “Sure Thing” with the world. A version credited to Miguel Jontel with a slightly different mix can be found on YouTube, with a posting date of 2008. In a recent interview with NME, Miguel revealed that he wrote the song in 2007, for consideration for Usher’s 2008 album, Here I Stand.
“I was a struggling artist here in LA, not making any money but trying to get on however I could,” he said. “Writing was one of the things allowing me to get into rooms and to start writing for artists but I had no real placements at the time.”
He shared the song with Mark Pitts, who, instead of giving the song to Usher, flew Miguel out to New York and signed him to Jive.
Around that same time, the song surfaced on MySpace, however, tracking the metrics would prove rather difficult. In 2019, it was reported that over 50 million songs that were uploaded to MySpace before 2015 were lost. But according to a 2014 Vibe article, “Sure Thing” had “over 4.5 million hits when it came out.”
But before “Sure Thing” was conceptualized, Miguel’s sound and aesthetic was completely different. In 2004, he auditioned to be part of R&B and hip-hop group Fatty Koo, however, was not chosen as a member. Shortly after, he signed a deal with independent label Black Ice Records. One of his earliest singles dates back to 2006, in the form of the rhythmic “Getcha Hands Up.” A video was shot, and premiered on BET’s 106 & Park video countdown program, and features Miguel rocking a baggy shirt and jeans.
Upon signing the deal with Jive in 2007, Miguel was sued by Black Ice Records for breach of contract, which would delay the release of his debut album All I Want Is You until 2010, when the case was eventually settled.
When All I Want Is You finally arrived — on November 30, 2010 — “Sure Thing” still sounded fresh and made Miguel one of the pioneers of the alt-R&B wave popularized by artists like himself, and his contemporaries, The Weeknd and Frank Ocean.
All I Want Is You also arrived around the time of the “blog era,” during which time, blogs like 2DopeBoyz, DJBooth, and HotNewHipHop were key players in highlighting new artists. Artists like J.Cole, Wale, Wiz Khalifa – all of whom, Miguel collaborated with – were some of the rappers to emerge during that time. With these collaborations, Miguel garnered much attention for music of his own.
Through the summer of 2011, “Sure Thing” was a hit on hip-hop and R&B radio. Though All I Want Is You had only been out for a few months, the song was about four years old when it was breaking through. In an interview with YouKnowIGotSoul conducted during that summer, Miguel said he felt that “Sure Thing” was a “dated record,” but was overjoyed that people were discovering it and loving it.
“Now that it’s on the radio, it’s just cool to know that the music stood the test of time,” he said.
Migue’s story, of course, did not end there. Over the course of the following decade, each of his following albums would offer equally considerable, if not surpassing, hits. 2012’s Kaleidoscope Dream boasted “Adorn” and “How Many Drinks?”, while 2015’s Wildheart included “Coffee” and “Simple Things.” And his most recent album, 2017’s War & Leisure featured the Travis Scott-assisted “Sky Walker.”
And even when Miguel isn’t on an album cycle, most superfans know that he will toy around with a song multiple times for years until he gets it right. The version of “Candles In The Sun” on Miguel’s Art Dealer Chic, Vol. 3 EP features a John Lennon audio soundbite that isn’t on the Kaleidoscope Dream version. The first iteration of “Simple Things,” which appeared on the second soundtrack for HBO’s Girls has a different drum pattern than the final version that appears on Wildheart. Three versions of “Coffee” exist — one featuring Wale, one that replaces the references to coffee with the word “f*cking,” and the solo version that served as Wildheart‘s lead single.
There’s no particular challenge or dance routine for “Sure Thing” as it lives its third life via TikTok, however, a sped-up version of the song is often used in video montages of couples on date nights, makeup influencers’ “get ready with me” videos, and therapeutic home cleaning clips. This particular version marks “Sure Thing’s” third known mix, and has over 3.8 million loops on the video-sharing platform.
As “Sure Thing” has held up during nearly all of the vital eras of modern music – the MySpace era, the blog era, and now, the content era – the song’s newfound success comes as a full circle moment for Miguel. In an interview with Apple Music 1’s The Chart Show, he expressed gratitude for the fans who helped grow “Sure Thing” from an underground staple to a pop culture phenomenon.
“I think it’s an opportunity for people to, hopefully for anyone who likes that song specifically, just get into the journey of it,” he said. “I think there’s something dope about that, that we don’t really get to do, especially because my career started as social media began as well.”
The festival is billed for September 2-3 at Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with tickets already on sale. You can get more info here.
Made In America 2023 will also feature what is apparently the first festival performance for LSU basketball star Flau’Jae Johnson, who has garnered plenty of attention as a rapper in the wake of her team’s national championship. Meanwhile, breakout stars like Doechii, Lola Brooke, and TiaCorine are also getting a huge opportunity after racking up viral hits in the past year.
Made In America Festival 2022 was headlined by Bad Bunny and Tyler The Creator. They were joined by a rap-heavy lineup featuring Don Toliver, Key Glock, Kodak Black, Lil Uzi Vert, and Pusha T, although Afrobeats star Burna Boy and pop singer Tate McRae offered some variety along with R&B singers Jazmine Sullivan, Snoh Aalegra, and Victoria Monét.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Juneteenth is one month away, and Live Nation Urban confirmed this week that it will put on a second annual Juneteenth: A Global Celebration For Freedom at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Coi Leray, Davido, Jodeci, Kirk Franklin, Miguel, and SWV were revealed as participating acts, with a promise of more to come.
“We have once again partnered with [Jesse Collins Entertainment] on the production of the broadcast as well as @cnn who will be airing the concert experience live worldwide on June 19 at 8 p.m. EST,” Live Nation Urban and the Greek Theatre jointly posted to Instagram.
The caption continued, “In our second year, the concert will feature a wide array of icons and artists spanning across the entertainment and music industry including @Miguel, @KirkFranklin, @officialSWV, @Davido, @CoiLeray and @Jodeci, with more artists and presenters to be announced.”
The company additionally noted that Questlove and Adam Blackstone will serve as the show’s music directors.
“We are proud to once again partner with Live Nation Urban to broadcast this powerful Juneteenth event on our platforms,” Chris Licht, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide said in a statement, per Billboard. “We want to be a destination for people to both understand and celebrate a holiday of this magnitude.”
Miguel is in the midst of a big comeback. He took quite a bit of time away from music. However, that doesn’t mean his songs haven’t been breaking records in the meantime. After an extended break, Miguel has achieved a significant chart milestone with his 2010 hit song “Sure Thing.” According to Chart Data, Miguel now holds the record for the longest charting song in Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs history. The song has spent almost 76 weeks in the Top 10.
Originally, the track was released as part of Miguel’s debut album, All I Want Is You. It has recently experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks in part to the song’s viral success on TikTok earlier this year. The song has now re-entered the charts and is currently sitting at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100. Chart Data has shared news of Miguel’s record-breaking achievement on social media, generating excitement among fans.
Miguel’s Big Return
.@Miguel‘s “Sure Thing” is now the longest charting song in Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs history. It’s still in the top 10 (76 weeks). pic.twitter.com/SVHY64LYXh
Miguel’s recent accomplishments mark an impressive return for the artist after an extended break from the music scene. In April, Miguel released his first solo single in almost two years, entitled “Give It To Me.” Produced by Scoop DeVille, the track features Miguel’s signature smooth vocals set against a pulsing beat, creating a sensual and entrancing atmosphere. The release of “Give It To Me” has been met with excitement from fans and critics alike, showcasing that Miguel has not lost his touch when it comes to producing high-quality and captivating music.
Before the release, Miguel gave his fans a sneak peek of his new single through an Instagram post. The video showcased the singer strumming his guitar dressed entirely in red. Prior to this, the artist had not released new music since his appearance on Diplo’s 2022 single, “Don’t Forget My Love,” leading many to wonder about his absence from the music industry. Sources suggest that the singer may have been taking time to recover from the aftermath of his divorce from his long-time partner Nazanin Mandi, whom he dated for 13 years before getting married in 2018. What do you think of Miguel’s new Billboard achievement? Are you excited for more music from him? Let us know in the comments!
While many people prefer to listen to slow jams to get them through the colder months, we’re still bringing plenty of heat to our R&B Season playlist updates this spring. One of our recent favourites comes from Miguel, who shared his first new solo single in some time earlier this week. Called “Give It To Me,” the fully-expected sultry song boasts hypnotic production that only compliments the 37-year-old’s silky smooth voice. It remains unclear if he has plans to share more with fans later this year, though we’ll certainly remain hopeful.
Another noteworthy release comes from Halle Bailey’s work on The Little Mermaid soundtrack. Disney and the Atlanta native are both gearing up for the film’s release next month. Despite the backlash they’ve received for casting Ariel as a Black woman, the vocalist seems to be completely unbothered and is instead leaning into excitement. “Part of Your World,” one of the movie’s most recognizable tracks arrived on DSPs (and our R&B Season playlist) within the past few days, showcasing Bailey’s beautiful vocals. She’s obviously best known for singing alongside her sister, Chlöe, but this proves that Halle is more than capable of holding her own.
HNHH R&B Season Playlist
Halle Bailey at the 95th Annual Academy Awards held at Ovation Hollywood on March 12, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)
R&B legend Smokey Robinson came through with a sultry new album on Friday (April 28), called Gasms. The nine-track effort is featureless and finds the 83-year-old doing what he does best – setting a sensual mood for listeners with his iconic voice and musical sensibilities. We’ve picked the titular track as our favourite, though he previously shared “If We Don’t Have Each Other” and “How You Make Me Feel” as singles.
Our final pick is another solo effort, this one from Baby Rose’s Through and Through album. It’s called “Water,” and appears on the tracklist alongside efforts like “I Won’t Tell” with Smino” and “Go.” Stream this weekend’s round-up, exclusively on Spotify below. Afterward, tell us which artist had your favourite new arrival in the comments. For more HNHH release recommendations, check out our Fire Emoji playlist with heat from Jack Harlow, Lola Brooke, and more here.
