James Michael
Michael in 2008
Michael in 2008
Background information
Birth nameJames Andrew Michael
OriginHolland, Michigan, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Record producer
  • sound engineer
  • mixer
  • songwriter
  • musician
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • keyboards
  • drums
Websitejamesmichaelmedia.com

James Andrew Michael is an American record producer, sound engineer, mixer, songwriter, musician and singer. He was the lead singer of the rock band Sixx:A.M.

Early life

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]

Career

James Michael has worked as a record producer, songwriter, and/or engineer and mixer with many rock and pop recording artists including Kelly 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 and Victoria Justice.

He put out his first solo album in 2000 titled Inhale.[2] Michael wrote, produced and mixed the entire album and often played all of the instruments.

Michael is co-founder (along with Nikki Sixx and DJ Ashba) and lead singer of the rock band Sixx:A.M.[3] The band's debut album, The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack, produced by Michael, was on the Billboard 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 the Billboard 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 album Saints of Los Angeles that debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.[6] He also co-wrote the song "Higher Than Heaven" for James Durbin's Memories of a Beautiful Disaster album released on November 21, 2011. He produced Papa Roach's new album, The Connection (as well as co-wrote the track "Where Did the Angels Go"), which debuted at No. 17 on the Billboard 200 chart.[7] Other projects from around this time include writing the track "People Like Us" for the Kelly Clarkson Greatest Hits – Chapter One[8] mixing Hinder's new album Welcome to the Freak Show and writing with and contributing vocals for Halestorm,[5] plus writing and producing "Take a Hint" for Victoria Justice featured in the show Victorious.

Michael performing with Sixx:A.M. in 2016.

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 be Modern Vintage, released in 2014. It debuted at #1 on the rock charts.[9][10] The band followed up in 2016 with two albums Prayers for the Damned[11] and Prayers 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 include The Retaliators movie theme, "21 Bullets," written by James and Nikki Sixx.[19] He recently 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.

Partial discography

Discography
Year Artist Album
2000 Solo Inhale
Mötley Crüe New Tattoo
Sammy Hagar Ten 13: A little Bit More
2002 Saliva Back into Your System: Rest in Pieces
2003 Meat Loaf Couldn't Have Said It Better
2004 Hilary Duff Hilary Duff: The Getaway
Brides of Destruction Here Comes the Brides: Only Get So Far/Brace Yourself
2005 Alanis Morissette The Collection
Lillix Inside The Hollow
Deana Carter The Story of My Life: In a Heartbeat/The Girl You Left Me For
2006 Meat Loaf Bat Out of Hell III: The Monster Is Loose
Sarah Kelly The Beauty of It All
Jack's Mannequin Snakes on a Plane Soundtrack: Bruised
2007 The Exies A Modern Way of Living with the Truth
Marion Raven Set Me Free
Sixx:A.M. The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack
Scorpions Humanity: Hour I
2008 Sixx:A.M. Live Is Beautiful
Mötley Crüe Saints of Los Angeles
Trapt Who's Going Home with You Tonight?
Sixx:A.M. X-Mas in Hell
2009 Papa Roach Metamorphosis
2010 Meat Loaf Hang Cool Teddy Bear
American Bang American Bang: Wild & Young/Angels
2011 Sixx:A.M. This Is Gonna Hurt
HammerFall Infected
James Durbin Memories of a Beautiful Disaster
The Rasmus Justify
Sixx:A.M. 7
2012 Papa Roach The Connection
Kelly Clarkson Greatest Hits: Chapter One
Halestorm The Strange Case Of...
Victoria Justice Victorious: Take a Hint
Solo Learn to Hate You
Hinder Welcome to the Freak Show
2014 Sixx:A.M. Modern Vintage
Caleb Johnson Testify
HammerFall (r)Evolution
2016 Bleeker Erase You
Sixx:A.M. Prayers for the Damned
Sixx:A.M. Prayers for the Blessed
In Flames Battles: Drained
2019 Sixx:A.M. Talk to Me
2020 Sixx:A.M. (new version featuring Joe Elliott, Brantley Gilbert, Ivan Moody, Slash, Corey Taylor, Awolnation and Tommy Vext) Maybe It's Time
2021 Sixx:A.M. Hits
2022 Motley Crue, Ice Nine Kills, Asking Alexandria and From Ashes To New The Retaliators: 21 Bullets
Solo California Smile

References

  1. ↑ "WATCH: James Michael of Sixx:A.M. is living the dream | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  2. ↑ James Michael – Inhale Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic, retrieved August 25, 2022
  3. ↑ "James Michael: "Sixx: A.M. has changed my life!"". RADIO METAL (in French). October 1, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  4. ↑ BraveWords. "Producer James Michael On MÖTLEY CRÜE's Saints Of Los Angeles". bravewords.com. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Michael, James. "About James Michael". Jamesmichael.net. Archived from the original on October 29, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Mötley Crüe". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  7. ↑ "Papa Roach". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  8. ↑ "Kelly Clarkson". Billboard. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  9. ↑ Chamberlainpublished, Rich (October 8, 2014). "Welcome Back: Sixx A.M." loudersound. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  10. ↑ Jackie, Full Metal JackieFull Metal (September 5, 2014). "Sixx: A.M.'s James Michael Talks 'Modern Vintage' Album". Loudwire. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  11. ↑ "Sixx:A.M. Announce First Single From New Album". Kerrang!. March 2016. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  12. ↑ Rockpublished, Classic (March 1, 2016). "Sixx:AM announce album, single and tour details". loudersound. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  13. ↑ Blabbermouth (May 17, 2020). "JAMES MICHAEL Doesn't Rule Out More New Music From SIXX:A.M." BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  14. ↑ Blabbermouth (September 27, 2019). "SIXX:A.M. Releases New Song 'Talk To Me' To Help Overcome Stigma Plaguing Opioid Use". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  15. ↑ s2global. "Nikki Sixx's SIXX:A.M. Assembles Rock, Country, Metal All-Stars For a Great Cause". Global Recovery Initiatives Foundation. Retrieved August 25, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ Munropublished, Scott (August 21, 2020). "Sixx AM share video for new charity single featuring Joe Elliott, Corey Taylor and more". loudersound. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  17. ↑ Childers, Chad (October 20, 2021). "Sixx: A.M.'s James Michael – For Now, 'Hits' Album Is 'Good Way to Wrap This Up'". Loudwire. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  18. ↑ Diggins, Mark (March 13, 2022). "SIXX A.M. – "HITS" Album Review". The Rockpit. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Hear Mötley Crüe, Asking Alexandria, Ice Nine Kills Members Team on "The Retaliators Theme Song"". Revolver. August 5, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
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