Miguel Jontel Pimentel

Known to fans the world over simply as Miguel, singer and actor Miguel Pimentel was born in Los Angeles. Raised on rock, funk, hip-hop, and classic R&B, Pimentel began recording his own songs on his uncle's four-track recorder at age 14. By 15, he'd signed a production deal with Drop Squad and was learning the ins and outs of the recording studio after school. What he really wanted however, was to make his own music, and he was excited to begin the process when he signed a recording contract with independent label Black Ice Records in 2004. He would release the single "Getcha Hands Up!" later that year, but his debut album with the label, Young & Free was never released. Pimentel switched labels, signing with Jive Records in 2007, where he completed a new debut, All I Want Is You, but its release was delayed as well due to legal entanglements with Black Ice. When the album was eventually released in 2010, it became a sleeper hit, paving the way for his follow up, 2012's Kaleidoscope Dream, which proved a huge success. The record earned Pimentel four Grammy nods, including a win for Best R&B Song for the single "Adorn." By the time he released Wildheart in 2015, Pimentel had a solid fanbase and the respect of critics, picking up two more Grammy nominations. The following year, Pimentel decided to switch gears, making feature debut as an actor in the period crime drama "Live by Night" (2016).