Contrary to belief, R&B does not only speak about intimate moments spent in the bedroom or terrible splits. Essentially, R&B can go on different routes depending on who has full control of its delivery, sound components and overall message. One artist, to date, who breaks that stigma effortlessly is Michelangelo Romeo Divine. Divine uses his god-given talent in means of self-reflection and relatability. It’s safe to say that his vocality draws from the likes of ILoveMakonnen and The Weeknd. More-so, his singing comes with soft harmonies, reverbs, and airy riffs. Equally important, each song serves as a timeless, emotionally moving symphony. While “alternative R&B” could superficially define his sound, the crooner changes it up by throwing pop and rock into the mix.
As each track moves forward, his floetry changes with the tempo and he one-ups each soundscape through metaphorical, heartfelt lyrics. For instance, “Seventies” says that “… we all need someone” and how his lover has him writing melodies. He compares their love to the 70’s: care-free, warm and most of all, groovy. Every day he’s in it, Divine can’t help but to feel the vibe between the two. It just makes him fall deeper in love.
Speaking of the 70s, Divine recommends “Signed, Sealed, Delivered” by Stevie Wonder and “Rock with You” by Michael Jackson from the same decade. He says they both are two amazing songs that transcended the era. Furthermore, the music video for “Seventies” was an exhilarating experience. “We were faced with several obstacles that threatened to ruin the entire shoot. From the car breaking down to being kicked out of locations, we had to be optimistic and creative with what we had. Whipalo is an amazing director so we all followed his lead through it all and the video came out great.”
Then, “Heat” speaks on how Divine’s happily ever after takes a turn for the worst. In the lyrics, he says “It’s crazy how quickly love can turn to hatred.” As the track moves forward, the song merges a dark guitar progression with a short-lived scratched record at the minute mark. To say the least, Divine’s harmonies pull his audience in so they can listen closely. Elaborating, Divine says “My sound is literally a mesh of all my greatest influences. I found my voice and message so what I write is unique and transcends time. I believe knowing yourself allows you to truly live your life with purpose.”
Michelangelo Romeo Divine is a singer-songwriter from Miami, Florida. His music journey began in high school when a close friend of his introduced him to rapping in class. “I worked on my bars night in and night out until I started to venturing into other styles of music.” he says “I studied artists like Prince, Michael Jackson, Alicia Keys. Pretty much anything before my time.” Afterwards, Divine left home and moved to New York City to chase his dreams. To add, Divine says “That was a tough process but the struggles made me who I am today.”
Divine’s biggest influence is his mother and she also just so happens to be his biggest fan. “My mom worked hard to raise [me] the best she could and through all the struggles she never gave up,” he said. “When I first started, she wasn’t against it but she definitely wasn’t all for it so we battled. So now that she’s such a fan of the music it motivates [me] everyday to not ever give up regardless what anyone says.” One thing he’s learned along the way is to appreciate the process. He lives by the quote, “Look up to the stars and never down at your feet.”
Divine’s advice to those who aspire to be musicians is to go in the direction of whatever it is that they fear. “Like Jimmy Lovine once said ‘Make fear a tailwind instead of a headwind.’ Let fear give you the momentum to move forward – not hold you back.”
Divine plans on releasing a mixtape called Hopeless Unromantic. Currently, the date has yet to be announced.
