It’s Michael J Woodard’s time to shine, and his new EP MJW1 is all the proof you’ll need in order to know he’s a star.
Woodard grew up in Philadelphia, and had a very supportive mother who encouraged him to sing whenever possible. He joined his church choir as a child, where he really started developing his vocals. It didn’t take long for him to start performing on larger stages. By the time he was a teen, Woodard was winning competitions at the iconic Apollo Theater in Harlem, and even had the chance to sing at a rally for President Barack Obama.
Eventually, Woodard decided it was time to pack his bags and move to LA. He studied at the Musicians Institute, and landed a spot on season 16 of “American Idol” in 2018. Though he finished in the top five, Katy Perry signed him to her label, Unsub Records. Woodard went straight to the studio after finalizing his deal, and spent many days truly cultivating his sound with writers and producers that he had profound respect for.
MJW1 is a chance for listeners to meet Woodard and celebrate his journey so far. Read our chat about the makings of the EP below!
It’s been a long journey to MJW1‘s release day, hasn’t it?
It really has. Something I’m grateful for, and there’s been a lot of things I’ve learned. But it’s been well worth it.
How does it feel to finally be able to put out this body of work?
It feels magical. There’s an amount of gratitude that I have along with putting it out. It honestly feels like a release. It feels like I’m finally being able to give my baby to other people and allowing it to be their baby, if you know what I mean. It’s super SUPER amazing, a wonderful feeling.
I bet! This EP serves as an intro to you. For the listeners who may be tuning in for the first time, what are some things they should know about your creative process?
It’s really special! It always starts with emotion first, before anything. You really have to make sure you’re good, and that the energy is there. I think for me that’s just something inevitable. When I’m creating something, there’s an amount of passion that I really put into it inevitably. Then it starts with melody – not always, but most of the time. I consider myself a very melodic person. A lot of the time when you do create that melody, you create those chords that can spark the vibe you’ll get when you’re talking about the subject matter. It’s very authentic to me. Anything that I make is something I want to be heard and something I know is going to represent me and how I felt in the present moment or how I felt afterwards.
I want to rewind a little bit to chat about your background as an artist. You started writing music when you were pretty much a pre-teen, and I heard you even made your own studio in your bedroom.
I did!
At what point were you like, yeah, you know what? I’m ready to take this to the next level.
I started really young. Outside of me writing, creating, and producing, I’ve been singing since I was like a baby. I think I started when I was 5, and that was in church. My school really poured into me, and then I started auditioning at places. I even met Barack Obama at one point, singing the national anthem for his rally when he came to Philly. I think when I step into the artist side, it just amazes me. I think when you’re in music, those career choices are inevitable. You’re like BORN with that desire. I even look at some videos of myself as a baby, holding a mic and singing “ABCDEFG… next time won’t you sing with me” on cadence and giving it its own cadence! It’s something that has been on my heart since before my memory was developed.
When I really honed in on that artistry – I would say I wrote my first song when I was 8, really. When I got my studio setup, I believe I was 12 or 13. I was able to develop that side of me (the writing and producing) through high school. Then when I got introduced to Los Angeles, I was like a pre-teen. I just knew this is what I wanted very early on.
So pivoting back to MJW1, what were some of your favorite memories from the process of creating this EP?
Oh my gosh. I think it was falling in love with my collaborators. The special moments, and I think the whole package is pretty much my experience leading up to it. Even some of the songs that didn’t make it onto the project – I’ll always remember my sessions with Shea Taylor and Cameron Alexander, creators that are just really renowned in the production/writers space. I think some of those memories with my collaborators, and of course those special moments that you experience when you’re making a record. Like in “24 Hours” where you’re doing the last ad-lib track, and KC, one of my favorite writers to work with is outside the booth like, “DO THIS! GO HIGHER!” I was like, I’m going higher until my voice cracks! Moments like that are things you just don’t forget, and things I’m really grateful for too.
Absolutely. Michael, how did you narrow down what made it onto the EP? That process seems so nerve-racking to me!
I don’t know how I do it. I think I was talking to this producer at a session a couple of weeks ago, and they were like wow – that really must be like you said, a nerve-racking experience. It’s always been easy for me. Everything I make is intentional, like it’s coming out at some point. Then there’s those songs that have to be delivered to the label, and you want them to be on that bandwagon. You want them to be on that train with you. That’s something I don’t take lightly, but it’s always been pretty easy for me. Sometimes you have that special thing that you just hear that will break barriers when it comes to a different audience who may not know who you are right now. This can reach them. I think feeling like that, and the replay value is what I look for in songs too. That kind of helps me narrow it down for singles.
In terms of what goes onto my project, that’s a little more difficult. Those “fillers” that go in between the singles can be difficult to decide, but I think that just has to be down to what I love the most and what I’d listen to if I was a consumer… which I am, but if I wasn’t an artist.
I’m glad you mentioned replay value, because I feel like that’s something not a lot of people talk really about these days.
No. I mean it’s something that’s subjective to your process. You just may not want to consider that, even though most of the songs we do hear today are very replayable due to TikTok culture and things like that. I think what you’re saying is, sometimes that’s the process that the artist may not consider. That’s like an A&R thing for many.
I’m just as involved in the choices. Luckily I’m able to and be signed to a label that encourages that and champions that. I think Katy (Perry) ended up really liking “Face” and “Trouble,” but I was like, “This is the first one. This is the second one. This is the third one.” She was like, “OH! Love that! I love that. Yes, good.”
(Katy saw and trusted Michael’s creative vision, as well as his vision for the track list order!)
That’s so good to know! I was going to ask you – since your EP is being released on Katy Perry’s Unsub Records, has she provided you with any really good feedback?
Well yes, Katy is very hands on in that way… which is great! I love when she gives feedback and stuff like that. Talking to her a lot of the time and being able to see what she thinks in the physical is one of my favorite things. Like, “Make sure you put that note there.” It’s very great that she’s hands on in that way. Even when I’m not talking to her, just getting feedback on it is something I’m grateful for.
I like to say great minds think alike, so I think that’s what’s going on right here!
Yeah! I do want to say, I’ve had moments especially in 2023 where I’m like oh shoot. Katy probably doesn’t know I’m a huge fan of HER, and the early 2010s – a lot of my taste was developed in that time. The fact that I’m signed to Katy. We do have a lot in common musically in terms of what our ears hear, and I think she probably knows that, but it’s gone unspoken. We haven’t had a moment to really say it to one another.
I think when you guys get into the studio and the product comes out, you guys feel the mutual love. It’s unspoken, like you guys said.
When we’re working and we’re in the process, strategizing, it’s like that unspoken mutual… we don’t even have to say it.
If there’s one thing you could let fans know about this project that they might not know, what would it be?
Some of the songs were created in 2020 and 2021. I think there’s a magic in that though, letting fans be with it in the present tense. Something I will talk more about in the future is these records are from that period! I don’t know if COVID really has a musical identity, but it probably sparked a lot of the melancholiness in the songs.
I just think it’s crazy how that wasn’t even that long ago…
It wasn’t. I just think 2020 didn’t count. No.
Time is just a concept. Let’s erase that (2020).
Just go on out the window 2020. Well, except for the music I created, because bops were made!
A lot of good created stuff came from that period, but in terms of everything else, it was like let’s fast forward please!
But yeah, I’m super super grateful. I hope the people love it, I really do.
I think they will. I think we’ll all be streaming religiously!
Listen to MJW1 below via Spotify, and keep up with Michael J Woodard on Instagram and TikTok!
Michael’s manifestation for 2024: “Coachella… in Jesus name!”
(At the time of our interview, the Coachella lineup had not been released yet.)
“I’m waiting, okay?! I’m waiting. Summer festivals, Jingle Ball in December. I want to perform at Disney’s Christmas celebration in December and give my rendition of ‘This Christmas’ or ‘O Holy Night’ – that would be wonderful. Streams on streams on streams, another EP would be amazing, a sold-out tour, and an opening spot on someone’s tour too. A stadium or an arena would be nice.”
