Karl Michael signs global publishing agreement with Peermusic

peermusic Nashville has signed artist and songwriter Karl Michael to an exclusive global co-publishing agreement, as announced today by Kathy Spanberger, President & Chief Operating Officer, peermusic Anglo American Region and Michel Knox, President, peermusic Nashville. 

Originally from London, England, Karl Michael moved to Nashville in July of 2020 to pursue his career as a songwriter and an artist. After coming off a European tour opening for Teddy Swims in May 2022, Michael has set his focus on songwriting while working on his next EP, with plans to release new material in the fall of 2023. Michael has already written with some of the biggest names in music—"Can We Dance," which he wrote with Bruno Mars, racked up more than 81 million streams on Spotify for The Vamps, while "Beautiful Me" amassed more than 16 million plays on YouTube for Dappy. Other past and current collaborators/co-writers include Yungblud ("Loner"), Teddy Swims ("Liar"), Mitchel Tenpenny ("Save Me"), Dallas Wilson, Spencer Rabin, On The Outside, and more. 

Michael Knox commented: "I'm very excited about Karl Michael coming to peermusic. Karl is one of the best singers in town and writing some of my new favorite songs. You can feel his energy and excitement when he is in the building. " 

Karl Michael commented: "Working with the team at peermusic is a dream come true. This is a team of outstanding music publishers and to be able to leverage their global reach and network is a great opportunity." 

Kathy Spanberger commented: "Karl's talent is undeniable. I can't wait to see what he does next, and I'm thrilled that he has joined the peermusic roster. We know that we can leverage our global network of offices to help further the impressive impact he has made in a short amount of time. The support he's receiving from other artists and the creative community is really exciting." 

Michael's improbable life story is evidence that persistence pays off. Growing up in a rough neighborhood, Michael relied on that resilience to beat the odds and break from the cycle of crime and poverty that surrounded him. At 16, he struck out on his own for Nashville, where a family friend had offered to help him get a fresh start. When he landed in the States, though, Michael found himself singled out by a customs officer who was suspicious of his status as an unaccompanied minor. Despite possessing the appropriate paperwork, he was detained, questioned for more than five hours, and eventually handcuffed and forcibly sent back to England. 

Back in Britain, Michael picked up a job working at McDonalds to make ends meet while he reassessed his future. Obsessed with films and movie stars, he'd always dreamed of becoming an actor, and when a friend tipped him off about open auditions at the Midlands Academy of Dance and Drama, it seemed like a golden ticket. 

"I had no training in the arts whatsoever, and I certainly didn't have the money for school, but I went and auditioned anyway," Michael remembers. "They wanted to see some acting, so I did a scene. They wanted me to dance, so I did the worm. They asked me to sing, so I walked over to the window, spit out my gum, and sang them a tune. When I opened my eyes, I had a full ride scholarship."

As a youngster, Michael hadn't been exposed to a whole lot of music, but at school, it became his singular obsession. He fell in love with rap and grime and soul and R&B, and he supplemented his natural gifts with a fierce work ethic. As much as he loved performing, though, he found the school to be an imperfect fit, and so, after six months, he set out on his own again.

Michael didn't realize it at the time, but he was about to begin a long, strange odyssey through all the promises and pit falls the music industry had to offer. Over the course of the next decade, he would land not one, but two major label record deals, only to watch them both fall apart before they could even get off the ground. He would make more money than he'd ever seen in his life, only to wind up broke again, sharing a cramped one-room apartment with a sibling while tending bar and handing out flyers to pay the rent. And he would become a star on one of the most popular singing shows on UK television, The Voice. 

Michael returned to the studio, where he continued to collaborate on a variety of projects while he plotted his next moves. Some of his tunes became major hits for other artists. It was on one of his trips to Nashville, which Michael now calls home, that he began penning material for himself, writing a series of singles (starting with "Highs And The Lows") that would land him his first record deal as a solo artist. Recorded with all-star producers Jon Levine (Dua Lipa, Alessia Cara) and Scott Spock (Rihanna, Britney Spears), the tunes were pop gems, hinting at everything from James Arthur and Musiq Soulchild to Maroon 5 and Sam Smith as they reflected on the emotional rollercoaster of Michael's personal and professional life. 

In addition to working with Karl Michael as a recording artist and singer/songwriter, the peermusic team will be supporting him as a writer for outside projects as well as getting him involved in writing for sync opportunities.