On January twelfth, Michael J. Woodard released his debut EP titled MJW1. I had the pleasure of attending his first ever press release, and, from the short time I spent with him, it's easy to see that Michael J. Woodard is someone special. As a young child, Woodard begansinging in church choir, which is where his love of performing took shape. Growing up in Philadelphia and choir culture gave him his initial motivation to become an entertainer, andutilized church to develop his voice and creative expression. “School and church... introduced me to the stage and what it was like being able to put a performance on for people.” His connection with his faith and his community is extremely strong, which helps him stay grounded to who he is as a person through his rise to fame.
Michael’s career first took off when he entered the ABC singing competition showAmerican Idol: season 16, where he placed fifth. Since 2021, Woodard has been signed to hisformer judge, Katy Perry’s Unsub Records. Working with other major producers like SuburbanPlaza, Social House, and Gold Space, Woodard had over two-hundred songs to choose from forhis debut EP, but narrowed the two-hundred to fifty, and eventually the fifty down to six.He credits being raised in the Christian faith as the biggest way he and Katy Perry, hisf ormer judge on American Idol, initially connected. He chose to sign with Unsub Records because he related to Perry’s “hunger” during the beginnings of her career. Woodard is an ambitious person, and knows that the industry requires that hunger to succeed. “When you love music, you’ll go to the grave to make your dream come true.” Perry’s ability to relate to him as an artist allows the producing experience to be more nurturing, the opposite of the cut-throat atmosphere that the music industry is known for.
In terms of inspiration, Woodard credits a multitude of genres when talking about MJW1. Noting artists like The Beatles, Coldplay, Tina Turner, Imogen Heath, and 2010s pop as musical inspirations, listeners can definitely hear the diversity of sound layerings and lyrical phrasings.Between the six songs in MJW1, they all cater to different genres and tonally progress from the slow, r&b opener “Hems” to the upbeat, nostalgic pop closer “24 Hours”. During the press release, we listened to playbacks of “Hems” and "Ruined”, during which we got the pleasure ofs eeing Woodard listen and react to his own music. I could not stop watching Woodard as he bobbed his head, moved his body in time with the rhythm and caught onto riffs and runs. It was evident that Woodard was nervous, but also so genuinely excited to be showcasing his debut solo project with us in real time. He reflected on the personal impact of finally releasing MJW1, and how its final release was a huge weight off his shoulders. However, Woodard made clear that over everything else that has inspired his music, love is the most powerful inspiration of all.“That love you have for music outweighs anything that's coming in between you and your dreams...When you love [music] that's all the motivation you really need.”
Woodard wants his new listeners to know that everything he puts out is close to his heart.The project “not only tells you where I am now, but is telling you where I was” since signing to Unsub Records three years ago. MJW1 is a transient project, and listeners will understand Woodard’s growth up until now, yet also see a glimpse into where he's going in the future.“When you're listening to me, you're listening to my heart and that's the truth.” Woodard wanted this particular project to be a shared experience between him and his listeners. Responding to my question “What do you want new listeners to know about MJW1?” He said “There is so much care and tenderness put into these records...To know that [my music] is really resonating with people, it gives me all the joy in the world.”
Like Michael J. Woodard, I am very excited to see what happens next in his career. SinceAmerican Idol, Woodard has begun a voice acting career, starring as Arlo in the Netflix original movie Arlo the Alligator Boy. As a person, musician and actor alike, Woodard is quite the force and has no signs of slowing down until he reaches listeners around the globe.