It was bleeding red everywhere during the October 23rd album listening event for "CAOS," the fifth studio album by L.A. artist Miguel.
The album reflects more of Miguel's Mexican roots, evident through song titles such as "El Pleito" and "Perderme," and various song lyrics sung in Spanish.
Early in his career, Miguel was mainly focused on R&B, without incorporating his diverse roots. The song “Destinado a Morir (Enter.lewd)” from Miguel’s third album, "Wild Heart," was the first showcase of him employing Spanish lyrics in his songs.
The artist would continue this trajectory with 'Caramelo Duo,' a song with Kali Uchis on his fourth album, "War and Leisure," as well as the Spanish language EP "Te Lo Dije" in 2019.
After that, Miguel took an extended break. CAOS is the first album Miguel has released since 2017, coming after what the singer has said was a well-needed pause.
“To do music as a business, it just requires a lot of bullshit. It has nothing to do with the work or the truth in the work,” Miguel said, in the middle of receiving a tattoo at his album listening event. “I’m going to take this money that I earned and invest. Take care of my mom, take care of my family, and be cool.”
During that period, Miguel went through a high-profile marriage and divorce with his ex-wife, model Nazanin Mandi. Not too long ago, he posted a social media message stating that he was unsure if he could make another album again, shortly before announcing this new album just a month before release.
“When my son was born, it just was a push of what I wanted to pass on more seriously. After he came (his son), I found a deeper ... sense of meaning and that gave me the strength and the purpose,” Miguel announced on a social media post on September 9th, the first birthday of his son, Angelito.
Miguel’s listening party was intimate, as he performed songs from the album sitting on a deep-red carpet, his fans circled around him.
“Before I wanted to do the big song, be on the big stages, all of that," he said. "Now I just want to connect with my people.”
CAOS is a reflection of a deeply-rooted artist who no longer feels the need to put a guest star of the level of a Travis Scott on his album. The only guest artist this time around is funk legend George Clinton.
Songs such as 'The Killing' showcase the same sensual lyrics from Miguel's earlier songs, such as 'Quickie' and 'Arch & Point,' while 'Oscillate' showcases Miguel performing Spanish-style R&B, using bilingual lyrics, a trend that has become more mainstream through the work of artists such as Kali Uchis and Girl Ultra.
Miguel recently told the "New Rory & Mal" podcast that mega producer Pharrell Williams encouraged him to embrace his Latino heritage in his music during the "Kaleidoscope Dreams" era. Miguel admitted he hadn't fully been ready to do this in his music at the time, which was more in the style of Prince.
“Every version of the industry is a reflection of culture," Miguel said. "Every artist has to adjust to the times.”
