Joseph Angel

Before launching a solo career, Joseph Angel made his name as a songwriter, penning hits for pop stars like <a href="spotify:artist:2DlGxzQSjYe5N6G9nkYghR">Jennifer Lopez</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6S2OmqARrzebs0tKUEyXyp">Demi Lovato</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:5pKCCKE2ajJHZ9KAiaK11H">Rihanna</a> in the early and mid-2010s. Among them was <a href="spotify:artist:5pKCCKE2ajJHZ9KAiaK11H">Rihanna</a>'s "Love on the Brain," which charted in North and South America and across Europe. As a soloist, he takes influence from '60s and '70s Muscle Shoals studio and <a href="spotify:artist:3dkbV4qihUeMsqN4vBGg93">Al Green</a>, among others, for his impassioned retro-soul. Demonstrating his wide pitch and interpretive range, Angel's first single, "Shame," saw release in 2018.

Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Angel listened to artists including <a href="spotify:artist:3dkbV4qihUeMsqN4vBGg93">Green</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5a2EaR3hamoenG9rDuVn8j">Prince</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3fMbdgg4jU18AjLCKBhRSm">Michael Jackson</a> growing up, mostly from his grandparents' and cousins' record collections. His family eventually moved to Houston, Texas, where Angel followed the underground hip-hop scene, including <a href="spotify:artist:6TC6ZeVdvCuBSn32h5Msul">DJ Screw</a>. His songwriting habit began with rewriting lyrics to some of his favorite songs. He later began ghostwriting for a variety of musicians before signing a publishing deal with <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Roc+Nation%22">Roc Nation</a> in 2010.

Angel quickly made an impression and contributed to "All Night Long" (featuring <a href="spotify:artist:2wIVse2owClT7go1WT98tk">Missy Elliott</a> & <a href="spotify:artist:5Y5TRrQiqgUO4S36tzjIRZ">Timbaland</a>), the opening track to <a href="spotify:artist:6S2OmqARrzebs0tKUEyXyp">Demi Lovato</a>’s 2011 album Unbroken. A year later, a song he co-wrote for <a href="spotify:artist:2DlGxzQSjYe5N6G9nkYghR">Jennifer Lopez</a>, "Goin' In" featuring <a href="spotify:artist:0jnsk9HBra6NMjO2oANoPY">Flo Rida</a>, topped the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. In 2015, he was among the composers of <a href="spotify:artist:2mxe0TnaNL039ysAj51xPQ">R. Kelly</a>'s "Cookie" from the Magic Mike XXL soundtrack, and in 2016, he collaborated with Fred Ball and Robyn Fenty on "Love on the Brain" for <a href="spotify:artist:5pKCCKE2ajJHZ9KAiaK11H">Rihanna</a>. The latter went multi-platinum and reached the Top Five of the Billboard Hot 100. His own voice was finally spotlighted on the 2017 <a href="spotify:artist:0vjlH9sbJOZyhDjhvajQpY">Alex da Kid</a> track "American Funeral," which Angel also co-wrote. That same year, his first solo recording, "Empty Pack of Cigarettes," appeared on the Fifty Shades Darker soundtrack. Angel made his official solo debut via <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Republic+Records%22">Republic Records</a> in 2018 with the single "Shame." ~ Marcy Donelson