Michael Deno. The name may not ring a bell at once, yet chances are you've heard his voice a few times in recent years -- during a notable episode of ‘The Voice Van Vlaanderen’, for example. Or as a singer and guitarist with Lost Frequencies. Michael has performed mainly at private events in recent years: Company parties, receptions, marriages, funerals, too. Despite the often difficult circumstances, he impressed audiences (who had not come to see him) time and again. Those who have already seen him live will confirm it: this is a born performer who experiences the stage as his natural habitat. "Music is about a pure feeling" says Michael himself. "If you fail to convey that feeling in an authentic way, people notice it immediately." He chose his covers carefully, became a better guitarist and learned to use his voice more efficiently. This yielded tangible results: after every performance, new bookings came pouring in.

 

In short, things were going well.

 

Michael Deno could have chosen to build a career that way; to go for certainty. After all, there's nothing wrong with a good singer who has the talent to mould the hits of others to his liking. But today he is making a new start. His ambition to perform his own music was quietly growing. But that was easier dreamed of than done. Michael tried out the most diverse styles: Blues, R&B, Tropical House, Jazz, even Classical. The search led more than once along slippery winding roads and dead-end lanes. To be perfectly honest: he was never convinced himself. A record deal was signed and then dissolved again. Success has no taste if you have to sell your soul for it, and a perfectionist is not easily satisfied. But in the last two years Michael has found his own sound, and he makes music that coincides with who he is. With the help of lyricist Sylvain and Dutch producer Marvin Fockens, he has now completed a couple of handfuls of songs that are impossible to leave indifferent. You hear crystal clear melodies, choruses that stick and lyrics that have something to say. Pop music as pop music should sound. If you have to think of Ed Sheeran and John Mayer now, there are already two of us. But they are no more than reference points, because Michael Deno has enough individuality to do without such comparisons. You will soon be able to see for yourself, because sixteen years after his first performance he has -at long last- a debut ready. He himself sees it as a leap into the great unknown.