performance
Music for
Uncertain Times
Michael Blume embraces a variety of sounds and styles
WRITTEN BY JULIA MARTIN
16
MAY 2020 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE
F
or someone so young,
singer-songwriter
Michael Blume has
already had an out-
size measure of success.
The 30-year-old
Montclair High School graduate has a
contract with S-Curve Records/BMG,
and has produced two EP (extended
play) albums. His 2015 debut song,
“Manufactured Love,” was No. 6 on
Spotify’s U.S. viral chart and fea-
tured on the cover of Apple Music’s
new music page. He’s played Radio
City Music Hall, New York City’s
Governor’s Ball, the Lollapalooza,
Bonnaroo and Firefly festivals, and
sold out the Bowery Ballroom.
Last year, he released the EP col-
lection Cynicism and Sincerity, fea-
turing Peppermint and Chea Coulee,
two drag queens from Ru Paul’s
Drag Race, and collaborated with
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, perform-
ing at her election night party.
Blume’s sound, which com-
bines hip-hop, spoken word, anthe-
mic pop and jazz, is often described
as eclectic. In an October 2019 arti-
cle about the video for his single “In
Between,” Billboard magazine calls
him a “talented lyricist, (who) artfully
mixes pop sounds with hip-hop flows
... As an artist who straddles many
genres, Blume shows what it is to live
and work in the in-between.”
The song can also be seen as a
metaphor for Blume’s sexual identity.
The openly queer musician uses his
art to educate and raise awareness
about the queer experience, accord-
ing to the Billboard article.