Michael Blum is on a journey to reinvent his musical career.
Best known for his musical talents as a critically acclaimed jazz guitarist, he’s dipping his toes into mainstream music as he fully launches his pop-infused singer-songwriter career.
Growing up with parents who were musicians, Blum developed a love for jazz and R&B before picking up the guitar as his own musical journey began at the age of six. Since then, he’s achieved recognition for his jazz talents including reviews in All About Jazz and The New York City Jazz Record with memorable live performances including Echo Park Rising.
Now, it’s time for him to unleash his new sound to the world as he revealed his new powerful single ‘Save Me’.
Written in the wake of a crippling anxiety attack, Michael uses his songwriting skills to convey through his music topics including depression and loneliness, juxtaposing these themes with dance beats to bring heavy emotional topics to light to provide moments of resonation and to help reduce the stigma which sadly still surrounds mental health.
Not one to limit himself to a single genre, his music blends together influences of electropop, R&B, funk, disco, and jazz to bring these deep topics to light in his unique groove along with fashion.
Following his new single release, we caught with Michael to discover 5 singles that influenced ‘Save Me’.
Ariana Grande – Needy
I was hooked on this song from the moment it came out. The unconventional chord progression, as well as the conversational melody in this song, provided a lot of inspiration for ‘Save Me’.
Stevie Wonder – As
It’s hard to pinpoint a specific Stevie Wonder song that influenced ‘Save Me’, but I’ve listened to Stevie Wonder so much that I’m sure his sounds are in there. I’m gonna go with ‘As’ because the groove is so infectious.
Billie Eilish – Bury a Friend
I first heard this song the weekend before I wrote ‘Save Me’, and I was struck at how dark, yet also accessible, this song is. It really resonated with me, and encouraged me to more freely and honestly write about my darker thoughts.
Joni Mitchell – Song for Sharon
There’s a lyric in this song that has resonated with me for a long time, in which Joni Mitchell recalls a friend she lost to suicide: “My friends were calling up all day yesterday / All emotions and abstractions / It seems we all live so close to that line / And so far from satisfaction.” I’ve always thought that lyric is uncomfortably true. After writing ‘Save Me’, that song was on my mind a lot—I think it provided a lot of inspiration lyrically.
Julia Michaels – Anxiety
I love how forthcoming Julia Michaels is in this song about her anxiety and depression—she doesn’t really speak through metaphors or abstractions. It’s just straightforward and direct, and that’s why the song cuts so deeply.
You can listen to Michael Blum ‘Save Me’ below: