Miguel talks ‘Caos’, clarity and creative rituals in new interview
Miguel talks about how intention, introspection and daily rituals shaped his new album ‘Caos’
NEW YORK — Miguel is getting closer to the truth of the matter.
Since fans last heard the R&B crooner’s album, beloved by aficionados for hits like “Sure Thing” and “Adorn,” the singer has been questioning the many ways his life has unfolded.
His fifth studio album, “Caos” (out now), is his first in eight years since his previous album, 2017’s “War & Leisure.” A sonic exploration wrapped in an apocalyptic rave groove, ‘Caos’ marks an aggressive, hedonistic departure from the flirtation and playful sensuality of his previous records.
“The sound of the album was very inspired by that non-linear kind of aggressive tone, where I think, at least personally, I had to embrace myself and get to the heart of things,” Miguel told USA TODAY. “It’s not an easy process, it’s not a happy process, it’s not a romantic process. I think it takes a lot of thought. This album is the most aggressive body of work I’ve put together, but it’s not without tenderness, it’s not without real introspection, and I think that balance is what I was looking for.”
Where can you find a song like “How Many Drinks?” Or the wink and nod of “Come Through and Chill,” or the mix of mosh pits and tender hugs of “Caos.” “My music…mainly leans towards the beauty of things. And this was about the ugliness and challenges,” says Miguel, who will turn 40 on the day of “Caos”‘s release.
“Sometimes we grow and change without realizing it, and sometimes it takes real intention,” says Miguel, who is now focused on the “why” of his music.
When the singer-songwriter appears for an interview, he’s decked out in a crisp black suit, black patent leather tabi loafers, sporty white sunglasses, and a silver jewelry shield.
For Miguel, “the past two years have been the most enlightening years.” Between his last album and now, it includes hit singles with DJs and producers like Diplo, Tiny, Benny Blanco, and Calvin Harris. Marriage, separation, divorce. 4 EPs and almost an album. And as for their son, Miguel announced his birth in 2024 a few weeks before the release of “Caos.”
If war and leisure were on the menu almost a decade ago, today they are served non-stop in a chaotic manner. Since his last film, we’ve seen two presidential administrations, the COVID-19 pandemic, unprecedented natural disasters from hurricanes to wildfires in Miguel’s hometown of Los Angeles, and ongoing violent conflicts around the world.
“I smoke a lot of weed,” he says. “Every day, it’s like I wake up and put on a suit of armor. I don’t know what I’m going to see when I just scroll through my thumbscroll, but it really messes with my headspace… All the tools are effective, like my morning workout and the 5-10 minutes of meditation I need. A drink here and there, a little mezcal, always helps soften the blow and ease my anxiety a little bit.”
Although he has “some bad habits to work on,” the newly appointed New York University scholar is dedicated to his “mission” in music.
“I’m not a perfect person, but I’ve learned a lot along the way in terms of managing my head space,” he says. “It’s hard for everyone here. Every day is a struggle, no matter what it is. And everyone is carrying something that no one knows about.”
He was working on a project called Viscera, which was scrapped in 2023 and ultimately “developed into this album, but as a body of work I didn’t think it properly expressed how I was feeling during this madness.”
“We took the (songs) that were most timely and truest to the overall purpose of this album and built it around that,” he says.
Miguel released Spanish versions of popular songs with 2019’s “Te Lo Dije,” but for “Caos,” he went all out to write and sing in Spanish. The softly sung “El Pleito”, translated as “The Battle”, is one of the first singles from the album and is the song Miguel is “most proud of”, highlighting the “true pride of being Mexican”.
Embracing more Mexican heritage musically coincides with the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration since January, which he says “touches totalitarianism.”
“I’m not a politician. I don’t pretend to be one,” he says. “But we know that humans are born with a sense of what is right and what is wrong. I would bet my career on the fact that most people look at what is going on and feel that something is not right.”
Miguel talks fatherhood, dream collaborators, and an unexpected connection with an ex
Seeing Miguel’s musical Mount Rushmore with such greats as Miles Davis, Prince, Erykah Badu, and Marc Anthony, it’s no surprise that his music would evolve into the deeper, darker side of R&B.
“R&B music is in my soul and in my DNA,” he says, noting that dream collaborators include DJ and producer Flying Lotus and Atlanta producer Jermaine Dupri.
The album’s songs focus as much on egos wrapped up in toxic relationships and self-doubt (“Caos”, “Rip”) as they do on the fears and hopes that come with new parenthood (“Angel’s Song”, “Always Time”).
He gets stuck talking about being a father. The daily reality “becomes about how you do your best and make the best of it for a completely different, brand new, untainted life. You begin to look at your experiences and want to focus on what was great and protect from what was not so great.”
The most rewarding moment was when “my uncle called me and said, ‘You’re smiling again,'” he says, his voice cracking with emotion. “I felt it was so crazy. … I didn’t have the best outlook on the world at large, and I think hope and faith are completely different now.”
His becoming a father came as he processed the end of a relationship. He married his long-time partner Nazanin Mandi in 2018 and divorced in 2022. Although they are no longer in a romantic relationship, the ex-lovers still share some interesting touchpoints.
“I have two cats with my ex-wife,” he says. It’s a pair of Scottish Folds named Munchie and Vanity. “Most of the time we hold our cats separately, and when we’re busy, we both keep an eye on each other’s cats as needed.”
He jokes that his cat and son are almost identical. They play with the toy for two seconds, then say, “Give me something random.” I don’t know why. We both love boxes and we love boxes and trash cans. They love playing with those things. As a result, the house was full of trash everywhere. ”
His relationships and fatherhood have been fodder for social media critics. Miguel decided to take a more positive outlook on harnessing the power of social media.
“Looking at free speech on these social media platforms and how it affects our work, I think it’s fascinating and I’m interested in learning about it,” he says. “I think that’s why it’s so shocking to see art being silenced, to see artists being silenced, because this is the only place in the world where free speech should be protected.”
