D'Angelo

D'Angelo is the stage name of Michael Eugene Archer, a neo-soul singer, keyboardist, and guitarist from Richmond, Virginia. He signs a publishing deal with EMI Music in 1991 after a demo tape draws the attention of record executives, and he then begins recording his debut album for EMI.

Career

His first studio album, Brown Sugar, is released in 1995. Although its initial sales are modest, it becomes a major success, helped by the single “Lady,” which reaches the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100. The album is certified platinum in the United States and helps bring wider commercial attention to neo soul in the 1990s alongside debut albums by Maxwell, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill. It also receives strong critical recognition and appears on many year-end best-of lists.

After the success of Brown Sugar, D'Angelo steps away from solo recording for several years. During this period he contributes to soundtracks and collaborations, including “Devil’s Pie” for Belly, cover versions such as Eddie Kendricks’ “Girl You Need a Change of Mind” for Get on the Bus, Prince’s “She’s Always in My Hair” for Scream 2, and The Ohio Players’ “Heaven Must Be Like This” for Down in the Delta. He also appears with Lauryn Hill on “Nothing Even Matters” from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

His second album, Voodoo, arrives in 2000 after a long delay and debuts at number one. It wins two Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Album and Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. The album’s lead single, “Left & Right,” features Method Man and Redman, while “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” becomes a major R&B hit and is closely associated with a notable video that receives four MTV Video Music Award nominations. He also performs “Be Here” with Raphael Saadiq on Saadiq’s Instant Vintage.

Touring and recognition

After Voodoo, he tours with The Soultronics on the Voodoo Tour, a large-scale live production associated with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson of The Roots. The tour includes dancers and additional musicians, draws large audiences, and travels internationally, with a notable performance at Brazil’s Free Jazz Festival. Slum Village opens on some dates, and Anthony Hamilton sings backing vocals in the band. In 2002, Q magazine includes him in its list of “50 Bands To See Before You Die.”

Voodoo is later placed at number 488 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and at number 44 on Pitchfork’s list of the best albums of the 2000s.

Later work

D'Angelo returns to the stage in 2010 and releases his third studio album, Black Messiah, in 2014. It is formally credited to D'Angelo and the Vanguard and again receives strong critical acclaim. In 2019, he appears on the track “Unshaken” in Red Dead Redemption 2.

He also appears on AZUR’s track. D'Angelo dies on 14 October 2025.