Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D’Angelo (English pronunciation: [di:’ae n.d . o ], Italian pronunciation: [‘dan.d e.lo]), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer. D’Angelo is associated with the neo soul movement, along with artists like Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, Maxwell, and collaborator Angie Stone.
The son of a Pentecostal minister in Richmond, Virginia, D’Angelo taught himself piano as a child. At eighteen, he won the amateur talent competition at Harlem’s Apollo Theater three weeks in a row. After a brief affiliation with hip-hop group I.D.U., his first major success came in 1994 as the co-writer and co-producer of the song “U Will Know”.
His debut solo album, Brown Sugar (1995), received widespread acclaim and sold over two million copies. His next album, Voodoo (2000), debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. Its lead single “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”, entered the R&B charts and won a Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal; likewise, Voodoo won Best R&B Album.
Following this period, D’Angelo became increasingly uncomfortable with his growing status as a sex symbol. This was followed by numerous personal struggles including alcoholism, and a fourteen-year long musical hiatus. D’Angelo released his third studio album, Black Messiah, in December 2014. The album was met with critical acclaim and fared well on music charts, peaking at number five on the US Billboard 200. The same year, D’Angelo was hailed as the next Marvin Gaye by GQ. D’Angelo also contributed to the soundtrack for the 2018 video game Red Dead Redemption 2 performing the song “Unshaken”.