An Interview With ‘Give It To Me’ Pop Singer-Songwriter MICHAEL MANCUSO!

Photo Credit- Monty Limon

Meet Michael Mancuso! He recently released his new and electrifying single “Give It To Me.” Creating authentically fun pop music, Mancuso’s songs have the ability to resonate with any listener from the first note. Describing his sound as, “A mix of Justin Bieber, Nick Jonas, DNCE and Ariana Grande,” his work is an extremely powerful blend of today’s Top 40 Pop.

Michael’s single, “Give It To Me” marks the beginning of a sexier, edgier chapter in his career. “Let’s just say I was going through a dry spell in my love life. My producer/co-writer, Dan Whittemore decided to play me a track that he had been working on. When he played it I freaked out! I immediately thought of a melody line for the chorus. When I sang it over the chords, Dan got just as excited as I was. From there it came time to decide what we were writing about. Even though we laughed, we both knew it was a fantastic idea and ‘Give It To Me’ was born.”

Born and raised in Westlake Village, California, Michael grew up loving music and was singing as soon as he started talking. His love of performing started at 5 years old when his mom took him to a local children’s theatre production. “I remember thinking to myself, I want to be on stage! And we signed up that day.”  He continued doing musical theatre through high school. His roles included Danny Zuko in Grease, Curly in Oklahoma and Prince Charming in Cinderella. His love of performing took him through college where he was a member USC ‘s premiere, award winning a cappella group, The SoCal VoCals.

Song writing from a real place is very important to Michael and his music is always about specific people or events in his life. “I can’t create something worth listening to if a part of me isn’t woven into it.” Writing sessions for Michael usually start off with a blank computer template and a conversation with his co-writers. “I like to start by talking about what’s going on in my life, both good and bad and see if there’s something we can all relate to. When we find a common thread we start crafting the song. We start with a few chords on the piano and create a simple loop on the computer. Then we play around with melody ideas until we find something that feels right for our topic. When we agree on a melody, we start with lyrics and bring the song to life.” 

Outside of music, Michael loves cars and he’s not ashamed to admit that he is a huge gamer!

Michael has one hope when it comes to his fans and his music, to have an impact. “Every time I’ve interacted with a performer that I’m a huge fan of, whether it be for one second or a few hours, I remember every single moment of the experience. They might not, but I absolutely do. If all I have to do to create a memorable moment or put a smile on a fan’s face is wave at them, stop for a picture or simply reply to a tweet, I would love nothing more than to spend my day making tiny moments like that happen for the people who are kind enough to show me and my music love.”

Learn more about Michael Mancuso in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! So where does this interview find you? What’s on tap for the rest of your day?

I’m currently in NYC! I just had a show at Rockwood Music Hall with Laney Lynx and my best friend Mario Jose. Tonight we’re getting ready to go see an off-broadway show that one of my friends from high school helped produce!

Overall, how do you think 2017 was for you and your career? What is one big goal you have for 2018?

2017 was an amazing year for my career. I was able to distance myself from people who were trying to keep me from making the music I wanted to make, and I was able to assemble an incredible and supportive team to help launch me into 2018. One big goal for 2018 is to start touring as an opening act for a bigger name!

Growing up, did you ever think that this would be the kind of life that you would? Can you recall your earliest musical memory?

I definitely didn’t see myself being a musician when I was a kid. I was always singing around the house, but I actually dreamed of being an astronaut. It wasn’t until I got involved in my high school choir that I really decided music was the path for me. My mom actually has a video of me dancing around with an out of tune ukulele singing in my room at the age of 4!

Let’s talk about your newest single “Give It To Me.” What was the inspiration for this track? How do you think this track prepares listeners for more new music from you? 

To be completely honest, “Give It To Me” was written as a bit of a joke between my producer (Dan Whittemore) and I! At the start of every session we have, dan and I always start by catching each other up on our lives. He filled me in on what he had been up to, and when it was time for me to share, all that was on my mind was how long it had been since I had last been with a girl! I start telling Dan about it and he immediately starts giving me tons of flack. We moved on and got to work, but when it came time to pick the topic for the lyrics of the song we had started working on, Dan jokingly threw out that we should write about my dry spell. I agreed, thinking that I would never use the song in any kind of serious way. But I ultimately fell in love with the song and had to release it!

In regards to my listeners, I would say that this song is a true “single”. I have TONS of new music to share in 2018 and I’m very excited to release it, but my new stuff won’t really be following the pop/rock footsteps of “Give It To Me”. My new music will be as close to main-stream pop as I can get. Very excited about it!

When do you hope to release more music? Are you working on new music now?

I’m hoping to release a new single within the next 3 months! And yes, I’m always working on new music!

Where do you find that you sing the most these days, in the shower, in the car, in the studio or elsewhere?

I find that most of my singing and practicing happens in my car. But I’ve been super lucky to have formed a great relationship with the W Hotel in Hollywood, so that is where most of my recent live performances have been happening!

We are living through a very trying and politically charged time right now so I am curious how you think being a musician gives you the most joy in life today? How do you think that music is going to reflect these challenging times?

It’s hard not to get cliché here, but whenever the world seems to get knocked off of its axis, musicians have always used their positions and their platforms to make a difference. Having the opportunity to give my fans a moment of respite when they listen to my music is a great feeling! Musicians are constantly referencing the changing atmosphere of the times in their music. For instance, Ariana Grande’s brand new single is a strong example of a current high profile artist using her platform to spread a message of social change, which in her case was acceptance and equality for the LGBTQ+ community.

Who are some of your favorite artists or rather, what musicians have continued to inspire you and your music? What musicians would you absolutely still love to work with in the future? 

My music has been heavily inspired by Nick Jonas, Justin Bieber, Zayn, JT, and in the case of “Give It To Me”, DNCE. I would love to have the opportunity to work with Zedd some day. I have been a huge fan of his music since the beginning and I’ll know I’ve truly made it when I have a song out that he had a hand in producing.

At the end of the day, what do you hope your fans take away from your music?

I try to channel my real life experiences into my music. Topics that I live, breathe and work through. Whether it be something as funny as a ‘dry spell’, or something as complicated as hooking up with your ex (hints to the next single…?), I try to articulate my journey in a way that people can understand and relate to. Essentially, I just want people to realize that I’m just as human as the next guy and, because of that, I hope they are able to relate to my songs in a genuine way.

Would you like to share anything else with our readers about yourself or your music?

If you want to be kept up to date on exciting things like the music video for “Give It To Me” or my next single, follow me on instagram @michaelmancusomusic and subscribe to my website’s mailing list at www.michaelmancusoofficial.com!