Michael Paynter (born 29 January 1986), is an Australian singer-songwriter. Paynter has released five singles, "
Closer", "A Victim Song", "
Love the Fall", "How Sweet It Is" and "Weary Stars". Paynter competed in the
second season of ''
The Voice Australia
''The Voice'' is an Australian singing competition television series. It premiered on the Nine Network on 14 April 2012, before moving to the Seven Network in 2021. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', and part of ''The Voice '' ...
'' after being dropped from his record label and successfully made the Top 16, but did not advance to the Top 12.
Early life
Paynter began playing instruments from a young age, playing the piano at the age of seven, and learning guitar and drums by the time he was 15.
At the age of 16, he began playing in touring bands across Australia. Regarding music, Paynter says that it "was always something I was going to do, because it fires up my soul like nothing else". He studied law for a year, but returned to music. Although Paynter liked law school and intends to return, he says the choice was either "tour the country and play guitar or study books", and the decision "was a no-brainer". Paynter says that playing drums makes him a better guitarist, playing guitar makes him a better keyboardist, and playing all three makes him a better singer.
Career
2007–2012: Career launch
Critics have praised Michael Paynter's voice, often comparing him to
John Farnham. Paynter says the title of his debut album, ''This Welcome Diversion'', was inspired by an advertisement in an in-flight magazine; his music career is a diversion from his original path, law.
Paynter wrote or co-wrote all of the tracks on ''This Welcome Diversion''.
To record the album, Paynter traveled to Los Angeles, where he worked with producer
Matt Wallace and mixer Brian Paturalski.
[ ] ''This Welcome Diversion'' features performances by
Josh Freese, Dorian Crozer,
David Ryan Harris
David Ryan Harris (born April 19, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist based in Los Angeles, California, United States. Born in Evanston, Illinois, Harris moved to Atlanta at a young age. Harris has had a varied career as a musi ...
and
John Fields.
The first single, "
Closer", was described as "a soaring, hook-filled track about striving for better". Paynter wrote "Closer" in collaboration with
Gary Clark, and said that he fell in love with the song instantly. He said that "it works because the chords and rhythms are so simple. It's how people are, in their heads, never where they want to be whether it's a relationship or in a career. They're always wanting to be closer to the ideal." For the album, Paynter underwent a global four-month writing session, during which he also worked with
Wally Gagel
Wally Gagel is an American, multi platinum, award-winning record producer, audio engineer, mixer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter. His current work with Blondfire, Zella Day, Best Coast, Hunter Hunted, The Mowglis and Redlight King has garne ...
, Phil Buckle and Julian Hamilton of
The Presets
The Presets are an Australian electronic music duo of Julian Hamilton (vocals, keyboards) and Kim Moyes (drums, keyboards). Formed in 2003 and signed to Modular Records, The Presets released two EPs ('' Blow Up'', '' Girl and the Sea'') in a ...
.
The album's second single, "A Victim Song", was released on 15 November 2008 in Australia.
''This Welcome Diversion'' was initially set to be released in 2008, but despite a set release date, was delayed until 2011. After the average performance of singles "
Closer" and "A Victim Song", which Paynter felt "didn't have the support of radio or a strong online presence", he and label Sony agreed to delay the album's release. Paynter began touring, serving as a supporting act for
Vanessa Amorosi
Vanessa Joy AmorosiSharon Verghis"Back on track" ''The Sun-Herald'', 18 October 2009, Archived fro''the original''on 6 March 2016. (born 8 August 1981) is an Australian singer-songwriter and recording artist. Her combined album and single sales ...
,
Newton Faulkner
Sam Newton Battenberg Faulkner (born 11 January 1985) is an English singer-songwriter and musician from Reigate, Surrey. He is known for his percussive style of guitar playing.
In 2007 Faulkner's debut studio album ''Hand Built by Robots'' was c ...
,
Seal
Seal may refer to any of the following:
Common uses
* Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly:
** Earless seal, or "true seal"
** Fur seal
* Seal (emblem), a device to imp ...
and
The Veronicas
The Veronicas is an Australian pop duo from Brisbane. The group was formed in 2004 by identical twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso.
In 2005, the Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled '' The Secret Life of...'', which pea ...
on their
Revenge Is Sweeter tour.
In between tours, Sony (his label), had paid for songwriting trips to London and Los Angeles.
This resulted in a free 10-track acoustic album titled ''Money on Your Tongue'', containing three cover songs and a version of "Closer", which was initially released as individual tracks across 10 weeks from late October 2009.
In June 2010, Paynter released the single "
Love the Fall", which became the most added song to Australian radio in the first week of July and his first top 20 single on the
ARIA Singles Chart. The single features background vocals from
The Veronicas
The Veronicas is an Australian pop duo from Brisbane. The group was formed in 2004 by identical twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso.
In 2005, the Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled '' The Secret Life of...'', which pea ...
, who also appear in the single's music video. The physical release of the single, is a five track EP, which includes the single "Are You Alive?", that was used to promote the final episode of ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
*Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
* Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
''. In July, Paynter returned to Los Angeles to finish his album, with a tentative 2011 release date. Paynter said of his career, "It's been a really blessing for me. I don't think many artists get to make their debut record twice. I think if most artists got the chance to do it again, they'd take it."
In October 2010 Paynter supported alternative rock band
The Script for their two shows in Australia.
Michael also appeared on the
Gypsy Heart Tour
The Gypsy Heart Tour ( es, 'Corazón Gitano Tour', link=no) was the third concert tour by American singer Miley Cyrus, held in support of her third studio album ''Can't Be Tamed'' (2010). It visited primally Latin America, Australia, and the Phi ...
with
Miley Cyrus
Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip ho ...
as special guest in Australia. He debuted his new single called "How Sweet It Is" on the tour.
In 2011, Michael joined the touring band of
Icehouse.
2013–present: ''Weary Stars'' and ''The Voice Australia''
In April 2013, Paynter auditioned for Season 2 of ''The Voice Australia'' and after successfully having all four judges turn their chairs, he chose
Joel Madden
Joel Rueben Madden (né Combs; March 11, 1979) is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist for the pop punk band Good Charlotte. He is also part of the pop rock collaboration the Madden Brothers with his identical twin brother Benj ...
as his coach. He successfully defeated Louise Roussety in the Battle Rounds with his rendition of "
As Long as You Love Me" by
Justin Bieber
Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...
. He was saved by the public in part 2 of The Showdowns (for his performance of "
The Horses
"The Horses" is a song written by Rickie Lee Jones and Walter Becker. It was originally performed by Jones on her 1989 album, ''Flying Cowboys''. While not released as a single, the original version did appear in the 1996 film ''Jerry Maguire'' a ...
" by
Daryl Braithwaite
Daryl Braithwaite (born 11 January 1949) is an Australian singer. He was the lead vocalist of Sherbet (1970–1984 and many subsequent reunions). Braithwaite also has a solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including t ...
), but failed to receive enough votes in the first Live Finals episode after performing "
Locked Out of Heaven
"Locked Out of Heaven" is a song by American singer and songwriter Bruno Mars from his second studio album, ''Unorthodox Jukebox'' (2012). It was released as the lead single from the album on October 1, 2012. The song was written by Mars, Phil ...
" by
Bruno Mars
Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for his stage performances, retro showmanship, and for performing in a wide range of musical ...
, and was eliminated.
On 13 January 2014, Paynter released a new single, "Weary Stars". "Weary Stars" is the first single from Paynter's debut studio album of the same name. The album was released to
iTunes on 31 January 2014.
In 2014–15 Paynter played keyboards and guitar on the Icehouse Australian tour. Besides backing vocals, he also sang "Man of Colours" at the live shows.
Michael spent most of 2015 touring supporting
The Veronicas
The Veronicas is an Australian pop duo from Brisbane. The group was formed in 2004 by identical twin sisters Lisa and Jessica Origliasso.
In 2005, the Veronicas released their debut studio album, titled '' The Secret Life of...'', which pea ...
on their promotional tour and
Delta Goodrem on her Wings promotion. He also contributed to
Reece Mastin
Reece Mastin (born 24 November 1994) is an English-born Australian singer and songwriter who won the third season of ''The X Factor Australia'' in 2011. Mastin subsequently signed with Sony Music Australia. His debut single " Good Night" reac ...
, on his album Change Colours, and especially on the single Even Angels Cry.
Paynter has joined Michael Delorenzis to create MSquared Productions, working as songwriters and producers.
Discography
Albums
Studio albums
Acoustic albums
Singles
As featured artist
Promotional singles
Other appearances
Notes
References
External links
Official websiteMichael Paynter at MyspaceMichael Paynter at FacebookMichael Paynter at Twitter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paynter, Michael
1986 births
Living people
Australian singer-songwriters
Musicians from Melbourne
Icehouse (band) members
Australian Christians
Australian male singer-songwriters