Subscribe

* indicates required
Okayplayer News

To continue reading

Create a free account or sign in to unlock more free articles.

By continuing, you agree to the Terms of Service and acknowledge our Privacy Policy

Miguel Make Room Concert Square
Miguel Make Room Concert Square

Watch Miguel Give An Intimate Acoustic Set For Struggling Families

Lenny Kravitz, Grace Jones, Lauryn Hill, Lion Babe, Thundercat, SZA & More Rock The Afropunk Festival 2015 in Brooklyn, NY.

Armed with little more than his own kind smile and a guitar, Miguel recently gave a moving three-song performance in the living room a Detroit family--all in the name of fighting homelessness. The mini-set was in support of Make Room, an activist group dedicated to helping those American families living paycheck to paycheck and suffering from skyrocketing rent prices.

Rolling Stone reports that the set took place in the home of Devona Rollins, a 46-year-old single mother who invited many of her friends and family over to watch the R&B crooner. And croon, Miguel did. His set included his recent mega-hit "Coffee," along with "What's Normal Anyway," and 2012's "Adorn." The set was the latest in Make Room's "Concerts For The 1st" series, a video project inspired by Harlem Renaissance rent parties that brings marquee-name musicians into the personal homes of everyday people.

Seeing Miguel play was "a powerful and surreal experience that I’ll never forget," Rollins told Rolling Stone. "Miguel connected with us, sharing his personal story about growing up with a single mom facing financial struggles, and showed me that we are not alone. The kids and my friends loved the performance and they haven't stopped talking about it." Make Room stresses that one in four families nationwide is struggling to make rent. "This crisis is happening behind closed doors and isn’t on the agendas of our nation’s leaders," the group's director Angelo Boyd told RS. "Make Room is shining a spotlight on the 11 million families in America that struggle to make rent on the first of every month."

Between songs, Miguel shared his own stories of growing up, when money was by no means guaranteed. "I grew up in a single parent family, and my mom often struggled. I would see her work really hard, come home and be tired, and give everything she had to us. So it's really cool to be able to, hopefully, let you know that people are paying attention," he said before launching into "Coffee." Watch all three songs, live from the Rollins living room, below.

Miguel 2015 Tour Dates:

Sep 26 @ Landmark Festival – Washington, DC

Sep 27 @ Landmark Festival – Washington, DC

Sep 29 @ Falconer Theatre – Copenhagen, Denmark

Sep 30 @ Sentrum Scene – Oslo, Norway

Oct 02 @ Annex – Stockholm, Sweden

Oct 04 @ Große Freiheit 36 – Hamburg, Germany

Oct 05 @ Paradiso Grote Zaal – Amsterdam, Netherlands

Oct 07 @ L’Olympia – Paris, France

Oct 09 @ Kaufleuten – Zurich, Switzerland

Oct 10 @ Gibson – Frankfurt, Germany

Oct 11 @ E-Werk Köln – Cologne, Germany

Oct 13 @ O2 Academy Brixton – London, United Kingdom

Oct 15 @ O2 Academy Birmingham – Birmingham, United Kingdom

Oct 18 @ Manchester Academy – Manchester, United Kingdom

Oct 24 @ Soulfest 2015 – Sydney, Australia

Oct 25 @ Soulfest 2015 Melbourne – Vic, Australia

Oct 26 @ Soulfest 2015 – Auckland, New Zealand