Michael Paynter (born 29 January 1986), is an Australian singer-songwriter. Paynter has released five singles, " Closer", "A Victim Song", "
Love the Fall
"Love the Fall" is the third single of Australian singer Michael Paynter. The song was to feature on his debut album, ''This Welcome Diversion'', before Paynter was dropped from Sony, so it was eventually released on his independently distribute ...
", "How Sweet It Is" and "Weary Stars". Paynter competed in the second season of '' The Voice Australia'' 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
John Peter Farnham Officer of the Order of Australia, AO (born 1 July 1949) is a British born Australian singer. Farnham was a Teen idol, teen pop idol from 1967 until 1979, billed then as Johnny Farnham, but has since forged a career as an Adu ...
. 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
Matt Wallace is an American record producer. He is a graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, ''This Welcome Diversion'' features performances by
Josh Freese
Joshua Ryan Freese (born December 25, 1972) is an American session drummer. He is the son of tuba soloist Stan Freese and the older brother of musician Jason Freese.
He is a member of the Vandals (since 1989) and Devo (since 1996), having forme ...
, 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 mus ...
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, Phil Buckle and Julian Hamilton of The Presets. 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, Newton Faulkner, Seal and The Veronicas 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
"Love the Fall" is the third single of Australian singer Michael Paynter. The song was to feature on his debut album, ''This Welcome Diversion'', before Paynter was dropped from Sony, so it was eventually released on his independently distribute ...
", 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 ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
. The single features background vocals from The Veronicas, 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''. 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
The Script are an Irish rock band formed in 2001 in Dublin, consisting of lead vocalist and keyboardist Danny O'Donoghue, lead guitarist Mark Sheehan, and drummer Glen Power. The band moved to London after signing to Sony Label Group imprint ...
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 P ...
with Miley Cyrus 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
Icehouse or ice house may refer to:
* Ice house (building), a building where ice is stored
* Ice shanty, a shelter for ice fishing also known as an ''Icehouse''
* Ice skating rink, a facility for ice skating.
* Ice hockey arena, an area where ice ...
.
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 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. He was saved by the public in part 2 of The Showdowns (for his performance of " The Horses" by Daryl Braithwaite), but failed to receive enough votes in the first Live Finals episode after performing " Locked Out of Heaven" by Bruno Mars, 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
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
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 on their promotional tour and
Delta Goodrem
Delta Lea Goodrem AM (born November 9, 1984) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Goodrem signed to Sony Music at the age of 15. Her debut album, '' Innocent Eyes'' (2003), topped the ARIA Albums Chart for 29 non-consecutive week ...
on her Wings promotion. He also contributed to Reece Mastin, 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.