Miguel performs onstage during The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! Countdown to Music's Biggest Night in Los Angeles, California.
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"I know what I want, and I'm getting there," says the R&B crooner about his "Kaleidoscope Dream" follow-up.
Miguel is hard at work on the follow-up to his breakout 2012 album "Kaleidoscope Dream," which featured the Top 20 hit "Adorn" and earned a Grammy Award for Best R&B Song. The singer caught up with Billboard and discussed the progress of his next full-length following a performance at the Howlin' Wolf in New Orleans during NBA All-Star Weekend on Saturday (Feb. 15).
"It's coming great," says the 28-year-old, who also performed at the GQ NBA All-Star party on Saturday night. "I have a very clear vision, and I have a very clear goal. I know what I want, and I'm getting there."
Miguel has shared studio time with Jessie Ware and J. Cole, and although the singer told The Hollywood Reporter last month that undertaking a new full-length project was "a little daunting" at first, he says that the unfurling of his new ideas has been a promising experience thus far.
"When you hear music in your head, and you're actually creating it, it feels good," he says. "As a musician, we hear things in our heads, and sometimes it doesn't really come out the way we hear it. Somehow, this time around, it's coming out exactly how I imagined it. The only thing I want to do is be in the studio, because you never want to forsake your creativity. You want to honor it."
His performance in New Orleans on Saturday night occurred during a "small hiatus" away from his creative process in his native Los Angeles; hours after playing the Howlin' Wolf, Miguel was back on a plane, returning to his West Coast studio. His set at the club show included old favorites "Sure Thing," "All I Want Is You" and of course "Adorn," but backstage after the show, Miguel winced when asked if he's eager to start performing new songs live.
"It really is killing me," says Miguel. "It's great to come out for these events, but I'm more excited now to be in the studio."
