Miguel Jontel Pimentel (born October 23, 1985) is an American singer and songwriter. Raised in San Pedro, California, he began pursuing a music career at age thirteen. Miguel identifies himself as part of the new wave of R&B artists that include Frank Ocean, The Weeknd and Elle Varner. Miguel incorporates R&B, funk, hip hop, rock and electronic styles into his music, and cites musicians Prince, David Bowie, Jimi Hendrix, Freddie Mercury, Phil Collins, Donny Hathaway, The Notorious B.I.G., Kanye West, Saul Williams, Queen, Usher and Pharrell Williams as influences.