Cincinnati Native Michael Marcagi Releases Debut EP with Warner Records

On Feb. 9, Cincinnati native Michael Marcagi released his debut EP, American Romance, via Warner Records.

The EP includes two singles previously released by Marcagi, "Scared to Start" and "The Other Side," both of which have earned Marcagi millions of listens on Spotify. American Romance officially introduces listeners to three other tracks by Marcagi: "Savannah," In The Light" and the title track song.

Marcagi's music and lyrics, rooted in soaring folk-rock, are largely inspired by his life growing up in Cincinnati and the Midwest. According to a press release, many of the stories explored in his EP, like the fracturing of young love, were inspired by "coming from a largely conservative and religious town."

“There are all these familial norms you have to fall into,” Marcagi says in the press release. “I just watched a lot of my friends fall into that trap of getting married really young and then watching it falling apart before they are even thirty.”

Before pursing a solo career, Marcagi was a member of a successful local band, The Heavy Hours. Marcagi's solo career began with an impressive stroke of luck — a chance to record music with David Baron, a composer and producer who has worked with artists like Lana Del Rey, The Lumineers and Shania Twain.

In the fall of 2023, even before releasing his two hit singles, Marcagi found a loyal following on TikTok, where he began posting videos of himself performing the bits and pieces that would eventually find their way into his debut EP. Now, Marcagi boasts millions of likes on his videos and over 170,000 followers on the platform.

“I want people to feel like they know me,” Marcagi says. “I’ve never really connected to that mysterious rock band thing — four blurry faces in a field where you don’t know who the guys are. I don’t want to hide.”

Marcagi is currently on tour with The Moss and plans to announce a full European and U.S. headline tour at a later date. His current tour does not include a homecoming visit.

For more information about Marcagi, and to listen to his American Romance EP, visit michaelmarcagimusic.com.

Watch the music video for "Scared to Start" below:




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