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As a two-time Emmy® award winner, BMI award winner, Grammy® nominated composer, music supervisor and former record label executive, Michael Whalen has worn many hats over the past 30 years. Billions of people have heard his music, and he has accumulated over 850 million streams from all worldwide music platforms since 2015. His musical output is enormous and ranges from ambient/new age to jazz to soundtrack/theme music, world music, singer/songwriter, classical and crossover.
Michael’s latest release, “Walk in Beauty, Like the Night,” is a romantic piano album that realizes the aspirations of Michael and his countless fans—a fusion of Michael’s cinematic loveliness and his superlative electronic sound design work, which has placed him on the cutting edge of electronic artists worldwide. It is also a sequel to his landmark 2005 piano recording, “My Secret Heart,” one of the most popular and most streamed “New Age” albums ever.
While his previous piano albums have prominently featured some of the finest grand pianos, Michael ultimately found fresh inspiration for the new album in the Casio PX-S7000 digital piano.
“To me, the Casio PX-S7000 is THE evolution of the piano in the 21st century,” says Michael. “Its sound, functionality, beautiful design and ability to seamlessly interface via MIDI make it the perfect expression of the classic sound but in a new context. Technology has always opened the door for artists to express themselves anew, and Casio has taken a huge leap with this instrument.”
Michael also points out that when people come to his house, they ask why his Casio digital piano is the sole instrument located downstairs, away from his upstairs studio, where seventeen keyboards vie for his attention 24/7. This is to say nothing about the computers, mixers, guitars, drums and other gizmos crammed into a spare bedroom, now a recording studio.
“One of the most important things you can do as a creative person is to try to remove as many barriers as possible to have your ideas go from your mind to out in the world,” Michael says. “The Casio Privia is the centerpiece of my living room—a creative “oasis” for me to work exclusively with musical ideas. Whenever I have an idea, I just sit down and play, and the creativity flows. Using the Casio helped streamline the process of writing and producing this album because the instrument is so intuitive and easy to use. I recorded in the piano on my laptop in my living room. Then, going into the studio with ideas codified and well-drawn makes my time more creative and productive.”
Michael is also an expert on copyright law, music monetization and digital rights. He consults with major technology and music companies and mentors artists worldwide as part of his company Artist Expansion. As a teacher, he has been an adjunct professor at NYU, The Berklee College of Music, and The City College of NY. Michael is also an author, thought leader on the future of digital copyrights and panelist at dozens of major conferences and festivals.
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