Michael Oakley
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Oakley performing in 2019
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael James Oakley |
| Born | (1982-01-03) 3 January 1982 (age 42) Glasgow, Scotland |
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| Years active | 2016–present |
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| Website | michael-oakley |
Oakley was born in Glasgow but moved to Los Angeles in 2016, before settling in Canada in 2018.[2] He attended Williamwood High SchoolinClarkston, East Renfrewshire. He is a self-taught musician, having taken piano lessons for a short period in his youth.[3]
Having worked in Glasgow's cover band scene for some years,[4] Oakley penned what would become his debut album, California, in 2016.[2] Lesley Daunt of The Huffington Post wrote in 2017 of the lead single "Turn Back Time", "Oakley's captivating beats and celestial synthesizers have given a fresh approach and revival to classic pop".[5]
In 2017, Oakley released California to critical acclaim from The Huffington Post and popular YouTube channel and record label NewRetroWave.[5][6]
In 2019, the artist released his sophomore album, Introspect, which was listed in NewRetroWave's Top 10 albums list of 2019.[7]
In 2020, Oakley issued the track "Wake Up!", featuring Ollie Wride, as part of the soundtrack to the game Wave Break: High Tide, through Funktronic Labs.[8] In the same year, he contributed an instrumental remix of his 2016 single "Rabbit in the Headlights" to the soundtrack of the mobile game Retro Drive.[9]
On 16 April 2021, Oakley announced the release of a new single, "Is There Anybody Out There", co-written by fellow labelmate Ollie Wride and produced by Jon CampbellofThe Time Frequency.[10]
Oakley released his third studio album, Odyssey, on 14 May 2021, through NewRetroWave Records.[11][12] Callum Crumlish of Daily Express wrote, "The glowing eight-track record oozes style and electronica while managing to steer clear of the cliched building blocks of the genre".[13]
In 2012, while returning from a performance at a wedding function near Glasgow, Oakley rescued two men from a burning car.[4]