It has to be hard being a soul singer in today’s times. Major labels have a seemingly lack of interest in true vocalists. For singer/songwriter Muhammad Ayers that is a reality even with the résumé he possesses. The former background vocalist and vocal coach for pop sensation Justin Bieber was discovered by legendary music mogul André Harrell and signed to his new label Harrell Records through Atlantic Records.

Ayers first stepped on the music scene with his independent debut album 26. While the album didn’t blow away the masses, he did amass a strong following in his native Franklin, LA as well as Atlanta, GA. Through his production partner Reginald “Wizard” Jones, Ayers learned that then-budding pop star Justin Bieber was in need of a vocal coach to help him adjust to his changing voice. A phone call later, Ayers was on the road with Bieber as his coach as well as a background singer. Due to industry politics, Muhammad was off the tour a few months later. It wouldn’t be his last encounter with the politics of the music business.

Spring of 2010 saw legendary music executive André Harrell make his return as a label boss. Through a contest in conjunction with Atlantic Records, Harrell launched a nationwide competition billed as “André Harrell’s Superstar Soul Search.” After several months of countless singers competing Muhammad Ayers stood as the champion, which titled him the first artist on Harrell Records/Atlantic Records. Almost immediately things began to change. Says Ayers, “From day one, I was told I would have to change my name because ‘Muhammad’ wasn’t something the label could get behind.” Living in a post-9/11 America gave fear to the executives that someone with a Muslim name wasn’t marketable. Ironically, Muhammad Ayers is not a Muslim. He was named after legendary boxer Muhammad Ali, by his father.

The newly-christened Michael Ayers goes on to explain that his experience with André Harrell and Atlantic was a troubled one, especially when Harrell signed popular Atlanta R&B quartet Hamilton Park to his label. The fact that Harrell had met the group in the midst of his competition fueled speculation that the group had indeed won the ‘soul search’. “I began to see in various media outlets that Hamilton Park was being credited as the winner of the competition, but since I had no PR team or support from Atlantic there was nothing I could do to refute it.” In addition to seeing his label mates begin to soar up the charts, Ayers saw little effort by his label to push his single “Mine Tonight”, featuring Robin Thicke on the background vocals, to the R&B world. After changing his name back to Muhammad, Ayers left Atlantic Records in December of 2011.

Since his departure from Atlantic Records, Muhammad Ayers has endured highs and lows. He released what was supposed to be his major label debut album as a free download for his loyal fans. The free album, F.R.E.D. (Forever Reaching Every Destiny), was named after his father who unfortunately passed away before its release. For now, Muhammad Ayers isn’t focused on signing another major deal as much as he is concentrated on growing his already expanding fan base, releasing another album, and showing the world his brand of soul music one song at a time.

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