Michael Marcagi might not be a name you’ve heard too much of yet — but given that he’s already multi-platinum, has opened for The Lumineers on their world tour, joined the Jonas Brothers on the road, and just released his debut album to serious acclaim, that window is closing fast. The Cincinnati-born singer-songwriter is one of those artists who makes you wonder how he wasn’t already everywhere, and Under The Streetlights — out now on Warner Records — is the record that’s going to make sure everyone catches up.
The story starts, as so many good ones do, with a leap of faith. Marcagi grew up in the suburbs of Cincinnati, attended Anderson High School, played collegiate golf at Thomas More University and spent years as part of a local alt-rock band called The Heavy Hours, who released an album and an EP before he quietly decided to go it alone. The problem was he’d never really seen himself as a solo artist. So he dipped into his savings, drove to a studio outside Woodstock in upstate New York, and recorded with producer David Baron — the man behind albums for Lana Del Rey, The Lumineers and Shania Twain. The result was ‘The Other Side’, his debut solo single, released in December 2023. Then came ‘Scared to Start’. Then came TikTok. Then came Warner Records, a Billboard Hot 100 entry, and a career that went from zero to touring Europe in the space of a few months.
What makes Marcagi special — and what ‘Scared to Start’ captured instantly — is the specificity of his songwriting. He describes his sound as “granola folk” and counts John Prine, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison and Tom Waits among his biggest influences, which tells you everything about the kind of songwriter he is. He’s not chasing trends. He’s writing about what it feels like to grow up in the Midwest, to carry the weight of a conservative, religious small town, to be the kid who left and the kid who misses home in equal measure. ‘Flyover State’, from his 2025 Midwest Kid EP, nailed that feeling so precisely he took it to Jimmy Kimmel Live! He also co-wrote ‘Wish I Never Met You’ with and featuring Wesley Schultz of The Lumineers — which is both a great song and proof that the right people are paying attention.
Under The Streetlights, released in February 2026, is the full picture. Ten songs, deliberately stripped back, letting the writing do the heavy lifting. There’s ‘Rocksteady’, a collaboration with the brilliant Jade Bird. There’s ‘Don’t Include Me (American Dream)’, which takes the specific pain of watching an ex move happily on without you and somehow turns it into an uplifting anthem. The whole album was built to feel like those honest late-night conversations that only happen under a streetlight — the ones where the noise stops and you actually say what you mean. He made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2025. He’s played the Roundhouse in London. He still lives in Cincinnati, still misses it when he’s away, and still has his dog Captain for when he gets home.
And if you’re in Australia or New Zealand later this year, you’re in luck — he’ll be supporting Noah Kahan on his arena tour this September and October, taking in Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, and Spark Arena in Auckland. Not a bad place to introduce yourself to a new part of the world.
Michael Marcagi’s debut album ‘Under The Streetlights’ is out now on Warner Records.
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