Watch the exclusive Giant Step interview with Philly soul singer Kevin Michael here.

Creating a legend and then living it out is what Kevin has set out to do with his debut album, Kevin Michael. “We All Want The Same Thing,” the album’s opener, serves as both a statement of purpose and roots for the artist who lived in worlds both black and white (“All my gangster friends/and all my skater friends/We all want the same thing/DJ’s in the clubs/Jesus freaks and thugs/We all want the same thing”). “It Don’t Make Any Difference To Me,” produced by and featuring Wyclef Jean, brings a Caribbean flavor to the mix, showing both the range of Kevin’s songwriting abilities and the depth of his pride at who he is (“All you gotta do is look at me/Three generations of my family you see/People treat you different/When you’re in between/He was black white and she was white/You know that most people thought that it wasn’t right/I can still remember what she used to say/It don’t make any difference to me…”). Combining an irresistible pop feel with the poignancy of the lyric, what emerges is a trans-racial modern day anthem.

“If I Ain’t Got You” is one of those rare one-listen songs; a bonafide smash-to-be, a love song filled with lament and loss – and a chorus that soars and demands to be sung along with upon hearing it for the first time. “Vicki Secrets,” featuring Kevin’s falsetto, shows off a singer with considerable sex appeal who knows how to communicate to the ladies. And then there’s Kevin’s ode to Michael Jackson, “Stone Cold Killa,” which weaves a Latin percussive feel with snappy pop phrasing and layered vocal harmonies that conjure a world of good times, beautiful women and smiles on the dance floor.