“You Problem” , Michael Gerow’s latest release, is the story of someone whose only problems are, in fact, someone else’s. His interactions with the person who so often has these problems seem to occur after a breakup, where his help is no longer required. His examples of boundaries and self respect in such a situation are ones that should be heard and followed. He embraces the independence found in this separation, though his former partner cannot. It is easy to fall back into patterns of old relationships with the presence of a former partner in one’s life, but Gerow stands against it. Not feeling guilt over the omission of something he’s not obligated to do, not taking responsibility for the emotions of another. Though the tone of the song may initially appear depressive, it is simply genuine. Michael Gerow offers this earnest perspective without ever crossing lines that would hurt his own peace of mind, and it is honestly inspirational.
Gerow introduces the song with its title in context, “that sounds like a you problem” he sings in a voice that is naturally euphonic while still displaying the pain he seems to feel regarding the subject he sings of. A soft piano follows his voice in the background, scattered and slow but fitting the emotional path Michael takes the listener on. For the most part, this piano is the essence of the song, but when it disappears for a moment it does so seamlessly and in tune with the lyrics. For instance, at Gerow’s words “spiraling down out of control” the piano ceases briefly and it sounds as if the music itself is spiraling, falling away. Towards the end of the song, Michael Gerow layers his voice allowing for more intensity without losing his natural tone, and it works beautifully, the piece closes on this note.
Michael Gerow publicly launched his music career back in 2020, when he was only sixteen years old. He appeared on American Idol that year, being an admirable contestant noticed for his songwriting skill after performing an original song in the audition. Following this, he fully committed himself to the work, writing song after song. However, it is only in this past year in which he released his two songs now available on Spotify. Even with this reasonably small discography, though, he holds over 17k listeners and 90k streams on his first release “When The Lights Are Low”. He doesn’t have an account with less than a thousand followers, being particularly popular on tiktok with over 100k. The once Missouri, now L.A., based singer has been growing his fan base for years and has finally begun the process of releasing the hundreds of songs he’s written and promised. Contribute to his growing success by following Michael Gerow below and streaming “You Problem”.
Written By Hailey Schap
FOLLOW MICHAEL GEROW: