About Me
Michael Popenhagen has always had a passion for music. At the age of seven, his mother bought him an Elvis Presley record that he just couldn't play enough. He determined at this young age that he wanted to be a musician and singer like Elvis. In third grade, Michael began attending church. Soon after, he attended a local Christian crusade and gave his heart to the Lord. During his formative years, Michael was greatly influenced not only by Elvis, but also by music from the 50's and 60's - namely,
* The Beatles
* Roy Orbison
* Del Shannon
The highlight of his teen years was becoming friends with and playing on stage with Del Shannon in front of thousands of people. These appearances led to numerous opportunities for Mike to perform. As his notoriety and success grew, he began to focus on pursuing a career in country music. Like many aspiring country musicians, Mike and his band spent the next two years playing at festivals, in clubs and in some bars. After an unusually hard night of this lifestyle, Mike reached a low point and realized that this was no way to live. In his anguish, he cried out, "God, I'm sorry. Change me and my life." That life-changing moment began a journey that eventually led Mike to become the worship leader at Resurrection Life Church of Richland, MI. Throughout his ten year tenure he has developed a top rate music program with some of the best musicians in the industry.
Michael launched his first CD project, Heart Wide Open, in 2002 which was widely received and quickly followed with a live recording project titled Inspired, recorded in 2004. His most recent project, Enter the Mystery, is scheduled to be released in August of 2006. Michael is a seasoned songwriter/musician whose love for God is apparent in the songs he writes and the way he worships. Michael says, "In worship music, people are changed, are touched by God and are healed, and I love being a part of that. I don't want to go and just entertain people - I really want them to experience God." Michael has a music style that's all his own. His style has been compared to
* Dave Mathews
* John Cougar
His use of the Hammond, acoustic and electric guitars gives his music an organic, earthy feel, but with an element of pop as well.
Michael has recently created his own record label, Neuscon Records, and has already recorded several artists under this label. He has also set up a podcast specifically geared toward worship leaders and musicians. Worshippodcast.net is an excellent resource with discussions on leading worship, team building, band performance, songwriting and more. Michael states, "I am amazed at the journey God has brought me on. I love this journey and I can't wait for the next ten years of my life."
