In “Better Late Than Never,” Michael Fairman responds to those who believe he has missed his chance at attaining his music dreams. Written and produced by Fairman and Kyle Mangels, “Better Late Than Never” is a soulful groove song, the likes of Tinashe, that combines the classic R&B harmonies of a Stevie Wonder tune with the Pop/R&B feel of a modern-day Nick Jonas track. The song’s message is simple yet profound: if you believe, you can achieve. “If you want something bad enough, isn’t it worth trying for it rather than forever wondering, ‘what if’?” Fairman asks. It’s an appeal that has special relevance today as the world prepares for the Olympic games. It reminds listeners that sometimes, in order to reach one’s goal, you must first endure heartache, pain, negativity, and disappointment.
“I originally considered calling the song ‘Hail, Mary’,” Michael Fairman continues from his Los Angeles apartment. “Unfortunately, it didn’t fit vocally with the song, but I love the analogy: it’s the final moments of a football game and there are mere seconds left on the clock, and the quarterback must throw the ball into the end zone and pray his receiver catches it. Nine times out of ten, the ball will be dropped, and the game is lost. But if it’s miraculously caught, you score, and it’s victory!”
“Better Late Than Never” builds on Michael Fairman’s previous releases, “Thing About Me” “Can’t Let You Go” and “Other Side”; three songs about the seemingly insurmountable challenges faced by the underdog, whether at love or in life. Michael’s songs are often-anthemic in nature and while they reflect on the harsh realities of the human condition, they offer positive messages of inspiration that can fit into listeners’ own life stories, encouraging them to feel and know that they are not alone.
“As a man in mid-life trying to get my music heard, I know about climbing mountains,” says Fairman. “I am told multiple times a week that this is a pipe dream, but I don’t let it stop me. I’m proud to be representing boomers. It may have taken me an extra thirty years than it did Shawn Mendes to get to this point, but my life experience makes me more confident now in my craft as a singer-songwriter. I know my strengths and weaknesses, and how to deliver a potential hit song, so I guess it truly is, ‘Better Late Than Never’.”
Michael Fairman grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Music was always his passion and first love. As a teen, he released his first recordings through a small label in Chicago. Once he graduated high school, he moved to Los Angeles and then to New York to pursue his career as a recording artist. He formed a band to back him. They performed in clubs, recorded, and tried to get the A&R reps from the record labels to come out to his showcases, but due to a myriad of excuses, they seldom came. The rejection and the financial drain eventually convinced Fairman he needed a major change. He put music on hold and moved back to Los Angeles where he began a career in TV Production and entertainment journalism.
“The time wasn’t right, but that doesn’t mean I can’t try again,” Michael Fairman says. “Back then, artists were at the mercy of someone seeing them live in order to land that major label deal. In today’s digital age, artists can put out their music for the world to hear and decide if it fits their musical tastebuds.”
Michael is ready to lay it all on the line. Even a pandemic won’t stop him. When he and his team went to record “Better Late Than Never” in early spring, commercial studios were still closed due to Covid restrictions. Fairman recorded all the vocals from his apartment while Kyle Mangles engineered the single from his home studio.
It’s why Fairman names one particular line in the song as his favorite: Don’t want to be left behind, because I’m working overtime. “We’re all on the clock, life is going by, and for some, things come easier than others. Figuring out how to make things work with the technology available during Covid threw a bit of a curveball my way, but we worked through it. I learned so much from the process, grew as an artist, and the fact that this song sounds just as good as if we cut it in a studio makes me realize that when the time is right, one can be unstoppable.”
Michael Fairman’s “Better Late Than Never” is being distributed independently and is available on Apple Music and Spotify. Follow Michael Fairman on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
