“To me, a good song is a good song, regardless of genre,” says Harmel. “When you get right down to it, all music is the same thing. It’s melodies, emotion and lyrics. I like a song that tells a story. A melody that evokes a feeling.” - Michael Harmel
Having written over 200 original songs, Michael Harmel has extensive experience and talent for songwriting.
Dearest Henry is Michael’s solo songwriting project. Along with releasing new music under Dearest Henry, such as This Life, Michael also has a growing catalogue of songs to offer artists and creative producers. Michael regularly collaborates with other musicians to write and record songs and is the main singer-songwriter of his band Government Town.
The name Dearest Henry is an homage to his grandad who was also a musician, and used to play music for Michael at a young age. This inspired Michael to explore all types of musical genres, and ultimately learn to play the guitar.
This Life is a personal account of loved ones lost, and after the passing of his father in 2021 Michael felt it was the right song to release as his first Dearest Henry single.
Michael has won numerous songwriting awards and honours including winning second place at the International Music Competition (Lyrics Only category) for his song 'Diamonds'. The competition had over 16,000 entrants worldwide. Michael has also been selected to participate in various songwriting forums, including representing his province at the 2019 PEI Songwriting Competition.