Michael 'J' Horn
Encyclopedia
Michael 'J' Horn is an American
pop singer formerly of the boyband "Natural
". He also acts, writes plays, and teaches.
although he spent a good amount of his life in Orlando, Florida
. He began piano lessons at the age of 7 thanks to his Grandmother's urging. While in middle school he joined the local theatre and performed in many plays. By this point he was a pretty accomplished pianist and turned his sight on combining his loves of theatre and music: directing musicals.
By the time he graduated high school he had appeared in over 30 productions either as an actor, the musical director, or both. In his junior year he took a break to become a drum major. He continued to perform in many local events singing and playing piano throughout his teen years.
was started, but the most likely one is that in 1999, Marc Terenzi
met a man named Patrick King at a party. The men hit it off and with their friends Michael Johnson
and Ben Bledsoe
they created a boy band
which was the big thing of the time. After many line up changes Ben Bledsoe
found Michael through his vocal teacher. He sang "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
" for his audition and even had to do it over the phone for members who were not present at the time. And with that Michael joined Natural
.
The boys tried to get signed with many major labels but were turned down despite a huge local following in Orlando, FL. One day as they rehearsed at Transcontinental Studios, boyband king Lou Pearlman
noticed them and liked their act. Soon after, they were signed with Transcontinental Records.
Lou Pearlman
had a new twist for his old boy band
vision: not only would they dance
, sing
, and look cute, but they would also play instruments. Michael became the pianist and one of the lead vocalists.
Lou Pearlman
spared no expense promoting the guys' first single with Claire's
and a tour with the Monkey's. However American fame was slow and the guys were soon sent to Germany
to conquer little girl's hearts. They had much success with such hits as "Put Your Arms Around Me", "Will It Ever", and "Runaway".
In the Summer of 2001 Marc Terenzi
met German pop star
Sarah Connor at a music festival. The two soon hit it off and were dating despite Lou Pearlman
's wishes. Lou Pearlman
had strict rules for his boy bands: they could not have facial hair, they could not have many piercings or tattoos, and they definitely could not have girlfriends. However, the relationship continued on.
Meanwhile Michael seemed to have trouble adjusting to boy band
life. He often refused to wear the silly and skimpy (the boys posed almost nude at least 3 times in the band's history) outfits looking the odd one out. He also did not seem to enjoy the poppy music; his true love was Jazz and Broadway styled tunes.
In the summer of 2003 Sarah Connor became pregnant and the couple became engaged. Around this time Natural
was coming back from a hiatus and releasing a single 'What if' from their 2nd album It's Only Natural. Lou Pearlman
was not happy with the news and wanted Marc kicked out of Natural
and replaced with someone new. The other members (except Patrick King) were not thrilled with this and decided to break Natural
up.
However Michael appeared to have very little to do with the project by this point. While Lou was threatening the end of the band it appeared the tour would not happen and Michael made other commitments to star in a production of 'Merrily We roll along
' back home. He also had a few other projects coming up with Rollins College
which he had been attending. By the time it was announced the tour would gone Michael decided he had had enough and would not join the other guys.
. He as planned starred in 'Merrily We Roll along
' where he met his to be wife Olivia right before Hurricane Jeanne
. They soon got engaged and married in 2005.
Michael spent much of 2004 and 2005 acting and musically directing in several Rollins College
and other local productions of such plays as 'Annie Get your gun
', 'Sweeney Todd
', 'A Day in Hollywood and a night in Ukraine
'.
He also had the privilege of helping work on the famous Bach Festival
in Winter Park, FL in 2005.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
pop singer formerly of the boyband "Natural
Natural (band)
Natural was an American boy band who were best known for their debut single and signature song "Put Your Arms Around Me". They were very successful in Germany and the Philippines, releasing two albums and nine singles.-Formation:...
". He also acts, writes plays, and teaches.
Early life
Michael 'J' Horn grew up in Tarpon Springs, FloridaTarpon Springs, Florida
Tarpon Springs is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The population was 21,003 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 22,554....
although he spent a good amount of his life in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. He began piano lessons at the age of 7 thanks to his Grandmother's urging. While in middle school he joined the local theatre and performed in many plays. By this point he was a pretty accomplished pianist and turned his sight on combining his loves of theatre and music: directing musicals.
By the time he graduated high school he had appeared in over 30 productions either as an actor, the musical director, or both. In his junior year he took a break to become a drum major. He continued to perform in many local events singing and playing piano throughout his teen years.
Natural
Many publicity stories exist as to how NaturalNatural (band)
Natural was an American boy band who were best known for their debut single and signature song "Put Your Arms Around Me". They were very successful in Germany and the Philippines, releasing two albums and nine singles.-Formation:...
was started, but the most likely one is that in 1999, Marc Terenzi
Marc Terenzi
Marc Eric Terenzi is an American pop singer formerly of the boy band Natural. He was married to German pop/soul singer Sarah Connor from 2005-2008. They have a son named Tyler and a daughter named Summer.-Early life:...
met a man named Patrick King at a party. The men hit it off and with their friends Michael Johnson
Michael Johnson (drummer)
Michael Wayne Johnson is an American pop singer and drummer, formerly of the boyband "Natural". He performed with various projects until joining Marc Terenzi in a new band Terenzi in 2008.-Early life:...
and Ben Bledsoe
Ben Bledsoe
Benjamin Frederick "Ben" Bledsoe is an American pop singer formerly of the boy band Natural. He is currently a solo singer and actor living in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
they created a boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
which was the big thing of the time. After many line up changes Ben Bledsoe
Ben Bledsoe
Benjamin Frederick "Ben" Bledsoe is an American pop singer formerly of the boy band Natural. He is currently a solo singer and actor living in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
found Michael through his vocal teacher. He sang "The Lion Sleeps Tonight
The Lion Sleeps Tonight
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight", also known as "Wimoweh" and originally as "Mbube", is a song recorded by Solomon Linda and his group The Evening Birds for the South African Gallo Record Company in 1939. It was covered internationally by many 1950s pop and folk revival artists, including The Weavers,...
" for his audition and even had to do it over the phone for members who were not present at the time. And with that Michael joined Natural
Natural (band)
Natural was an American boy band who were best known for their debut single and signature song "Put Your Arms Around Me". They were very successful in Germany and the Philippines, releasing two albums and nine singles.-Formation:...
.
The boys tried to get signed with many major labels but were turned down despite a huge local following in Orlando, FL. One day as they rehearsed at Transcontinental Studios, boyband king Lou Pearlman
Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5, O-Town and US5. In 2006, it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300...
noticed them and liked their act. Soon after, they were signed with Transcontinental Records.
Lou Pearlman
Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5, O-Town and US5. In 2006, it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300...
had a new twist for his old boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
vision: not only would they dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
, sing
Singing
Singing is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, and look cute, but they would also play instruments. Michael became the pianist and one of the lead vocalists.
Lou Pearlman
Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5, O-Town and US5. In 2006, it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300...
spared no expense promoting the guys' first single with Claire's
Claire's
Claire's is a retailer of accessories and jewelry to girls and young women. Claire's has over 3,000 locations worldwide: their stores are in 95% of all U.S. shopping malls, and in 33 countries...
and a tour with the Monkey's. However American fame was slow and the guys were soon sent to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to conquer little girl's hearts. They had much success with such hits as "Put Your Arms Around Me", "Will It Ever", and "Runaway".
In the Summer of 2001 Marc Terenzi
Marc Terenzi
Marc Eric Terenzi is an American pop singer formerly of the boy band Natural. He was married to German pop/soul singer Sarah Connor from 2005-2008. They have a son named Tyler and a daughter named Summer.-Early life:...
met German pop star
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
Sarah Connor at a music festival. The two soon hit it off and were dating despite Lou Pearlman
Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5, O-Town and US5. In 2006, it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300...
's wishes. Lou Pearlman
Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5, O-Town and US5. In 2006, it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300...
had strict rules for his boy bands: they could not have facial hair, they could not have many piercings or tattoos, and they definitely could not have girlfriends. However, the relationship continued on.
Meanwhile Michael seemed to have trouble adjusting to boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
life. He often refused to wear the silly and skimpy (the boys posed almost nude at least 3 times in the band's history) outfits looking the odd one out. He also did not seem to enjoy the poppy music; his true love was Jazz and Broadway styled tunes.
In the summer of 2003 Sarah Connor became pregnant and the couple became engaged. Around this time Natural
Natural (band)
Natural was an American boy band who were best known for their debut single and signature song "Put Your Arms Around Me". They were very successful in Germany and the Philippines, releasing two albums and nine singles.-Formation:...
was coming back from a hiatus and releasing a single 'What if' from their 2nd album It's Only Natural. Lou Pearlman
Lou Pearlman
Louis Jay "Lou" Pearlman is a former impresario of the successful 1990s boy bands such as The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Take 5, O-Town and US5. In 2006, it was discovered that Pearlman had perpetrated one of the largest and longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history, leaving more than $300...
was not happy with the news and wanted Marc kicked out of Natural
Natural (band)
Natural was an American boy band who were best known for their debut single and signature song "Put Your Arms Around Me". They were very successful in Germany and the Philippines, releasing two albums and nine singles.-Formation:...
and replaced with someone new. The other members (except Patrick King) were not thrilled with this and decided to break Natural
Natural (band)
Natural was an American boy band who were best known for their debut single and signature song "Put Your Arms Around Me". They were very successful in Germany and the Philippines, releasing two albums and nine singles.-Formation:...
up.
However Michael appeared to have very little to do with the project by this point. While Lou was threatening the end of the band it appeared the tour would not happen and Michael made other commitments to star in a production of 'Merrily We roll along
Merrily We Roll Along (musical)
Merrily We Roll Along is a musical with a book by George Furth and lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart....
' back home. He also had a few other projects coming up with Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
which he had been attending. By the time it was announced the tour would gone Michael decided he had had enough and would not join the other guys.
Life after Natural
Michael got started right away on his life after NaturalNatural (band)
Natural was an American boy band who were best known for their debut single and signature song "Put Your Arms Around Me". They were very successful in Germany and the Philippines, releasing two albums and nine singles.-Formation:...
. He as planned starred in 'Merrily We Roll along
Merrily We Roll Along (musical)
Merrily We Roll Along is a musical with a book by George Furth and lyrics and music by Stephen Sondheim. It is based on the 1934 play of the same name by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart....
' where he met his to be wife Olivia right before Hurricane Jeanne
Hurricane Jeanne
Hurricane Jeanne was the deadliest hurricane in the 2004 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the tenth named storm, the seventh hurricane, and the fifth major hurricane of the season, as well as the third hurricane and fourth named storm of the season to make landfall in Florida...
. They soon got engaged and married in 2005.
Michael spent much of 2004 and 2005 acting and musically directing in several Rollins College
Rollins College
Rollins College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college located in Winter Park, Florida , along the shores of Lake Virginia....
and other local productions of such plays as 'Annie Get your gun
Annie Get Your Gun (musical)
Annie Get Your Gun is a musical with lyrics and music written by Irving Berlin and a book by Herbert Fields and his sister Dorothy Fields. The story is a fictionalized version of the life of Annie Oakley , who was a sharpshooter from Ohio, and her husband, Frank Butler.The 1946 Broadway production...
', 'Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd
Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as then antagonist of the Victorian penny dreadful The String of Pearls and he was later introduced as an antihero in the broadway musical Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and its film adaptation...
', 'A Day in Hollywood and a night in Ukraine
A Day in Hollywood / A Night in the Ukraine
A Day in Hollywood/A Night in the Ukraine is a musical comedy consisting of two essentially independent one-act plays, with a book and lyrics by Dick Vosburgh and music by Frank Lazarus...
'.
He also had the privilege of helping work on the famous Bach Festival
Bach Festival
Bach Festivals are annual classical music festival held to celebrate the memory of the German composer Johann Sebastian Bach. Various locations throughout the world held a festival dedicated to Bach...
in Winter Park, FL in 2005.