“My mom used to go to karaoke when I was a young kid,” recalls Rod Michael, with a laugh. “Sometimes she would take me along and I would get up and sing a Jackson 5 song, which was perfect for me because my voice hadn’t matured yet so it was really high.” And the audiences went wild for him. Looking back, that may just be the moment Rod’s musical journey began. The youthful experience of being on stage taught him one thing: in order to make it, you’ve got to grab the audience’s attention.

Rod does just that with his can’t-get-it-out-of-your-head debut U.S. single (available from 1720 Entertainment). From its first glistening notes, “Knight In Shining Armor” inspires listeners to sit up and take notice. The song, a bold challenge to a woman to drop her no-good lover in favor of a guy who will treat her right, is a straightforward wake-up call set to a sneaky-sexy beat. “I’m saying ‘Tell him that his time is up; it’s my turn. You’re gonna be out the door,’” says Rod whose subtle R&B-infused stylings and vocal conviction make the track a true knock-out. With a burgeoning myspace.com following (“Knight in Shining Armor” has already garnered almost 100,000 plays and has earned raves from underground pop, hip-hop and R&B websites), Rod is ready to take on America.

Rod’s story begins in Allentown, Penn., a just-small-enough town known for its working class values and struggling factories. His mom could more than carry a tune but spent days at the hair salon she owned; his dad was a pretty decent guitar player (he helpfully bought Rod his first six-string when he was 10) but paid the bills by running a seafood business. Mom and Dad Michael saw a spark in Rod, and encouraged him to pursue his dreams.

“When I was 16, I finally sang publicly in front of my whole school at a talent show,” remembers Rod. “Everyone went nuts. No one knew what I could do before that performance.” Growing more confident, Rod started gigging locally. “I’d jump up on stage at local bars, do some covers and a few of my own songs, and people would be like, ‘Who’s this kid?’” Rod says. “Guys who were 35 or 40 years old played the clubs. I was a high-school kid. I’d have to play and get straight out, because I was too young to be allowed in there.”

By the time graduation came around, Rod faced a critical decision: Put music on the backburner, head to college and map out a normal 9-to-5 life or explore where his talent might lead him. The choice was easy. “I decided to take a year off and just do music and see where I could go with it,” he says.

The outcome was not what he expected: Where he would “go with it” turned out to be Berlin, Germany.

Long story short: A local connection hooked Rod up with an audition. “The next thing I knew I was at this million dollar loft in New York City singing for guys who had gold records all over their walls,” says Rod. “I couldn’t believe it. I was thinking, ‘this is gonna pay off this fast?’” The crazy thing is, it was. Rod had aced the audition and in no time flat was signed to BMG in Germany as a member of the group B3. A string of hit singles, a gold record, thousands crazy fans and way too many magazine covers to count followed. But Rod felt like something was missing.

“I had my own goals, and I wanted to do music at the highest level,” Rod explains. “The group just wasn’t at that level, it was too manufactured, so I stepped away and I didn’t regret it,” he says matter-of-factly. “I got to live life for myself and not for other people.” A well-received European solo album and another chart-topping single followed for Rod, but label politics (little things like corporate mergers and massive restructuring) intervened, and Rod eventually asked to be let out of his deal.

When he got back to Allentown, Rod learned the hard way that no one in America knew who he was. But the idea of kickstarting his campaign from scratch only energized him. “I packed everything up, bought a car, and drove cross-country to L.A.,” he says. He had no connections to speak of but in a series of lucky “preparation meeting opportunity” incidents involving hooking up with an agent at an “According to Jim” TV taping and another connection playing a manager his music in the parking lot of a Jerry’s Deli, Rod scored yet another record deal with 1720 Entertainment.

“I was a nobody in America and it took me a year and a couple of months to go from nothing to having a deal again,” Rod says proudly. “So I believe you can work your way up if you keep driving and have what it takes. I still believe in my heart--I don’t care who you are—if you have something you will be found in this world. Between the internet and playing live, if you’re good, someone is going to see you who will change your life.”

These days, Rod is hunkered down in Atlanta, where his label, 1720 Entertainment is based. He’s currently in pre-production on his as-yet-untitled upcoming U.S. debut. “I grew up loving artists like Prince and Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, these guys made classic timeless records. I can only hope to create something like they did one day,” Rod says. “I describe my music as pop with an R&B/urban influence,” he continues, “I want my music to be “fresh” and “relevant” for the kids, and not clichéd.”