Paul Mirkovich (born March 20, 1963) is an American musician from Los Angeles. He has been the band leader, keyboardist and duet singing partner for Cher for the last 16 years. He has also been the band director for Janet Jackson and Anastacia and a member of the multi-platinum bands Whitesnake and Nelson. Mirkovich played a role in Brett Garsed and T. J. Helmerich's albums Quid pro quo (1992) and Exempt (1993). [1] Paul has also performed and recorded with Peter Gabriel and Shawn Colvin, among many others. Paul and the House Band toured the United States with Paul Stanley (from KISS) in October/November 2006 as well as Australia in April 2007.
Mirkovich currently serves as musical director of NBC's talent competition, The Voice , which is produced by Mark Burnett. For The Voice he has arranged over 2000 songs and over 1000 iTunes recordings for the show. In addition to playing for coaches Adam Levine, Blake Shelton, Ceelo Green, Christina Aguilera, Usher, Pharrell Williams, Shakira, Alicia Keys and Gwen Stefani, he has also played with many other artists including Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Mary J. Blige, Ellie Goulding, Ryan Tedder, Ariana Grande, and Cher.
Mark Burnett was also executive producer of Rock Star, on which Mirkovich also served as musical director.
Mirkovich also serves as a record producer. In November 2021, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift released her second re-recorded album Red (Taylor's Version) . Mirkovich co-produced three songs of the album with Swift and Christopher Rowe, including "Sad Beautiful Tragic", "Starlight", and "The Moment I Knew".
Mirkovich received a call from the music producer of Rock Star , Clyde Lieberman, and was asked to audition for the role of musical director for the show. He competed against 11 other musical directors who had also put bands together (a total of 75 - 80 musicians auditioned). Mirkovich was hired; and two of his band members, Rafael Moreira (lead guitar) and Sasha Krivtsov (bass), were also hired. Jim McGorman (rhythm guitar, keyboards) and Nate Morton (drums, percussion) were hired from the other auditioning bands. Mirkovich has also served as musical director/keyboardist for Pink from 2006 till the present. Besides Cher and Pink he has served as musical director for Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera, Hilary Duff and others.
Alongside Paul Shaffer, Paul Mirkovich is arguably the most visible keyboardist on the planet. As musical director and keyboard player for the Rock Star INXS House Band, Paul is seen no less than three nights a week on prime time TV by millions of viewers. And he makes it look like cake, as he and his ace band mates springboard from genre to genre with the greatest of ease. But, as you might expect, the gig is anything but smooth behind the scenes. [2]
"I don’t remember a specific moment in which I made a conscious decision that music would be it for me. It’s all I’ve ever really known." It started when I was four years old. One day I was watching a cartoon show. I think it was ‘Casper the Ghost’. The theme song stuck in my head. I went over to the piano and started playing it. Over time, I took lessons and got into bee-bop and jazz along the way. Being from Los Angeles, music is simply all around you. Just as the steel mills may be for folks in Pittsburgh… Entertainment and music is for the folks in Los Angeles." [3]
Graduated Providence High School (Burbank, California) in 1981.
Attended the Dick Grove School of Music. [2]
Mirkovich is of Croatian descent.
David Frank Paich is an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter, best known as the co-founder, principal songwriter, keyboardist and secondary vocalist of the rock band Toto since 1977. He wrote or co-wrote much of Toto's original material, including the band's three most popular songs: "Hold the Line", "Rosanna" and "Africa". With Toto, Paich has contributed to 17 albums and sold over 40 million records. He and guitarist and singer Steve Lukather are the only members to appear on every studio album.
Nelson is an American rock band founded by singer/songwriters Matthew and Gunnar Nelson. The band achieved success during the early 1990s with their debut album After the Rain, that included "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection".
Alisan Leigh Porter is an American pop, rock & country singer, actress, and dancer. As a child, Porter made acting appearances in Parenthood, Stella and I Love You to Death. Her breakout role came in 1991, when she played the lead in the film Curly Sue opposite Jim Belushi.
Rock Star is a television series produced by Mark Burnett, David Geffen, Lisa Hennessy, and Al Berman in which aspiring singers from around the world competed to become the lead singer of a featured group. It debuted on CBS on July 11, 2005, to mediocre ratings.
Jim McGorman, a native of Philadelphia, is an American musician, songwriter/producer and multi-instrumentalist: guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and drummer. McGorman is best known for his work with the House Band on the CBS television shows Rockstar: INXS and Rockstar: Supernova. He has also performed with and produced American alternative rock band Goo Goo Dolls.
Nate Morton is an American drummer. He is the drummer for the house band on NBC's TV show The Voice.
Alexander Sasha Krivtsov, is a Russian bassist, best known as the bass player for the house band on the TV reality shows Rock Star: INXS, Rock Star: Supernova and The Voice. He has played with singer-songwriter Vanessa Carlton. He toured and recorded as bassist with Taylor Swift [Starlight ], Cher, Tina Turner, James Blunt, Shakira, Christina Aguilera, Billy Idol, Badly Drawn Boy, and New Radicals. Krivtsov and the House Band toured the United States and Australia with Paul Stanley in October/November 2006 and April 2007, respectively.
Brett Edward Garsed is an Australian musician and songwriter, best known for his work as a guitarist with John Farnham and T. J. Helmerich, as well as being a former member of the American band Nelson. Garsed was featured on Derek Sherinian's solo records Planet X (1999) and Planet X's Quantum (2007), and more recently Sherinian's Molecular Heinosity (2010).
Johan Åberg is a Swedish music producer, songwriter, and manager. In the late 1990s and early 2000s (decade), he wrote and produced several international hit songs with artists like Christina Aguilera and Cher. Aside from writing and producing music he was also the manager of, among others, Swedish singer/songwriter Ulrik Munther. Ulrik placed third in the Swedish qualifier for the Eurovision Song Contest, Melodifestivalen 2012, with the song "Soldiers" which Åberg co-wrote and co-produced.
After the Rain is the debut album of the American rock group Nelson, released by DGC Records in 1990. The album was a commercial success, peaking at number 17 on the Billboard 200 and spending 64 weeks on the charts. It contained the #1 hit, "(Can't Live Without Your) Love and Affection" which was also a gold single. The follow-up single, "After the Rain", also reached the Hot 100's top 10, peaking at #6 in February 1991. The album was eventually certified double platinum by RIAA.
Because They Can is the second album from American rock group Nelson, released by Geffen Records in 1995.
Chris Brooks is an Australian author, rock, metal and fusion guitarist most noted for his debut instrumental album The Master Plan and his subsequent work with members of Yngwie Malmsteen, Black Sabbath, Lana Lane, and fellow Australians LORD.
Robert Lyndel Lewis is an American music arranger, music composer, record producer, musical director, film composer, musician, entrepreneur, and impresario. Lewis has worked on several Grammy Award winning singles and albums, and his production, songs, and arrangements have been featured on #1 albums, gold and platinum albums, films, live productions, and television shows.
Burlesque is a 2010 American backstage musical film written and directed by Steven Antin. It stars Cher, Christina Aguilera, Kristen Bell, Cam Gigandet, Stanley Tucci, Julianne Hough, Alan Cumming, and Peter Gallagher, and features cameos from Dianna Agron, and James Brolin. The film tells the story of Ali (Aguilera), an aspiring singer who leaves her small hometown for Los Angeles, where she becomes a dancer at a struggling burlesque lounge owned by Tess (Cher). After a performance is sabotaged by her rival, Nikki (Bell), Ali sings the song herself, impressing Tess and leading to her becoming the main attraction of the lounge. Burlesque marks Aguilera's first leading role, as well as Cher's first musical performance on screen.
Phillip Andrew Arnold, known professionally as Pip, is an American, funk-pop artist who participated in season 2 of The Voice as part of Team Adam Levine.
Joey Carbone is a composer, music producer, arranger, keyboardist, vocalist, advisor and educator. He was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.
Doug Katsaros is an American keyboardist, arranger, composer, and conductor.
Ezequiel "Cheche" Alara is a Grammy and Latin Grammy-winning music composer, producer, music director, conductor and keyboardist.
Rafael Moreira is a Brazilian-American guitarist, vocalist, songwriter and record producer, best known as the lead guitarist / vocalist on the hit CBS television shows Rock Star: INXS and Rock Star: Supernova, MTV's Rock The Cradle and most recently on NBC's The Voice. He has also appeared as lead guitarist / supporting vocalist live on world tours and television, as well as on CD & DVD releases, with world-renowned and groundbreaking artists such as Paul Stanley (KISS), Steven Tyler (Aerosmith), Dave Navarro and Stephen Perkins, Tommy Lee and Natasha Bedingfield. Rafael has also performed as the lead guitarist for Grammy-winning artists Pink, Christina Aguilera, Don Felder Marc Anthony, Colbie Caillat and Mýa.
Kim Bullard is an American keyboardist, songwriter, record producer, and film composer. He has been making music since the 1970s and has performed extensively as a keyboard player with musical acts such as Elton John and Crosby, Stills, & Nash.