Mike Maimone’s Romantic Ballad is a Tribute to Love After Loss
Acclaimed singer-songwriter and musical storyteller Michael Maimone is out now with “Forever Again,” the fifth single from his forthcoming album Guess What? I Love You. A deeply emotional and romantic ballad, the song was written for Maimone’s late husband, famed publicist and LGBTQ+ advocate Howard Bragman, as a celebration of their engagement and the love they shared.
“Forever Again” was meant to ease the trepidation of starting over after both had experienced divorce. But when Bragman passed away from cancer in 2023, the song took on even greater emotional resonance.
“I wrote ‘Forever Again’ for my partner Howard Bragman when we got engaged,” shares Maimone. “After his passing, recording it without him there was gut-wrenching. But it’s a vital part of our story, and it had to be on the album.”
The song concludes Side A of Guess What? I Love You, which details the exciting, sexy, and fun adventures from their first encounter on Scruff through their commitment to marry. On side B, listeners go through songs of helplessness, loss, grief, and then conclude with hopeful messages of healing.
While working through grief in the studio recording ‘Forever Again’, Maimone found the lyrics shifting with his evolving perspective on love and loss. He rewrote the second verse to reflect not just finding love after heartbreak, but navigating new love while carrying forward the memory and presence of a lost partner.
“After we married, Howard told me to go out and find love again,” Maimone recalls. “At the time, I didn’t want to hear it. But months later, I started hearing other people’s opinions on how long is ‘appropriate’ to wait before moving on. That language unsettled me. We never move on; we move forward, carrying their love with us.”
With its message of resilience and emotional truth, “Forever Again” stands as a beacon for anyone who has lost a partner, whether due to separation or death. Maimone hopes the song offers solace and permission to heal, while still honoring the love that came before.
Guess What? I Love You is slated for release later this year and promises to be Maimone’s most personal and moving project to date.
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