In a recent episode of Viceland’s Earthworks, Miguel traveled to Mexico and met the Mexican half of his family for the first time. He, his father Miguel Sr. and his brother Nicholas began their journey in Zamora, Michoacán, where his family is from. “A place that up until this trip, I’ve only seen in photos,” said the singer in the episode.

Miguel, whose full name is Miguel Jontel Pimentel, shared that the music gene has been carried for multiple generations in his family. The trio visited the radio station in Zamora where his grandmother used to sing and paid tribute to her by singing a ballad from her generation, “Contigo” by Los Panchos. “I haven’t felt the kind of nervousness that I did at the radio station. Ever. You want to make your family proud. And I think that’s a different kind of pressure,” he said.

There were other tender moments, including a dinner with family members and a sing-a-long at the restaurant. Miguel communicated with his family members in Spanish and even if he didn’t know some words, he didn’t let the language barrier stop him.

“Most people think of me as solely a black artist, but there’s a reason why my name is Miguel,” the Grammy-award winning singer said.

Viceland’s Earthworks follows the journey of several musicians that go into nature for sonic inspiration. You can stream the full episode featuring Miguel on YouTube.