She is about to be the next big thing.
Michelle’s debut CD, I Am, hit stores on June 19. Her throwback vocal stylings have already graced hits like Jay-Z’s “Lost Ones,” and Nas’ “Can’t Forget About You.”
Now with her first solo, the 24-year-old singer is on the verge of leaving anonymity behind forever.
To those of you who still wonder who is Chrisette Michele, here’s an attempt to answer from the artist herself:
“I’m a mama’s girl and a daddy’s girl. I was raised in Long Island, NY and I was around a lot of music growing up. My mother was the choir director at the church and she was a soloist. So I got to see her perform a lot at churches and around the city. We didn’t have a lot of TV’s in the house but we definitely did have a lot of instruments.
At age 8, I was in jazz ensembles playing the saxophone. In Long Island schools, there’s a lot of music. I auditioned for a lot of choirs and bands as well and I got into most of what I auditioned for. My father played keyboards in the church and everywhere else so he introduced me to the keyboard which you’ll see me perform with in my live show. Astrid Gilberto and Dan Getz did a song called “The Girl from Ipanema” that helped me fall in love with jazz. I became a jazz major at 5 Towns College in Long Island. In college, we did a lot of shows around the city. I began to network with a lot of people and recorded a demo with a friend of mine. I took it to every record label in the city. Toya from Def Jam found our demo and then came out to see a show at the Village Underground. So yes, I was signed by a demo”.
When asked about the contemporary artists she likes she cites Beyonce, Jay-Z, Jon Mayer and Dave Matthews. “I really want to venture out. I think my music career will be one where you never get bored because I’m going to do different things. The most exciting thing about music is the ability to be creative. I don’t think you’ll ever hear the same thing from me twice”.
