Her story
Michelle is a singer, songwriter, and professional anthem singer from New York City. She has performed at Madison Square Garden over 30 times. NY Rangers hockey, Knicks basketball, Big East Tournament games, HBO's PPV Calzaghe vs. Jones Jr. World Championship boxing match, and a NY Yankees' ALDS playoff game - these are just a few of the events this captivating singer has performed at.
Michelle's story is not a typical "follow your dreams" scenario.
Having focused on her career as a psychotherapist through her 20's and having virtually no musical background, it didn't look likely music was going to be more then a hobby. For a very long time singing was bitter sweet for Michelle. She loved it, performing called to her (relentlessly) but her self-doubt and insecurity kept her from ever believing she could compete with "real musicians".
Until the anthem. After 9/11 the FDNY did not have enough uniformed personnel to perform at the overwhelming number of memorials and ceremonies. Michelle being the daughter of a retired FDNY firefighter was called upon to fill in. The thought of performing one of the most well-known and difficult songs, quite frankly, scared her to death. But she did it. She learned the anthem.
She quickly became a regular non-uniform ceremonial singer for the FDNY, an honor she values and considers sacred to this day. This led her to begin auditioning for local sports teams. She began performing for the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Staten Island Yankees. Then in October of 2005 she found herself at Madison Square Garden. She describes that experience as the first time she ever felt the sensation of being in the exact place at the exact time where she was supposed to be. Soon Michelle was being called upon by Madison Square Garden event managers to fill-in when acts such as The Rockets couldn't make it. She became, "the Go-to" anthem singer for Madison Square Garden.
After singing for a sold out Ranger game she was asked, “you made it to the Garden giving only 15% of your time to music, what would happen if you gave music 100% of your time”? It was then Michelle decided to avoid a potential world of regret and began to actively pursue a career in music. Her insecurity and self-doubt persisted through it all but she began to think, "maybe I don't hear myself the way others do". So she started to fight back and she became determined to find her voice.
Her only regular gig had been at Madison Square Garden where she knew she could win over a crowd of 20,000 with her anthems… so now the question was, could she win over a crowd with her originals? She was running late and trailing far behind the rest of the NYC singer/songwriter pack.
She had a lot to learn in a short period of time but she began song writing with purpose and with an unyielding determination to catch up!
Since then she has been turning out songs that truly connect with her listeners. She writes with the intelligent self-awareness of Ingrid Michaelson and sometimes the poignant angst of Alanis Moressette. Her voice has been described as a stylistic union of Missy Higgins, Jewel, and Taylor Swift.
In the past two years Michelle has performed at The Bitter End, Arlene’s Grocery, The Alphabet Lounge, etc. and oh yeah, little venues called Nassau Coliseum and Yankee Stadium! She was chosen as one of the Music Showcases for the 1st annual CBGB's Music Festival and was featured on Channel 2 News where she performed her original tribute song "Not Forgotten" Hmmmm... We think she’s picked up the pace.
Michelle knows she's not the average aspiring musician from the lower east side of NYC and she believes her purpose is to show the world you don’t necessarily have to “fit the mold” to be successful.