Chrisette Michele On How To Say Good-Bye ‘And It Comes To Me…Like An Epiphany’

 

The room is abuzz with industry chatter, as record label executives and staff, retailers, press and some other chosen few enjoy libations and each other’s company. They are patiently waiting for a rarity in today’s fickle music industry: an artist with a sophomore album. She is Chrisette Michele and her new Def Jam album is called Epiphany.
Debuting at #1 with her new album on Soundscan with first week sales of more than 83,000, the Grammy Award-winning songbird proves label head Antonio “L.A.” Reid right: she has staying power. She’s a keeper. Her single, “Epiphany,” had already been the precursor of this fact, topping both UAC and Urban playlists and charts.
Indeed, as she elegantly takes the stage, the room comes alive with the sudden realization that this is a star. There is something about this young lady and the way she wraps her rainy-day voice around a song, soaking it with a fresh yet old school flavor. Her live performance draws you into an intimacy with her that is compounded by her voice of experience that knows how to elevate each note into its own choir of recognition. That’s her magic: she compels you to listen and, inevitably, to enjoy.
The debut single, “Epiphany,” showcases her unique style inside a springy tune with precocious percussion and a compelling rhythm that allows her festive voice to shine in ‘spring forward’ sparkly colors. Star songman Ne-Yo produces and writes a variety of the album’s cuts, but Michele is without question the star of this show, as she takes cuts like “Playing My Song” and bounces them along with a sweetness while at the same time filling them with passion and fervor. Her style is different than the current crunch of lightweights driven by hip beats – it’s not ‘churchy’, it’s not urban… it’s very sexy and laid back. Sometimes scintillating, sometimes sad.
And she’s not afraid to take chances, as on “Blame It On Me,” where the story she so gracefully weaves takes a journey into heartbreak. That song is actually an amazing collaboration between Claude Kelly and Michele writing, with Chuck Harmony producing. A producer/songwriter who is part of Ne-Yo’s production collective Compound Entertainment, Harmony has worked on projects with Mary J. Blige, Janet Jackson and Celine Dion.
Michele’s debut album, I Am, earned her a Grammy and was certified Gold. Despite its success, Michele felt she needed to step up more for her next LP. “I felt like I was a little too shy and laidback my first time out. On my new project, I wanted to raise the bar and step out of my comfort zone. I wanted to make songs that were more edgy, youthful and urban.”
Encouraging her to stretch her vocals as well as the topics in her lyrics, Ne-Yo and Harmony provided the right combination of keyboards and beats to set off the LP at a perky pace. “Ne-Yo took out time from his crazy schedule to talk about direction for some of the songs, including the pain of break-ups and the joys of new love,” she explains, adding the significance of the title track. “That word ‘epiphany’ just meant so much to me because it was during the time that I was preparing to record that something clicked in my spirit.”
Singing the praises of her collaborators, Michele identifies her favorite song on the album. “Another One,” also written by Ne-Yo and Harmony, opens with a lovely and languid acoustic guitar. “That is my favorite song on the album,” she admits. “Nobody captures New American music like Ne-Yo and the Compound crew.”
Epiphany continues where I Am left off, laying out the organic evolution of this artist whose talents promise much more depth and longevity.  Super producers Rodney Jerkins and Claude Kelly (Kelly Clarkson, Britney Spears, Leona Lewis) started that evolution with I Am, and Ne-Yo and Harmony elevate Epiphany with new pop wizardry that further establishes Michele as a career artist.
On top of a media blitz on television in May that had her appearing on the top three networks from CBS’s “The Late Show with David Letterman” where she performed her single “Blame It On Me.” to NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon” (5/22) and CBS’ “Early Show” (5/23), she was also featured in a first of its kind intimate concert on VH1-Soul And VH-1 Soulstages called “Chrisette Michele Presented by Infiniti,” which re-aired May 18 and May 21.
Having gained valuable experience touring with a live band and fellow singers Raheem DeVaughn and Solange Knowles, Michele says she loves performing live because it allows her to feel feedback from fans. “To me, nothing is more important than touring. Communicating with the audience through song can be magical. Singing in the studio is one thing, but you must be able to bring it to the stage, too.” And she kicks off a new tour with soulmates Anthony Hamilton and Musiq Soulchild on May 28th in Houston at the Reliant Arena that promises to feed that hunger for communicating directly with her audiences. At a recent two-evening special at the King of Prussia Mall outside Philadelphia, presented by leading beauty retailer Sephora, Michele proved she’s ready to bring her brand of beautiful music to soulstages across America.
Also interested in an acting career, Michele says she caught the bug after appearing on an episode of “Girlfriends.”  “That experience was amazing because they allowed me to have so much input and led me to write my own scenes.”
Fans, both old and new, are logging in with such declarations as “fan for life” (tpearson) and  “blown away!” (ChocLitFactory). “It’s this album that is getting me through my situations,” blogs ChynaBlack, “Keep doing it girl!” For the artist who initially turned down “Irreplaceable” that Beyoncé later blew off the charts, Michele is now espousing the new female empowerment anthems for 2009: “I think I’m just about over being your girlfriend.” Bringing both elegance and edge to her new ‘epiphany,’ she coos good-bye with the touch of an iron hand in a velvet glove.

Where to Find Chrisette Michele On Tour
With Anthony Hamilton and Musiq Soulchild

M a y 2 8    H o u s t o n ,   T X            Reliantt   A r e n a
2 9    Dallas ,   T X            Nokia Live   G r a n d   P r airie
3 0     S o u t h a v e n ,   M S         D e S o t o   C e n t e r
3 1    S t .   L o u i s ,   M O        F o x   T h e a t r e
J u n e 0 4    L o s   A n g e l e s ,   C A        Nokia  Live Theater
0 6      O a k l a n d ,   C A              P a r a m o u n t   Theater
11    C o l u m b u s ,   O H        Palace   T h e a t r e
1 2    Detroit ,   M I              O p e r a   H o u s e
1 3     Chicago ,   I L            Arie  C r o w n   T h e a t r e
1 6    Newark,  N J             N e w   J e r s e y   Performing   A r t s
1 8    N e w   Y o r k ,   N Y        W a M u   T h e a t r e   a t   M S G
1 9      Washington ,   D C        D A R   Constitution Hall
2 1    Baltimore ,   M D        Pier Six Pavilion
2 5     A t l a n t a ,   G A              F o x   T h e a t r e
2 6     A u g u s t a ,   G A             Ball Auditorium
2 7    Birmingham ,   A           B J CC Concert Hall
2 8      Charlotte ,   N C         O v e n s  Auditorium