I thought it would be a great opportunity for me to do a lot of things that I didn’t have time to do beforehand but then I fell into this black hole of overthinking that I’m pretty sure everyone has been through. It wasn’t a very easy time for me - when we were on lockdown, it was very hard. In what ways have you been forced to rebuild your daily routine in the wake of COVID? I’m a food & beverage consultant but if I have to get specific, I would have loved to have become a chef.Īs the Coronavirus pandemic continues to rage, we’ve had no choice but to establish and stick to a new daily routine. Was there ever a point in time when you thought about doing something else? If you weren’t a musician today, what else could you see yourself doing?Īnything that has to do with food which is what I’m doing now. Sometimes, we think about what other job(s) we may be in if we had simply decided to pursue a different path. I’m sure that’s going to come eventually and I’m preparing myself mentally for rejection because I know it’s bound to happen. Throughout your career, have you ever felt like you’ve failed at something and looking back, do you have a different feeling about it? I am someone who is very honest so I’m slowly talking about things openly, things that are sensitive to some people or that people don’t usually like to talk about because it aligns with the music I make and want to create. I’m trying to be more vulnerable publicly. I don’t like being vulnerable at all - when I started writing music - I became very vulnerable in my music and led the real life facade of being a strong woman. I would like to think that I’m living my truth as an artist but I do have some restrictions in my head like what my parents or society might think.ĭo you feel vulnerable when you’re putting yourself on social media? Slowly, I’m learning not to take criticism to heart, I generally don’t get offended easily and also don’t care about what other people think but I’m still human. Honestly, I’m still trying to figure that out and still trying to live my truth fully. How have you found the strength to be yourself and unapologetically live your truth in a world of naysayers? You discuss the meaning and importance of being able to live your truth. In April, you chatted with Exhale and performed on Facebook Live. I’m trying to incorporate that in my music, it’s the focal point for now. Specifically, in terms of the woman’s sexuality and how society views it. I do want to try and tackle worldwide subjects but I realized that the subject I want to focus on is feminism and sexism. Some songs I’ve written are very philosophical but I don’t know if I’ll ever release them. Mainly, my work comes out more in terms of how I am feeling around a specific situation that has happened in the world rather than the situation itself. Do you feel like your work evolves depending on what’s going on around the world or in your environment?ĭefinitely. Historically speaking, artists have created their work as a form of protest or speaking the truth about a political climate. I’m lucky to have parents who let me pursue my dream but at the same time bring me back down to reality when I’m dreaming too much. But when they see how my music reaches people, that I have interviews here and there going on, it gives them hope that there might be something there. They were and still are very supportive - I still have a 9-5 job as a way to sustain myself so I’m juggling a lot. Were your parents supportive when you told them you wanted to transition into doing music full-time? I know you mentioned that your mom heard you sing when you were a child and immediately told you you had a great voice. I had major stage fright but because I wanted to do something with my voice I started going to open mics and made the decision to become a full-time singer ever since I always thought I’d be the singer who covers other peoples’ music, but two years ago I had a job that I was very miserable in so I decided to do something with music as a plan B. I have a Master’s in Food Science so I’m a scientist but deep down I always knew that music was my passion. Mine always emphasized studying first and doing singing on the side as a hobby. As a person who grew up in the Middle East, our parents are very rational with their thinking. Even when I was in school, I wanted to go to a music conservatory instead of going to math class. Honestly, I’ve dreamt of becoming a singer since I started singing which is when I was either three or four years old. Growing up, how important was music in your life? Can you recall the moment when you decided that you wanted to be a musician? And, was it an easy or difficult choice to make? Interview: Michele, R&B/Neo Soul Singer & Songwriter
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