Chrisette Michele dishes about her new album, tour

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By Craig Magraff

Recently, Tiger Weekly was able to catch up with R&B phenomenon and Grammy award winner, Chrisette Michele, as she passed through Baton Rouge as apart of the "Soul Refined" concert series. The performance was also part of another leg of her Epiphany Tour, which is in promotion of her second album of the same name. After a few autographs and photos with fans, she was finally able to sit down and talk about her music.

TW: First of all, I know you're from up north, so how does it feel to be down south?
CM: It's a lot more love and openness down here than up north. Even though people might like you up north, they don't know how to show it. But y'all definitely know how to show it.

TW: Southern Hospitality. I'm glad Baton Rouge is treating you well. Now I know this may be a stretch, but Tiger Weekly does have a very diverse audience, so for somebody who hasn't heard of Chrisette Michelle, how would you describe yourself to them?
CM: Definitely an old soul in a young person's body. I really embrace the vocal performance side of R&B and I love to bring in Hip Hop and elements that are contemporary.

TW: Your new album, Epiphany, is out and for folks who don't know; it's doing quite well since debuting at number one on the Billboard 200. What is your favorite aspect of this particular album?
CM: This particular album was definitely a stretch for me. It's definitely a lot more... commercial than my first record. I think that my favorite thing about this album was being able to experiment and try something new, hang out in the studio with Ne-Yo.

TW: And what would be your favorite song on the album?
CM: Um, you know when you write something it's more close to your heart. So definitely "Blame It on Me". But also "On My Own".

TW: What is your favorite memory from recording the album?
CM: Well this album was really put together by a group of four people, Chrisette Michelle, Chuck Harmony, Claude Kelly, and Ne-Yo. But my favorite thing to do was to do a song I didn't want to do, "All I Ever Think About". I told L.A. Reid that the song was good and that I didn't want to sing it, and so I sang it really crappy. So he said, "Go back in and sing it again". And... I wanted to see if I could so I did. And I listened to Keyshia Cole all day, believe it or not, and when I went to go sing it, I was trying to impersonate how I thought she would sing the song. When I went back to listen to it, I found a different side of myself that I didn't know I had. So recording "All I Ever Think About" was new, that was very special for me.

TW: Okay, now let's do a few randoms.
CM: Okay

TW: Favorite color?
CM: Pink.

TW: Favorite Food?
CM: Mac and cheese.

TW: Favorite Movie?
CM: "Clueless."

TW: If we pressed play on your iPod right now, what song would play?
CM: Hold on, let me check... "Umi Says" by Mos Def.

TW: That's a good song. Okay, that's it. Thank you for you time.
CM: You're welcome.

Later that night, Chrisette proceeded to rock a sold out show at the Lyceum Dean Ballroom in downtown Baton Rouge along with special guest Arianne and U4ria. A true performer, Michele is capable of entertaining large venues while having the personality and accessibility to connect in more intimate locations.

Although she performed some favorites from her previous album, I AM, Michele also presented songs from Epiphany and even included a scatting lesson for the audience while showing off her jazz and soul sensibilities.

A refreshing breath of air, Michele will continue her Epiphany tour in Biloxi, Miss. For more information on Chrisette Michele and her Epiphany Tour, visit her website at www.thisischrisettemichele.com.

Originally Published: Issue 863 - February 3, 2010

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