Michelle Chamuel

[mercfan3]

Well, I'm apt to write a book.

I think "intriguing" is a very good word for her. The interesting thing about The Voice is that a contestants story is told with, and at times through, the eyes of their Coach. In the Michelle/Usher pairing (which ended up having an incredible amount of chemistry) you could tell he was very intrigued but unsure of her at first. It took him until the live shows to get her. And although, in terms of marketing, Usher "manic pixie dream girl'd" Michelle a bit (I think recognizing that the quirky relatable girl next door can be more appealing than the perfect All American Girl. Michelle was the Jennifer Lawrence to Danielle's Taylor Swift. It almost worked.) I think it was genuine. She does have something about her that is interesting, but can leave some people going "I don't get it."

I think she's very into the "celebrating who you are" message. And I'm sure she has had to grow into that, given her feeling of displacement from her family history, sexuality, interest in different things, and quite frankly..I think her intelligence contributed to a feeling of isolation.

Having said that, Michelle writes about relationships of all types, her relationship with herself, her relationship with other people, with the world. I think most artists write that. But, as much as I enjoy the more electronic style of music she creates, I prefer her in an acoustic setting with the piano. (Like the acoustic version of "Golden" over the finished product.) One of my favorite pieces of music that she created was this short song called "Growing Away From You (The Leaf Song)" Which is simultaneously about a relationship that was once good but is fading and personification of two leaves next to each other on a branch and how they fall off the tree in the winter. She can create, what I think, is stunningly beautiful songs when it's just her and a piano. My hope is that there is at least one song on her album where she does that, or even a bonus track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DhV3VYAe0o

And I agree, a song like "Imagine" "Let It Be" or "Something" is very Michelle. (Another difference between her and Haley, for me. It's not that Haley does not have the ability to sing beautifully, but when she sings with her guts..and the growl and squalling comes out ..thats where I prefer her. "Oh Darling" is the Beatles song that best suits Haley, IMO.)