Q: Hi there! I love your vocals (along with Helen Walford and Harrison Black) in “Get Me To Church.” It has such a nostalgic, old-school feel with a modern flare, and I love every second of it! Can you walk me a bit through the creative process of making this track?
MICHELLAR: I have worked with Toby for 7 months and I have decided to ask him for a track. We both agreed for this track to have a Miranda Lambert influence, When I received it , I immediately loved it for its brightness and happy vibes . I decided to write about Love …. Because the atmosphere of that sound just fit right in. So I began to write a story about my love experience with a Live -in boyfriend .. now husband…”
Q: “Get Me To Church” is an ideal mix of genres—a country song with hints of olk and americana, and even some pop. These elements make for a song that will connect to all types of different music listeners. What do you hope someone listening to this song will take away from it?
MICHELLAR: I hope that the audience will resonate towards the lyrics and melody and relate to the story it tells. Love is universal, with many different versions in life. I hope that this love story connects with many.
Q: Reading about “Get Me To Church,” I know it is based on a personal story of commitment and love. Could you walk us through your writing process when recalling such a personal story?
MICHELLAR: When I write songs, I am enveloped in a realm … so emotionally attached and vividly engaged … that every detail of conversations and feelings of that scene /scenario comes to me ..then I sing them into lyrics and melody like a spirit present in expression. As soon as the sound plays, I feel the atmosphere that takes me to a moment where I immediately sing about the story.
Q: Your sound is unique, with certain aspects that call back to past music and a sound that has seemed to disappear in modern music. What do you hope to bring to the contemporary country music scene?
MICHELLAR: I hope to bring authenticity with heartfelt lyrics and engaging melodies which sometimes have been diminished in certain avenues of songwriting.
Q: Do you remember what or who first got you into music?
MICHELLAR: My father and mother got me into music. My father played the guitar and my mother sang to us while we were all growing up. We were a family of 10.
Q: What advice would you give to other up-and-coming artists trying to get their names out there?
MICHELLAR: Work hard, be authentic and love what you do….. Life it too short not to.
Q: The production process must have been interesting, as it spanned many different locations. Can you walk us through the process a bit?
MICHELLAR: I have known Toby for 7 months and we have worked on 14 projects together ever since I found him on Fiver. He is a great producer… capable of producing all of the sounds that I want to create. He has known Harrison Black from a previous project. He is also good friends with Helen Walford from past performances and productions. Helen has worked with me on another project as well. Altogether, we felt their vocals were a perfect fit for this song. They had delivered the vocals with such emotion and cinematic portrayal which we are all very proud of.
Q: In your own words, how would you describe the music that you typically create?
MICHELLAR: I create music that full of emotion and heartfelt lyrics. I love story telling because it was part of my childhood upbringing. I was also heavily influenced by other songwriters such as Carole King and Andrew Lloyd Webber. I know every lyric to their songs and I just love their music and sound. I hope that I can create music like theirs … beautiful, touching , memorable and pleasurable.
Q: Thank you so much for speaking with me today! Tell us about anything exciting coming up for you, such as projects, shows, etc.
MICHELLAR: I am in midst of working on a Latin Ep soon to be released in July. I am also working on putting a show together by the end of this year in Northern California and San Francisco .
Interviewed by Melissa Cusano
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