CoSign: MICHELLE Write Songs Specifically About You That Are Singularly Them

The post CoSign: MICHELLE Write Songs Specifically About You That Are Singularly Them appeared first on Consequence .

Every month, Consequence puts the spotlight on rising artists with CoSign . For September 2024, we can’t get enough of New York band MICHELLE and their new album, Songs About You, Specifically.

The members of MICHELLE didn’t set out to become a band, but fate had other plans.

Six creatives, all raised in New York and individually immersed in the city’s music scene, initially came together to work on a 2018 album, HEATWAVE , which was envisioned as a one-and-done project dedicated to the city they called home. Producers Julian Kaufman and Charlie Kilgore assembled Sofia D’Angelo, Layla Ku, Emma Lee, and Jamee Lockard to bring the concept to life, when they made an unexpected discovery: They all enjoyed working together far too much to call it quits.

Now, six years since that spark, these individuals who never intended to become a band sure do act like one. The day we all jump on Zoom, squares dotting the screen one by one, the bond between the members of MICHELLE becomes viscerally clear. Vocalist and songwriter Layla is under the weather — “down bad,” according to Julian — and Emma starts offering her favorite home remedies to help her turn the corner. Charlie explains that he went to elementary school with Layla, who now lives with Jamee, while Julian is convinced he saw Emma’s dance performances growing up because she moved through the same training grounds as his sister. Maybe New York City isn’t that big after all, or maybe they were just destined to work together.

There’s a bit of a vague buzz underscoring our whole conversation: It’s release week. On September 27th, Songs About You Specifically will arrive out in the world. The LP was preceded by three singles: the bouncy, bright “Oontz”; the dreamy, resigned “Mentos and Coke”; and the yearning “Cathy.” Over the course of the album’s 11 tracks, MICHELLE play with R&B, whispers of funk, and dance elements, making their strain of pop music feel bigger and just a bit more addictive than some mainstream fare.

The playfulness and curiosity in their music make MICHELLE stand out. Fans are drawn to the level of theatricality they weave into their work, primarily their live sets, which often involve choreography from Emma. They shout out K-pop superstars BLACKPINK and rising act KATSEYE as inspiration points for the discipline required to take performance-heavy efforts from good to great. When they use the word “show” to describe their upcoming West Coast tour, it raises questions about their backgrounds and types of training.

Julian eagerly unmutes to brag about Charlie’s “movie star” resumé, which makes the latter roll his eyes in a way that indicates this happens often. (Charlie had a role in Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom , in addition to a handful of other appearances in his younger years.)

“I went to college as a theater major for playwriting twice, but I dropped out both times to be in a band,” Charlie explains. “But I never did musicals, and I need that on the record, plastered. No , no. None of that.”

Sofia raises her hand. “I did musicals,” she says, almost contrite, which prompts her and Layla to exchange stories of all the times they had to play male roles growing up.

In addition to their varying degrees of theater touch points (or nonexistent musical background, as Charlie would surely like to emphasize), Jamee maintains it’s something else that sets MICHELLE apart: The fact that they’re all songwriters and all six of them take part in that piece of the creative process.

“I think back in 2018, we were less unique, considering all the kinds of groups that were making R&B and hip-hop style music at the time,” observes Julian. “But I think what makes us unique now is our willingness to continue in that ilk. Many of the artists who we we were looking up to at that time have split up into solo projects and changed their sound. I think what makes us unique is our steadfastness in knowing our own worth and understanding what we have to offer.”

“I think the culture right now in music is very focused on the individual,” adds Charlie. “This idea of ‘I’m telling my story, I have this following, these people are very obsessed with me.’ And I don’t mean this in a pejorative way, but I think we’re really leaning into the group aspect where no one stands at the front to be flanked by the others. It’s all about the group.”

Jamee also notes that having a band with a majority of queer people and women of color offers a perspective that might not be found elsewhere. “There are songs we’ve written that no one else could write,” she says.

With Songs About You Specifically , the band is ready to step into a chapter marked by renewed confidence. “I have a feeling that this is the album where if you aren’t a MICHELLE fan, you probably will be after listening to this record,” Sofia asserts. “I’m really excited about the album and I’m really excited about the show we’ve been developing, because Emma’s choreography is so much fun and it brings such a fresh life to the songs. It’s changed my relationship to the music.”

“I think it’s different from the last record we put out, and it feels genuine to us,” Emma replies. “I think it’ll connect with people who’ve been listening to us since Heatwave , along with the people who didn’t connect with a slightly more refined pop sound that we had with the last record [ AFTER DINNER WE TALK DREAMS ]. It’s more like a mosaic or a kaleidoscope, and certainly more authentic, which I’m excited about.”

With more live performances on the horizon, the band begins naming their favorite places to have both seen and played shows. Julian shouts out Brooklyn Steel as a current favorite, but the Bowery Ballroom holds a special place in all their hearts. “It was a huge milestone for us as a band to play there,” recalls Sofia. “It was our first headline run, and Charlie and I had one of those moments standing there of feeling, ‘Damn. I can’t believe we just did this.'”

The band members start rattling off recent points of creative inspiration, and, to Emma’s point about their dynamic resembling a mosaic, they’re varied. They warmly tease Sofia for her devotion to country music, while Layla laments that she was too sick to attend a recent FLO event. Julian lauds the new Gary Hustwit documentary about Brian Eno. Charlie then pivots to the soundtrack of Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita . “Julian’s nodding his head because that’s an annoying answer,” Charlie observes.

“It is an annoying answer,” Julian confirms with a smile, and there’s no bite to it. It’s too late for that, after all; they’re locked into this band thing, and no one is looking for the exits.

CoSign: MICHELLE Write Songs Specifically About You That Are Singularly Them
Mary Siroky