Zoe Life Magazine

Niya: Since DC ended and before everything for the album began, how did you fill your time?

Michelle: I ended a run of the Color Purple back in March of this year, I was with them for a year, the touring Broadway production. I played the role of Sug Avery. That was a lot of fun. I had moved to LA because I started taking these acting classes and all that good stuff. I’ve been through a lot recording my album. It took me two years to complete the album…Broadway and the album really occupied my time.

Niya: Right. So, Zoe Life Magazine is a magazine online for an Urban Christian audience, so for the readers and some of your fans, what guidance would you give to them if their going through any tests, trials, or struggles, when it comes to God and faith?

Michelle: Wow, just make your…a test…your greatest weakness could end up being your greatest strength, you know, and being tested you know it..hopefully…to me a test shapes your character I’ve gone through stuff all the time and it’s like wow. Whoever said we would just coast through life.

Niya: Oh, yeah…[laughter].

Michelle: You’re not gonna coast through life so take advantage of the test. And make sure you past the test so you don’t have to keep taking it. Once you realize you’re being tested and it’s gonna take some growth to even realize you know what, okay I’m being tested. How am I gonna handle this?

Niya: Yeah.

Michelle: And I mean it hurts…I was just telling somebody that going through tests and situations can hurt, but it can be also be an isolated process. It hurts, but before you know it that sting doesn’t hurt so bad anymore as the days go by. Make sure there’s never a day that goes by that you’re not talking to God.

Niya: So as a person of faith in entertainment, what do you think is needed to be successful on your terms in the entertainment industry?

Michelle: Wow, I would just say discipline, everyone who is a person of faith in the entertainment industry is not perfect, me being one of them, we don’t handle situations the way we should, we fall into temptation. I don’t care if it’s temptation of a cookie or of a man or a woman, nobody’s perfect. But I think when you surround yourself with like minded people, you have a better chance at maintaining your faith in this industry.

Niya: With today’s music, like sometimes I can turn on BET and I have to mute every other song or turn [the station]…You want me to do what? What did you say? Since you’re in the music industry what type of concerns or what do you like and don’t like about certain music that you hear? What’s your opinion about today’s music?

Michelle: Certainly try not to be judgmental. But I do believe us as artists are accountable for what we put out there. And then it comes to that point of hey this is free speech.It’s difficult cause artists have that right to do it and if that’s what they think is hot and poppin’ then…but I do think there could be there could be some slight changes. It seems like it gets worse, you know what I’m saying? And that comes because censorship has, as you can see, has gotten lenient throughout the years of what they allow.

Niya: Right.

Michelle: Like I was in LA, and I hope I don’t get any backlash, but I love the Ray J “Sexy can I” and that goes to show you how old I think I may be getting.

Niya: [Laughter]

Michelle: There was a line in the song and it just reminded me of what an older woman would do, I was like, Ahhh, but it’s like they never played the full version and some stations will censor so girl once you hear the unedited version, you like what? Like I said I’m not judgmental. Hats off to these people for doing their hustle I guess.

Niya: When I heard Usher’s “Make Love in the Club” I was like, I shouldn’t like this song, but I kind of like this song.

Michelle:. But you know what? He’s just giving ways to go about it. We know that Usher has always talked about life experiences like Confessions, you know, that was a story. Now I have a problem when you’re singing stuff that you haven’t did and you can’t relate to. Then I feel like you’re just trying to make a buck.

Niya: What misconceptions would people have about you and your music. I know when your first gospel album came out there was some rippling of the waters and people were like, oh one minute she’s bootilicious and the next minute she’s singing about the Lord?

Michelle: Yeah one minute I’m bootilicious and the next I hear a word. My thing is there are people who go to church twenty four-seven what makes me different..I never got that. That’s why Michelle has always done what she’s wanted to do. Two gospel albums in the can and now I have this dance pop record because I wanna do it. And I’m not gonna let that stop me. Even if people listened to the words of bootilicious they might change their thoughts. Bootilicious not once made a sexual reference or anything nasty. That song was written about somebody’s self esteem. We couldn’t say because my body’s like a bag of Doritos. [Laughter] Who’s to say people wouldn’t say “you’re all that and a bag of chips”. People gotta loosen up. I’m not saying loosen up and still don’t have your faith.

Niya: I’ve said to myself that people think that you go to church and get saved that you go to bed by 8:30pm…

Michelle: Do I pray everyday? Absolutely. I pray when people don’t think I’m praying. I’m could be praying when I’m walking down the street. There’s great opportunity to pray, but I’m not at home on the altar, on my Juanita Bynum threshing floor. No.

Niya: So how did you decide on the sound for the album?

Michelle: I started working on the album two years ago so I have another album I could put out. That album was very R & B and then it just didn’t give people that “Wow, we didn’t expect this from Michelle”. This album has that and I really didn’t expect this from myself let alone the world would expect it.

Niya: Would you say this album represents the “new Michelle”, but you’re exposing a part that people wouldn’t think existed?

Michelle: I wouldn’t say this is the “new Michelle”. It’s the Michelle that always existed. Y’all are just getting a chance to see it. The only thing new probably would be a slight boost in confidence because once you get that attitude of I can’t let anybody distract me. I gotta know for a fact that I’m where God wants me to be. Once you start thinking like that, you just go for it and having the support of my musical family, Sony family, as well as my immediate family. I just figured I’m onto something.