Michelle Chamuel's latest album, "Face the Fire," is out today. Chamuel was previously the lead singer of Michigan-based band Ella Riot, and more recently Chamuel gained fame as runner-up on season four of "The Voice."
As a graduate of the University of Michigan's music technology program she not only wrote and sang for the album, but produced much of it as well. Chamuel says having this knowledge was necessary in order to create the specific sound she had in mind.
With her time at U of M, Chamuel says she feels at home in the studio, with lives shows posing more of a challenge. Her concerts are full of live instrumentation as well as pre-recorded sounds that need to be played at the proper time in order to recreate recordings on stage. Chamuel says the driving force for her live shows comes from trying to make everything sound as clear and intentional at shows as it does in the studio.
But she was able to gain a lot of performing experience during her time on “The Voice,” though it was a long journey to get there. Chamuel auditioned for multiple seasons before eventually earning her spot in 2013.
She says her time on the program was "really about the opportunity to learn something and the TV part and all the rest was kind of something to be challenged by, something I wouldn't have sought out on my own."
“Face the Fire” is a continuation of where Chamuel left off on the show. The album is largely pop-influenced, but more intimate than some of her past work, with the intention of allowing listeners to process their own stories through her lyrics.
--Katrina Shafer, Michigan Radio Newsroom
