Michelle Chamuel

Michelle Chamuel
Chamuel performing with My Dear Disco in November 2010.
Background information
Birth name	Michelle Jacqueline Chamuel
Born	1986 (1986) (age 28)[citation needed] Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S.
Genres	Electronic pop, pop, electronica
Occupations	Musician, singer, songwriter, producer
Instruments	Vocals, piano, keyboards, synthesizer, guitar
Years active	2007–present
Labels	Independent
Associated acts	Ella Riot / My Dear Disco, Usher, Mary Lambert
Website	michellechamuel.com

Michelle Jacqueline Chamuel^[1] (born 1986) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and producer from Amherst, Massachusetts.^[2] She was the runner-up on the fourth season of NBC's The Voice. From 2007–2011, she was the lead singer of the band Ella Riot, formerly My Dear Disco. Chamuel uses the artistic trade name The Reverb Junkie.^[3] Her last album All I Want was released in September 2013, and she released a single titled "Go Down Singing" in November 2013. She is currently producing new music.^[4] Chamuel's collaboration with musician Arjun Singh, The Drift EP, was released on January 7, 2014.

Early life

Chamuel grew up in Wellesley, Massachusetts.^[5] She is the daughter of Joalie Davie, a doctor, and Jacques Chamuel, an electrical engineer.^[6][7] Her parents came to the United States as Jewish refugees from Egypt in the 1960s.^[8][9] Chamuel studied violin with her father since childhood, took piano lessons at age four and played violin in the Wellesley Middle School orchestra. In seventh grade she started to sequence music on a Korg Triton, sing and compose. She produced a full-length CD during her senior year. She graduated from Wellesley High School in 2004 and studied performing arts technology at the University of Michigan, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2008.^[5][10]

Career

2007–11: Ella Riot and hiatus

From 2007 to 2011, Chamuel was the lead vocalist of the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based band My Dear Disco, which was renamed Ella Riot in March 2011.^[10][11] In college, she collaborated with classmate and band founder Tyler Duncan, and in 2006 she recorded a track named "My Dear Disco" with band guitarist Robert "DJ Body-Rock" Lester.^[12] Prior to her joining the group as lead vocalist, the band was instrumental. Her addition became a turning point in the band's direction.^[10] The name change to Ella Riot was inspired by the musical influence Ella Fitzgerald had on Chamuel.^[13] In October 2011, the band went into an indefinite hiatus.^[14] Chamuel has several releases and visual media placements in conjunction with Ella Riot. She performed in over 250 shows including Lollapalooza, South by Southwest and NAMU music festivals.

In 2009, she sang the theme song for Team Starkid's mini-series Little White Lie.^[15] In March 2010, she released a single titled "While You're Young".

In an interview with AfterEllen in 2010, Chamuel spoke about "being out and queer" in the music industry, staying true to herself, and music artists that inspired her such as Elton John and Ani DiFranco.^[16] She said "I don't think of myself as 'a lesbian musician' or a 'Jewish artist.' It's not one and alone. I think of myself as a musician."^[17]

2011–12: Independent work

From 2011 to 2012, Chamuel worked as an independent artist. She released one album, two EPs and two singles in collaboration with other artists, as well as four singles individually. With the exception of the album s/he and the single "U and I", her other works were released under artistic trade name "The Reverb Junkie". She released remix music, all with original lyrics and vocal compositions, on SoundCloud and YouTube. She collaborated with several artists on new music. In 2012 she co-produced an EP by musician Hana Malhas.^[18]

Chamuel's work as a musician and vocalist received positive reviews and her voice was characterized as velvety, polished, soulful and controlled.^[19][20][21] As a performer, Chamuel stated that "honesty is especially key in live performance, the goal is to be totally honest and in the moment."^[14]

2013–present: The Voice and All I Want

After an unsuccessful audition in 2012, Chamuel returned for the fourth season of The Voice in 2013.^[22] Before auditioning, she worked at the Woodstar Cafe in Northampton, Massachusetts.^[23] During the blind audition, she sang a cover of Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl." Three of the four judges, Adam Levine, Shakira and Usher, turned their chairs. She chose to be part of "Team Usher."^[24][25]

On April 23, 2013, Chamuel won the battle round with a cover of David Guetta's "Titanium".^[26] On April 30, she won the knockout round with a performance of Pink's "Raise Your Glass".^[27] During the live performances on May 6, she sang Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" and was voted into the Top 12 by the public.^[28] Over the next four live performances, she was voted into the Top 5.^{[29][30][31][32]} Chamuel's studio version of Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" peaked at #4 on the iTunes Chart.^[33] Following her performances on June 10, she advanced to the Top 3.^[34] On June 17, in the final round of the competition, she sang Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble," Annie Lennox's "Why," and U2's "One" in a duet with Usher.^[35] Studio versions of "Why" and "One" peaked at #3 and #8, respectively, on the iTunes Chart.^[36] Chamuel came in second place on the season finale, broadcast on June 18, 2013.^[25]

Chamuel released her solo album All I Want on September 10, 2013. The album was released under her artistic trade name The Reverb Junkie. The album peaked at #6 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums Chart.^[37] She said this is "my first entirely self-produced album. I got to create the sounds, concepts, and artwork. I recorded it, mix it, chopped it up, added layers, and cut away the extra – until it sounded just like I wanted."^[38][39] She called it her "solo electronic project" and said the sound on the album is quite different than her sound as Michelle Chamuel on The Voice. She added, the name of the album reflects "what I've wanted to make for a long time".^[40][41]

Following the album's release, Chamuel said she is working on new music both as a vocalist and as The Reverb Junkie.^[4] She differentiated her sound as Michelle Chamuel versus her sound as The Reverb Junkie. She associated the former with her pop vocal performer side and the later with her artistic indie producer side.^[4] In October 2013, Chamuel spoke at a TEDx event about the role of music in developing one's sense of place.^[42]

Chamuel released a single titled "Go Down Singing" on November 19, 2013.^[43] She said the song is about the potential in each person to shine.^[44] The recording features Jeremy Kittel on strings. The song was co-written and produced by musicians Theo Katzman and Tyler Duncan and was mastered by Devin Kerr.^[43][44] A review said the song is about pursuing one's dream in the face of criticism.^[45] Another review said the song is an anthem that will inspire many.^[46] In December 2013, Chamuel performed the song live on season 5 of The Voice and on NBC's The Today Show.^[47][48]

On December 31, Chamuel performed at the New Year's Eve Party in downtown Ann Arbor alongside former Ella Riot bandmates Tyler Duncan, Robert Lux and Mike Shea.^[49]

On January 7, 2014, Chamuel and musician Arjun Singh released a collaborative EP titled The Drift. The EP is a collection of six original songs, it features a vocal performance by hip hop artist Isaac Castor, and according to Chamuel it was in the works for over a year.^[50]

Personal life

Chamuel and singer-songwriter Mary Lambert are dating, reported Access Hollywood.^[51][52][53]

Discography

Remixes

Collaborations

Releases from The Voice

Charts

References

External links

• Michelle Chamuel, Official Website
• The Reverb Junkie, Official Website
• Michelle Chamuel on Facebook
• Michelle Chamuel on Twitter
• The Reverb Junkie on Facebook
• The Reverb Junkie on Twitter
• Michelle Chamuel's channel on YouTube
• The Reverb Junkie's channel on YouTube