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Guitar-grooving
Michelle Branch is headlining her first concert tour and living
out her post-high school dream job.
She's Everywhere!
by
Feona Sharhran Huff
March 2002
The CollegeBound Network NewsClick --
Are
you guilty of doodling in school as your assignment-addicted
classmates jot down pages of algebra notes?
When Maverick recording artist Michelle Branch was a sophomore
at Sedona Red Rock High School, Sedona, AZ, she, too, had
other ideas in her brain beyond math. In fact, Michelle began
penning the words to "Sweet Misery," on her debut
album, The Spirit Room, in that very class one day.
"I
wasn't in the mood to do schoolwork, and I had this idea for
a song, so I wrote it down," Michelle confesses. "There's
probably still a math book back at the school that has penciled
lyrics in it."
Don't
think these were Michelle's normal classroom ethics, though.
Quite the contrary. She was very much active and interested
in scholarly subjects, especially history and English. "History
is something that's always fascinated me," Michelle expresses.
"It's a way for people to learn from past mistakes."
As for her English enchantment, she wasn't fond of critiquing
literature, but instead, loved the creative side of it. After
all, that's how her lyrics came about -- through creative
expression.
Michelle
began exploring her musical endeavors after class, too, through
her involvement with the school's choir and theater department.
She even began performing a weekly
two-hour set at a local restaurant. "It
was a weird experience," Michelle admits, "but you
learned how to deal with a crowd of people who were eating
and talking." Her tough skin eventually earned her a
fan base of people who specifically came to hear her sing.
To
progress toward her lifelong dream of becoming a professional
singer, Michelle thought it'd be best to be home-schooled,
and begged her parents for their approval. She convinced them,
explaining that education was still key, but this particular
method would allow her more time to focus on her music. It
worked. Of course, Michelle didn't take any scholastic short
cuts. She still got up at the regular school hour and had
morning classes, as well as weekly violin and guitar lessons.
The only difference, she says, was "if I woke up in the
morning and came up with a song idea, I'd be able to work
around my [school] schedule."
More
and more singing engagements came Michelle's way, including
her debut concert last year in Los Angeles, CA, when she opened
for Hanson. Applause wasn't the only thing she scored. "After
the show, someone from Maverick approached me and offered
me a record deal," Michelle says.
Since
the release of The Spirit Room last August, Michelle's
been busy. She has made TV appearances on such programs as
MTV's TRL, The Tonight Show, and Access Hollywood.
Currently, Michelle is headlining Depo-Provera/Zilo Network's
Lotus Tour -- the first ever nationally sponsored, female-led
college concert series.
"I
felt the tour was the responsible thing to do as an 18-year-old
female," says Michelle. "It is kind of emotional...
it's great to look into the audience and hear people singing
the songs back to you."
So
where can we find Michelle next? "Everywhere," if
she can do something about it. The joy she has for what she's
experiencing, she says, is something you can have in your
academic life and future career, if you put faith in yourself.
"It's
important to be the first person to say, 'Hey, I can do this.'"
she affirms. "You won't know if you don't try."
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