Interview with Michele Thomas
Michele Thomas is a jazz singer.
Why did you want to be a professional musician?
Music and the arts have been part of my life from the time I was a little girl. And I was always drawn to making music. The idea of being able to do it most of the time and to spend time with other amazing musicians was something that just lit me up inside. And even though I was trepidatious about going into music professionally (it is a tough vocation) I eventually followed my calling and committed to the journey.
What inspires your music?
At this particular time in my life I'm inspired by the idea of what marginalized and disenfranchised groups in our society share as our collective voice. Not only as a way to empower us but to give space to our trauma, our pain - and really sing a communal ode to our humanity that we may claim it and know that we're worthy of it despite all of the racism, sexism, patriarchy and anti-blackness that pervasively harms us. But it's not enough to identify those societal ills, it's also necessary to help those who aren't given as much of a voice or have the privilege to be seen and heard and healed.
What things get you in the mood to write songs, or do lyrics come spontaneously?
I think often times both things occur together. I might get in the mood to write, or lyrics might hit me in the moment. I do a lot journaling as a source for my lyrical ideas and if I'm inspired by a concept or subject matter, I go and write in a kind of stream-of- consciousness way and try to get my ideas out. Other times, the lyrics come to me in more of an organized song form. Or I sing or play some melodic and harmonic ideas on the piano and record it with my voice memo app, so I have hundreds of recordings in there from the past 10 years or so...
How do you want your music to affect people?
Much in the way it affects me! I want it to inspire people. I want it to be healing for them in some way. (That comes from my gospel background!) I really believe in the idea of music being a transformative life-force because it has been that in my own life. There have been times in my life where someone came up to me after a performance with tears in their eyes because they had such a special experience listening to my music. Or maybe I said something that helped them feel seen in there own emotions or experiences. When that happens I feel humbled and sobered by what I get to do by performing for people, and I never want to take that for granted.
Do you test out your songs before releasing them? How do you do this?
Short answer is yes. So far I have workshopped and tested songs before recording them. And I really love that process. Chicago has some great venues where you can have a chance to perform your new music in front of an audience and receive the kind of passive feedback that really helps you to continue crafting your work. It can be scary, but I appreciated that process especially before we recorded this recent album, because we were able to get to the heart of the song's energy. It helps me to play the song repeatedly in order to allow my creativity to grow and dig deep into the potential of the composition.
How do you prepare for a gig?
For the weeks or days leading up to a gig, I practice (of course) and I am preparing the setlist, putting recordings of the music into a playlist - be it covers or recordings from our rehearsals - and I'll listen to that almost 24/7 to get myself into the mindset of performing the music live. I sometimes meet with my husband, Darren Scorza (who is my drummer and music director amongst other things...) to plot out our sets. We get together to work on music arrangements as well, so I'll also do some composition work with him. The day before the gig, I'm finalizing the setlist, and my hair, makeup and outfit! (Fashion is WORK! Lol!)
And even though it's not always the same, I do have a couple of rituals that I try to fit in on the day of the show every time. Vocal warmups of course...some meditation and affirmations...and anything else to calm me and put me in a positive, energized headspace. I also carry a gig bag with things like Olly's "Goodbye Stress" Berry Verbena Gummies and other homeopathic supplements to take when I'm really feeling shaky and nervous. (Which is pretty much all the time.)
What is your favorite song that you've written?
Thus far, it's my song "These Days" which I wrote about my late mother and sister who passed away over 15 years ago. It's a bittersweet song about grief, gratitude and how our concept of time gets altered when we lose the ones we love.
Has there been a reaction to one of your songs that you've been surprised by?
Yes. When I wrote the song, "I Know Because You Told Me So" I felt like I was describing my own personal neurosis as compared to that of someone who was significantly more confident than me. But every time I performed it, I would hear from different people saying that they just thought it was a song about having confidence and that they loved that! I had to laugh because I inadvertently manifested the very thing that I was longing for in my song, which was more confidence and self-assuredness!
What are some ways that you promote yourself?
I continue to work on new and effective ways of growing my audience. But interestingly enough, being a music instructor and educator has always given me a platform to expose my music to more audiences through the years. I've been a teaching artist for as long as I have been performing. I have always respected the artists who can effectually translate how they do what they do to others. And I think it can give audiences an even deeper sense of connection to the musical artists they love which is why I think teaching has been beneficial to me and my career.
What would you say has been the biggest challenge of your career?
I think the toughest thing about cultivating a music career is navigating the music business itself. And we all know that the music industry is tough to break into and so much talent falls by the wayside due to the rigors and volatility of the industry. But what we rarely talk about are those particular challenges that fall along the lines of race, gender, economic status, sexuality, ableism, ageism and more - and how these things affect the kind of access you have to connections, resources and wealth. And let's face it - in most cases those who have more wealth and privilege will have easier access to the connections and resources which can grow their music careers faster. The idea that talent alone dictates who rises to the top has always been a myth. And as a darker skinned black woman we tend to still face a lot of implicit bias and prejudice overall in society. And even when our talent is undeniable, it may not be valued as highly as those of our white or lighter skinned counterparts.
What have been your favorite places to tour?
Long ago I was invited to Sweden to perform and do a small tour. I would really enjoy returning there as well as extending into more of western Europe. And I'd also love to tour parts of Africa and to got to Brazil!
Are there advantages to being an independent musician?
Absolutely! I recently watched the biopic of Whitney Houston's life. And I was reminded of how much the artist as a person is at risk of being consumed by the industry in so many ways - namely psychologically, emotionally, and financially. The bigger music industry exists to create wealth for the industry, not for the artists - and that's always been the business model. So that can be a kind of precarious situation for a musical artist, especially when the pressure is on to do things that may compromise your values for the sake of amassing the most popularity, fame and wealth as you can. That's a really tough carrot to chase constantly. But I grew up with gospel music, and studied jazz for my career - both of which are not mainstream genres or markets. So I was exposed to what being more of an independent musician was like early on, which was mostly positive. And even though being independent has it's own set of challenges and frustrations, I've yet to feel as if I have had to do anything to compromise my values or creativity. As an independent artist, it's just about all on your shoulders, but that also means that you can do what best aligns with your principles for your life. It's not to say that non-independent artists don't also have that choice, but I just think it tends to get tougher to make those choices the more your career is under the control of powerful entities that are there to make money off of you. The independent music career is more about creating equity between the industry and the artist. (...or at least it should be.)