DATE: MAY 16, 2014
FROM: TODD BRODGINSKI / RECKONING PR
MICHELLE JOHNSON
TO RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM JUNE 10;
ACCLAIMED ACTRESS FROM ‘BLAME IT ON RIO’ LAUNCHES MUSIC CAREER
Finding inspiration from her life experiences, Michelle is finally realizing a dream she has had since she was a kid. “Since I was a little girl, I’ve always written poetry and songs and even little plays and stuff in music class,” she says. “I guess it was a few years ago, I started changing my poetry into music, and through a friend, started recording. I thought, ‘Wow!’ The minute I started in the studio, I just felt it down to the core of my being, ‘This is what I want to do always. I want to be able to do this for the rest of my life. I love it so much.'”
The album is chock full of personal stories from the Alaska native, and doesn’t hold anything back. Standout tracks include “Popular” and “I Like ’em (B.D.C.,)” which is a shout-out to guys with, well, big confidence. Michelle admits it was inspired by an online relationship she was exploring with a Navy Seal. “He didn’t really know a lot about Hollywood, and I said, ‘Oh, you sound like a Hollywood virgin.’ He types back, ‘Oh, yeah, just the tip on prom night,’ and I laughed my ass off. I go, ‘Wow, this guy’s got big dick confidence. He’s got B.D.C,’ and then I thought, ‘Gosh, wait.’ I happened to be listening to this one groove that my producer had done for me, and I went ‘Wow, that’s it!’ and I stayed up all night writing it. It’s about confidence when you walk in the room. Madonna has B.D.C. It’s not just about the male anatomy. It’s about an attitude. It’s about all of it and there’s many layers to the song, believe it or not.”
Popular blends dance and R&B grooves with Michelle’s personal lyrics-a dichotomy of upbeat songs that reflect on her life, love and relationships. She cites a wide array of influences in her life back to when she was a kid-like Cher, Barbra Streisand and Barry Gibb-to contemporary acts including Civil Wars, Regina Spektor, David Guetta and Elie Goulding. But it’s Michelle’s brutal honesty that comes through in her lyrics in songs like “It’s Not You.” “Divorces are not easy. I was sitting at my kitchen table writing a poem, and I just said, ‘I’ve got to get all of this out of me.’ After my divorce, I didn’t know what direction I was heading. I hadn’t started writing. In ’03, I was on my own, I just felt lost. I went ‘Man, what am I going to do with my life? Where am I going to go? What am I going to do now? I thought I’d be married for the rest of my life and have a family and be doing that and now here I am, by myself, no real direction.’
That’s how I really started writing seriously.”
Check out the video for her song “I Like ‘Em (B.D.C.)” here:
http://michellejohnsonsworld.com/videos/
Popular track listing:
“Popular”
“Party In The Ashes”
“Locked And Loaded”
“SoHo Busy”
“Giddy Up Girl”
“Promises of Love”
“I Like ‘Em (B.D.C.)”
“Crazy Like That”
“It’s Not You”
http://michellejohnsonsworld.com/
Contact: Todd Brodginski / [email protected]
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