Michelle Lambert
| Michelle Lambert | |
|---|---|
Lambert during soundcheck in 2023
| |
| Background information | |
| Born | Michelle Marie Lambert May 2, 1985 Covelo, California, US[1] |
| Origin | San Francisco Bay Area, California, US |
| Genres | Pop folk-pop Hip Hop[2] |
| Occupations | Singer songwriter violinist record producer[3] |
| Instruments | Vocals Violin Guitar Piano |
| Years active | 2015–present |
| Website | michellelambert.com |
Michelle Lambert (born May 2, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter[4] and musician.
Early life and education
Born in Covelo, California, and raised in the Bay Area, Michelle Lambert started studying the violin when she was two years old under the Suzuki Method.[5] At the age of 14 she was already working as a professional violinist in Northern California.[6] In 2008, she moved to Boston where she attended the Berklee College of Music[7] on a full scholarship,[8] majoring in Professional Music.
Lambert became a Catholic at the age of 12 and briefly considered a vocation to religious life at 19. According to the singer, a visit to the Salesian Sisters ended up showing her that music was her true calling.[9]
In an interview for Asia Pop 40, Lambert told Dom Lau (host of the show and former Channel V VJ and E! News Asia) that she considered a career in private aviation in her teenage years. She started training and logged 100 hours of flight time while pursuing her pilot's license.[10]
Career
While in Boston attending Berklee College of Music,[7] she was part of the Captain Wolf Band and got featured in 3 songs from their debut CD as a singer and songwriter.[11] Lambert's participation on the album was so notable that she was even featured in the cover of the CD. Despite being a self-release, the album was well received and became a "jukebox star," being featured in over 28,000 jukeboxes across North America.[12]
Lambert moved to Nashville in 2011[13] after graduating from Berklee to pursue a career as a studio and stage musician.
Michelle toured with country rapper Jessta James during 2013 and part of 2014 as a violinist and backup singer.[14]
In 2014, she had her first experience performing overseas as part of Johnny Rodgers' band during their US Embassy and the US Department of State's American Music Abroad tour in Malaysia.[15][16]
In early 2015, Lambert released her first official music video with her rendition of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" featuring Regi Wooten from the Wooten Brothers on the electric guitar.[17][18]
One of Lambert's highlights during her Nashville years was the halftime performance at the NCAA women's basketball national semifinals (Final Four) in 2014 in front of 18,000 people at the Bridgestone Arena.[19]
Following 4 years in Nashville, she released her debut album Warrior in 2015 after relocating to Los Angeles, California. That album was a turning point in her career, the moment where she decided to pursue being a solo artist. Warrior has the collaboration of Grammy winners Shannon Sanders (president of the Nashville Grammy Chapter) and Billy Hume. It also features three time Grammy nominee Kief Brown as a co-author of "Rain on You" and singing a verse in "I'm Just a Girl".
On January 9, 2015, she made the front page of the Reporter-Herald in an article about her official music video "Warrior", which spotlights high school football players during a game.[20]
In January 2016, she was elected to be the female face of SkyHigh Radio in the UK.[21] In February 2016, she gave a long interview to the Sound Profile Magazine,[22] where she explains in detail how important women empowerment (that's a recurrent theme in her songs) is for her.
The second official EP Angel was released in February 2017. The album was written, executed, recorded, and produced by Lambert.[23]
In December 2017, "My California"[24] was released as a single by the artist, and after the attention received from the release in Northern California,[25] she decided to relocate to the Bay Area.[26]
In early 2020, the singer released the single "Girl on Fire", an autobiographical song that shows a change of tone from her 2015 release I'm Just a Girl. It starts with a girl trying to find the courage to follow her dreams to one actually fighting for it.[27]
In February 2021, the release of the love song "Come to Me" reached number 1 on the indie charts in New York City.[28]
Artistry
Influences
Michelle grew up in a household with five older siblings, four of them studying the violin. Being the youngest child, she was exposed to all kinds of music, from classical music to punk rock. According to an interview for a radio station in the U.K., her biggest influences are Elvis Presley and Alison Krauss. When she was 12, Lambert traveled to Scotland with her sister Heidi Clare (who is a professional bluegrass violin player),[29] to study violin at the Isle of Skye under Alasdair Fraser. She also visited the Western Hebrides region where she studied Celtic music. That is still a big influence in her work.[30]
According to Lambert, Amy Winehouse, Ed Sheeran[8] and Macklemore became very important influences in her solo career.[31][3]
Fire breathing
While working in Nashville, Lambert learned and started to use fire breathing in her live performances.[32]
Instruments
In July 2021, Lambert started using The Turtle Violin from Andrew Carruthers' Off Beat Collection in her live performances.[33]
Discography
Extended plays
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Warrior[34] | Release date: June 12, 2015 Label: self-released Formats: CD, music download and streaming |
| Angel[35] | Release date: January 27, 2017 Label: self-released Formats: CD, music download and streaming |
Singles
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| "My California"[24] | Release date: December 7, 2017 Label: Western Sky Music Formats: music download and streaming |
| "Girl on Fire"[36] | Release date: February 1, 2020 Label: Self Released Formats: music download and streaming |
| "Come to Me"[6] | Release date: February 22, 2021 Label: Self Released Formats: music download and streaming |
Singles as featured artist
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| "The Hunt"[37] (Achraf Kallel featuring Michelle Lambert) |
Release date: April 12, 2016 Label: Playectra Records Formats: music download and streaming |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Warrior" | Hunter Neiblum |
| 2015 | "Devil Went Down to Georgia" | Mark McIntosh |
| 2020 | "Girl on Fire" | Marco Ferreira[3] |
| 2021 | "Come to Me" | Cedric Letsch[38] |
References
- Back to citation "Alameda County Fair Concert to Feature Local Singer, Songwriter Michelle Lambert". July 7, 2022.
- Back to citation "Napa Valley Register Emerging Artist's Profile: Michelle Lambert". August 18, 2020.
- Back to citation occurrence 3.0 Back to citation occurrence 3.1 Back to citation occurrence 3.2 "Napa Valley Register Emerging Artist's Profile: Michelle Lambert". August 18, 2020.
- Back to citation "Vero Beach annual July 4th Family, Fun and Fireworks". July 4, 2017.
- Back to citation "Soundwaves TV #7 – Fit as a Fiddle". August 26, 2018.
- Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 "INTERVIEW // MICHELLE LAMBERT – Amplify Music Magazine". June 18, 2021.
- Back to citation occurrence 7.0 Back to citation occurrence 7.1 "Michelle Lambert on Spotify". Spotify. December 19, 2017.
- Back to citation occurrence 8.0 Back to citation occurrence 8.1 "Interview with Greater Bay Area Talent Television". June 10, 2018.
- Back to citation "North Beach festival highlights parallels between homeless, Holy Family". December 15, 2010. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016.
- Back to citation "Dom Lau interviews Michelle Lambert". March 4, 2016.
- Back to citation "Call of The Wolf at AllMusic". AllMusic. February 1, 2011.
- Back to citation "Call of The Wolf on the Daily Item". August 2, 2013.
- Back to citation "Mount Shasta Herald". June 29, 2018.
- Back to citation "Atlanta Music Guide Live Review: Jessta James". January 15, 2013.
- Back to citation "Johnny Rodgers' Tour – Malaysia 2014". March 3, 2014.
- Back to citation "We're Off To See Malaysia…". February 12, 2014.
- Back to citation "Exclaim Tribute to Charlie Daniels". July 6, 2020.
- Back to citation "Daniels and the Devil". July 7, 2020.
- Back to citation "Fiddler going from Tootsie's to NCAA finale". April 8, 2014.
- Back to citation "Reporter Herald Article on Official Music Video for Warrior". January 9, 2016.
- Back to citation "Elected Female Ambassador of SkyHigh Radio – UK". January 10, 2016.
- Back to citation "Sound Profile Magazine Interview". February 1, 2016.
- Back to citation "Behind The Music – Michelle Lambert on Angel". February 13, 2017.
- Back to citation occurrence 24.0 Back to citation occurrence 24.1 "My California ~ Release by Michelle Lambert". Spotify. December 7, 2017.
- Back to citation "Singer Michelle Lambert celebrates the holiday with music on Monday". July 1, 2022.
- Back to citation "Michelle Lambert on GooglePlay". December 19, 2017; "Michelle Lambert Interview at KMMT/KRHV-FM". YouTube. July 23, 2018; "The North Bay Bohemian – Girl on Fire". November 27, 2019.
- Back to citation Swanson, Charlie (November 27, 2019). "Girl On Fire – Michelle Lambert makes a melting pot of pop". Bohemian. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- Back to citation "Alameda County Fair Concert to Feature Local Singer, Songwriter Michelle Lambert". The Independent. July 5, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
- Back to citation "Fiddler Clare honors billionaire friend, musician Hellman". February 22, 2012.
- Back to citation "Acid Planet Profile". December 29, 2003.
- Back to citation "Drake Bell, Michelle Lambert at The Uptown". February 26, 2018.
- Back to citation "Atlanta and Nashville: the new face of the South". June 4, 2014.
- Back to citation "Michelle Lambert and Andrew Carruthers' Turtle Violin". July 15, 2021. Archived from the original on December 26, 2021.
- Back to citation "Warrior ~ Release by Michelle Lambert". July 10, 2015.
- Back to citation "Angel ~ Release by Michelle Lambert". iTunes. January 27, 2017. Archived from the original on February 9, 2019.
- Back to citation "Girl On Fire – Michelle Lambert makes a melting pot of pop". November 27, 2019.
- Back to citation "The Hunt ~ Release by Michelle Lambert & Achraf Kallel". April 11, 2016.
- Back to citation "Michelle Lambert – Come to Me (Official Video)". YouTube. September 1, 2021.
External links
- Official Website
- Michelle Lambert discography at MusicBrainz
- Michelle Lambert on YouTube
- Michelle Lambert at Discogs