Check out our interview with the extremely talented singer and songwriter Michelle Leclercq who is about to release her album #SelfLove on iTunes and Spotify. This Argentinean beauty has left everything behind to fulfill her dream of becoming a better musician every day and she is certainly on the right path! Her debut single The Mission reached #1 on the Argentinean iTunes charts on January 2018.
Michelle’s captivating voice has already caught the attention of major Latin Grammy award winning producers such as Raniero Palm and Ruben Dario Salas who have taken interest on the artist’s career. Her elegance, honesty and detailed crafting on her songs have brought joy and tears to her fans, who are always supportive and excited to listen to Michelle’s new music.
Hi Michelle, Tell us a little about yourself!
Hi! I am Michelle, born and raised in Argentina, and I am a singer who loves to write songs and perform.
We’re sure you have been asked this million times but how did you get into the industry?
All my life I knew I wanted to be a singer. It’s like I was born knowing it… When I was about five I used to write songs, sing, dance, I did some acting too…
Do you play any instruments?
I’ve been playing piano for seventeen years now and guitar for ten! I also studied classical violin for eight years at secondary school… Honestly I just love picking up instruments and messing around with them, I play some ukulele and mess around with the bass sometimes
Tell us about your single “The Mission”
Well when I first wrote it I was still going to music college! So they give us a songwriting assignment and they tell us: Pick an existing song and write a totally different song using the same chord progression. I didn’t want to choose something obvious so I ended up getting the chords from Marvin Gaye’s sexual healing. So I write that I idea, it was cool but I didn’t love it, and later that year I had a songwriting session with my talented friend Margie Saunders and we ended up coming with the love-war concept for the song. I’m definitely proud of it!
Do you ever get nervous?
Oh absolutely. I used to get so nervous, that my heart would race and my body would feel paralyzed lol I’m not joking. With time I learnt that my lack of confidence came from my insecurities and that if I practiced I could dominate my fears. When I perform I still get a voice in my head telling me “You’re gonna mess up this part” or “You suck” but I learnt to ignore it. When I hear it I now laugh about it…
If you could go and work with any artist on tour right now who would it be?
I would love to work with James Bay. He is definitely in my top ten favorite artists and I believe we could sound really good together. I would also love to song-write with NAO. I feel I could learn a lot from her and I deeply admire her art.
What inspires you to make new music?
Its something I live with… I’m constantly thinking about writing songs and my creative side craves it just like I crave food when I’m hungry. I get this anxiety, this need of writing and this pleasure right after doing it… I do get writer’s block every now and then but it goes away as I get out of my house and live new experiences. Collaborating is also really helpful
What’s the best and hardest part of being a musician?
The best part is that it makes you keep going. Whether you’re sad, happy, relaxed or in love music will always be like an imaginary friend that never leaves you. Music will never abandon you as long as you don’t abandon her. I think the hardest part of being a musician is that it doesn’t pay the bills at first… Putting an album out requires a lot of work, starting from the songwriting, to recording, to producing, mixing, and all of these steps that take time and money. As artists all we wanna do is play our instruments all day, but in order to make it in the music industry nowadays there’s a lot more than just being talented.
Who else in your family sings?
I got two aunts who sing and my great grandmother used to sing and play piano.
Best advice you’ve ever been given?
That’s a hard one… my mom used to tell me “everything has a solution. The only thing we can’t come back from is death”. I think it’s been really helpful, our problems are only as big as we make them and even death is something natural that will eventually happen to all of us
What is you favorite song?
I can’t pick only one! But here are my current top three
•Another lifetime by NAO
•The weekend by Sza
•Watch by Billie Eilish
Any future plans you want to share with us?
Yes! I will be releasing my 4 song EP #SelfLove in October! So make sure you stay tuned and follow me on social media to be updated about my shows, interviews and release dates! There’s a music video coming out and lots of interesting stuff <3
What is your next goal as a musician?
It is my dream to sell out a big arena, but most importantly to be able to help my fans and listeners. I want to be the reason why somebody chooses to live, I want to help people struggling with depression or addiction.
Name 3 things you can’t live without?
Love, music and crunchy sweet bites like chocolate or ice cream.
What is a normal day like in your life?
I wake up, I have coffee and an avocado toast – literally every day – I clean my house, work out for about forty minutes to an hour and then I sing. I do my warm up exercises, I practice and write. After I did all that I make a mental list of my “to do’s” and I try to get all of that done too
If you could meet someone living or dead, who would it be and why?
Someone I haven’t met yet? I would love to meet somebody from a past life, somebody who could unravel some life mysteries and give me a clearer sense of who I am and what I’m supposed to learn on this life.
Idea of a perfect Sunday?
A loving dog, nice sleep. Barbeque with my family and lots of music
Where we can follow you?
Facebook: @itsmichelleleclercq
Instagram: @michelle.leclercq
Twitter: @michulecri
Spotify: @Michelleleclercq
You can also email me at management@michelleleclercq.com and I’ll sign you up to my newsletter! So you hear all about my future shows and releases.
Credits:
Photographer: Karen Torres.
PR Agency: SGG Public Relations
