Mama Mentor
Best known for appearing on NBC’s The Voice Team Blake Season Four, soul/pop singer-songwriter and voiceover artist, Michelle Ray started singing professionally at age 10, was classically trained, and began submitting her work to agents. Working on ten Kidz Bop albums, she quickly became a ‘studio kid,’ with recording sessions after school. Passionate about musical theater, she took every opportunity to perform. Being heard live by someone with West Coast contacts led to a dual-coast, years-long commute, and eventual move West. As a student at the Berklee College of Music for a semester before landing a spot on The Voice, she never looked back.
Ray’s paternal great-uncle (and namesake) was an opera singer at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow whose tenor voice was discovered by her maternal grandmother, a music manager responsible for bringing him to New York’s Metropolitan Opera and introducing him to her daughter (Ray’s mom). Her father was also a music buff and, while he didn’t pursue music himself, he managed a rock band called Royal Hunt, who Ray opened for on tour with a project she and her dad wrote.
A great song is driven by lyrics, says Ray. “Vocals are my main passion, so I like to write melody first.” She also keeps a notebook of inspired lyrics she pulls from to see what fits her melodies. “If I feel something I haven't felt before, or get goosebumps, I know this is good. Lyrically, melodically, vocally, there's something magical that comes together when you know it's a good song. That's the magic of songwriting.” She adds that when you don’t have the exact words to explain what you’re feeling, sometimes a song you hear expresses it perfectly.”
The journey into motherhood is what makes Ray the proudest. “Having my child has been the most incredible thing and the hardest thing in the world,” she admits. She was dropped by her agent when they found out she was pregnant. “I told her I was pregnant for an audition,” shares Ray. “She [said] we'll pass because wardrobe won't be able to fit you, and then literally never sent me anything again.”
In music and motherhood, Ray says people are often telling us what we can and cannot do. “You're told what you should do or write, or what kind of artist you should be. We all have that inner voice within, that gut feeling we're scared to listen to or pursue, but our gut is usually correct. Do what you're most passionate about. That's where you're going to find the most success. You'll find your group if you do what you love to do.”
Looking to advocate for equal rights for mothers in the music industry after her experience, Ray launched call to action #nobodyputsmamainacorner, and stumbled across organization Mamas In Music. Co-Founders Mary Leay and Tiff Randal loved her initiative and asked her to lead their Los Angeles Chapter (more at: mamasinmusic.org). Having just hosted their first annual fundraiser, Ray says, “I was just trying to rally everyone to make an equal place for moms. After Theo was born, I was even more driven than I was before.”
With sold-out promotional touring in Japan as lead vocalist for pop/rock band Veil of Obscurity, Ray’s theater roles have included The Witch in Into the Woods, touring as Klepto in Alanis Morissette-The Album Project: Jagged Little Pill,and Alyshia in Green Day’s American Idiot. She has national commercial credits (including Maybelline, Mastercard, JC Penny, etc.), major voiceovers parts (Gary Marshal’s Mother’s Day, and shows on Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu), and over 10 million streams on Spotify. Ray writes, records, and performs regularly.
Contact Susan von Seggern PR Consulting - [email protected];
Experience Michelle Ray at michelleraymusic.com
