INTERVIEW: MICHELLE LEBLANC – March 2019

Photo credit: Danielle Shields

According to a recent press release: “Nashville-based singer-songwriter Michelle LeBlanc is set to release a new single, “A Good Man,” on April 5, 2019.  “It’s a love song,” says LeBlanc. “It’s about how timing is divine, how the right one comes at the right time, and the beauty and protection in all of that.” Before recording the song, she wasn’t planning on getting back into the studio so quickly, but the song wanted to be born.” We get Michelle to discuss new music, men, and much more…

Toddstar: Michelle, thank you for taking time out for us.

Michelle: Yeah. Of course.

Toddstar: I was excited to hear about the new single coming out – “A Good Man” – after I experienced and enjoyed the EP you did last year A Man Like You. What’s it about men in titles that keeps circulating in your world?

Michelle: I know, right? I think it’s just the reoccurring theme that I’m trying to work out in my life that I just haven’t figured out yet.

Toddstar: Got it. Tell us a little bit about this single. What can you tell us about the single that your fans might or might not grab first or second time they listen to it?

Michelle: The single is basically a love song. I think that’s pretty clear. What’s interesting about it is that the original version of the single, there was a bridge in it that we ended up cutting out in the production because production kind of curtailed what I was explaining in the bridge. But the bridge it was basically kind of expressing my own fear about it and my own fear of me kind of screwing it up. There’s an intentional pension within the song about having the thing that you’ve always wanted presented to you, and that fear of oh shit, am I going to screw this up?

Toddstar: What things in your life influence your music? Again, you kind of mention men…

Michelle: Yeah. My music is very much kind of dealing with relationship stuff, and also I feel like my music is moving more into this arena where I’m exploring. I’m very spiritual and I’m very kind of connected to my life as far as the different seasons of my life, and I’m kind of in tune and I’m always thinking and growing and expanding. My music is slowly kind of moving in that realm where there’s kind of a cosmic vibe to it. A little bit of I’m trying to tap into kind of the magic of my own life and how that shows up. I think that this single is kind of a move in that direction. I talk about timing and how timing is kind of divine which I believe that it is. It’s shown up in my life that way over and over again. It’s kind of a song about that soul mate love of meeting someone you’re just meant to know, and I think that a lot of people have that experience of knowing a lot of people in their lifetime, and then one day just meeting somebody and you’re like holy shit. This is different and it’s a meant to be sort of feeling. The poetry and the power that, and a life changing power that happens when this sort of experience happens to you in your lifetime.

Toddstar: You had history in New York, and now you’re in Nashville. How much did that personal journey effect your song writing?

Michelle: A whole lot. When I was in New York, I was writing songs kind of the second half of being in New York, but it was geared towards I knew I was going to move to Nashville eventually. It was all kind of geared towards moving to Nashville. But at that point, I was not really interested in getting up on stage and being looked at. I was writing songs kind of geared towards pitching for other artists. That was a lot of what I was practicing in New York. Then, in my move to Nashville, I did a lot of co-writing and all that stuff the first couple years. Something about working on this EP, I decided I needed to make an EP to kind of showcase my own, individual place to kind of move in that realm. Something about putting it out and creating it and doing all that, it’s just kind of moved things in a different direction for me. I was like, oh, I got to put myself out there as an artist. This is what I actually, really need to be doing. Nashville it’s kind of surprising a little bit because that was kind of the thing I was avoiding for a very long time. I still do in moments, but I’m working through it.

Toddstar: That’s one of the cool things I like about Nashville is you can walk by a bar and hear somebody that you’ve never heard before and dig them, and you might run across somebody you’re very well aware of who the name is.

Michelle: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. It’s such a wonderful city. I just adore Nashville. There’s such a creative vibe here. There’s so many talented people. All kinds of music is happening around here. These days, it’s so expansive. There’s so much growth just in general all around the city. It’s a really cool time to live here I feel like. It is now it is the hub of so much pop is coming here. There’s just been a mass exodus from New York and L.A. So many people are moving here. There’s all kinds of influences these days. I’ve been here for about three years now, and just the dramatic change within those three years has been crazy. It’s been wonderful. I like that kind of energy. I like the creative spirit. I thrive in that, so I love it, but it’s been very interesting.

Toddstar: Very cool. You had the EP just about a year ago, and now you’ve got the single. Are there more songs recorded waiting to drop? Are you just kind of looking to see what happens? How are you going about doing more music out there?

Michelle: Well, I am not sure. I wanted to play with this new single, I’m working with a new producer on it, and I kind of wanted to take baby steps and put something out there. Really loved the sound and I loved what we did, and I’m kind of putting it out there to see how I want that to inform the next time a big thing that I do. I’m kind of taking my time with it. I’m not exactly sure what the next stages look like. I’m just kind of going with the flow a little bit. But using this as an opportunity to kind of bridge that and see how it informs what the future music and the future sound sounds like. The single, it does have a little bit of a different vibe than the other stuff which I’m into. I’m just playing with it really. Just kind of playing and going with the flow.

Toddstar: You’re labeled as an indie singer/songwriter, and there’s so many of them out there right now. Who’s somebody you’d like to collaborate with whether it was writing or recording?

Michelle: Oh God. Brandi Carlile I would love for her to produce something of mine. That would be fucking incredible. She’s been doing so much work with women these days, and she has her career, and has just blossomed. She’s created such an amazing audience community around herself, and it’s so positive and reaffirming with an attitude of giving back to her community. She has just been doing so much work for female artists recently, and that would be a dream come true to work with Brandi Carlile.

Toddstar: I see in some write ups where you’re compared to certain artists or certain singers or certain songwriters. Has there ever been a comparison made that has made you cringe?

Michelle: I don’t know. I don’t really think so. I think that I just have made respect for anyone who can get their career to any sort of level that’s noteworthy. I just see how much work and effort goes into that knowing it from my end of it, and I don’t have those negative thoughts very easily about that. I think that I’m pretty much flattered if I’m compared to anyone who’s gotten anywhere.

Toddstar: In your mind, what’s the best thing about being a musician?

Michelle: I think first thing that comes to mind is collaboration. There are a lot of things, but the community that you have to create for yourself. There’s just so many amazing people that are artists and that work in this industry. We typically lead kind of complicated, tumultuous lives and we live kind of a little deeper, and have a lot of stories, and just knowing each other it’s always just really affirming and inspiring. Just the inspiration you get off of each other, especially in Nashville because there’s so much collaboration with co-writing and stuff like that. It’s so inspiring. You’re constantly opposite people who are better than you or that are doing things differently. You’re constantly learning through them, and getting inspiration. It’s a gift.

Photo credit: Danielle Shields

Toddstar: You’re down in Nashville, and like we’ve talked about, there’s tons of people down there. When’s the last time you were star struck Michelle?

Michelle: Well actually, this is funny because this is going back to Brandi Carlile, but I went on the Cayamo Cruise with a friend a couple years ago. She was managing one of the artists, and so I luckily got to go and join. She introduced me to Brandi Carlile, and that was the one time I was star struck. I’ve met a lot of stars in my lifetime. Just I work in the bar industry in New York and in Nashville. I don’t easily get star struck, but I met her and I totally got shy and it was embarrassing. But it was good. It was fine. She is very sweet.

Toddstar: Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation that you think, looking back on it, was a misstep, and if you had a chance you’d go do it again even if it didn’t change the end result?

Michelle: Oh my God. There are a billion. I think that is life. I have lived a lot of life in between everything, and I always knew that music was the thing that I wanted to do. It took me a really long time. I only feel like now I’m really in it in a way. It’s taken me a really long time, and it’s been more about me not believing I was worth of it I think? And having to really sift through all of that. Holding myself back from moving forward with it. There are years I can see that have happening, but also all those years built me into the person that I am to be able to do that, and gave me a lot of life experience that I think informs my music and the depth of the soul that I kind of worked through.

Toddstar: If you could pin point one thing, not necessarily a situation or a moment, but just one ideology maybe that has influenced your writing the most, what would that be?

Michelle: One thing. Fear of being loved.

Toddstar: It’s odd to hear it that way instead of fear of not being loved.

Michelle: I know. I thought that, too, but it’s right.

Toddstar: If you could go back in time and be part of any recording session what would it be, and why would you choose that?

Michelle: Oh gosh, hold on. Give me a sec. Any recording session. Oh God. That is insane. I feel like Fleetwood Mac’s “Gypsy was written for me. I would love to be a part of that. I feel like I was supposed to write that song with her [Stevie Nicks]. That is what is coming to mind right now.

Toddstar: Okay. I know everybody has a different reaction and there can be a different reaction from day to day.

Michelle: Oh, I’m sure. I’m sure. That’s a tough one.

Toddstar: Yeah. Well listen, I appreciate you taking time out. I dig the single, and I can’t wait to see what comes behind it because I really like the EP back a year ago. It was really different for me. I’m more of a metal and hard rock guy, and I really kind of wrapped my ears around and dug it.

Michelle: Awesome. Well, thank you so much. I appreciate it so much.

Toddstar: All right, Michelle, have a great day and we’ll talk to you soon.

Michelle: You too. Thanks Todd.

MICHELLE LEBLANC LINKS:

OFFICIAL SITE

FACEBOOK

TWITTER

Category: Interviews