Almost A Dirty Dozen with MCKENNA MICHELS – March 2025

According to a recent press release: “Austin, TX singer/songwriter McKenna Michels released her latest single today for “Monster,” which is accompanied by a “Game of Thrones”-esque fantasy drama video directed by Nick Peterson (Dorothy, Evanescence). Ever since her 2021 debut EP, RENAISSANCE, Austin’s McKenna Michels has been making waves and grabbing at fans’ heartstrings all around the world with her melodies and lyrics that resonate deep within the soul. Her heart-driven songs tell stories of profound resilience and strength, often discussing her journey through an abusive situation in her childhood, as well as navigating life as an autistic woman and member of the LGBTQIA+ community. She aims to give voice not only to the traumas she endured, but to countless survivors who have faced similar challenges in their own lives. While developing a reputation as an opera singer earlier in her career, she’s already had the honor of performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. in 2017. Now, throughout 2024, McKenna Michels is continuing to make a big impact with her fans, getting them excited and ready for her new music. During a recent stop in Belgium, she did a secret free show of her own in Brugge at an intimate venue, Villa Bota, for fans who packed the venue, some coming from hours away just to catch one of her ethereal, unapologetic, and haunting performances up close.” We get McKenna to discuss new music, influences, and more…

1. Tell us a little about your latest release.  What might a fan or listener not grab the first or second time they listen through?  Are there any hidden nuggets you put in the material or that only diehard fans might find?

Photo credit: Carson Nicely

2. What got you into music, and can you tell us about the moment you realized you wanted to be a musician?

I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember. I remember listening to the original cast recording of Phantom of the Opera in the car with my grandma as a toddler, being in awe of the range and depth of the voices I was hearing through the car stereo. Ever since then, I dreamed of singing anywhere and everywhere, to anyone that would listen. When I was old enough, I was always in choir, playing piano, and doing musical theater. Eventually I began private lessons through my school and ended up doing a program with the Washington National Opera that allowed me to perform at the Kennedy Center in the summer of 2017. I began my path to a professional music career following a back injury during my time as a student athlete at the University of Texas. I was depressed as a business student, I was unable to pursue opera, and had no creative outlet. This is when I started songwriting. I remember a moment in the midst of my pain where the music started flowing out of me. One night, there was an event for the rowing team at a restaurant near Mozart’s Coffee Roasters. I’d seen a musician playing there a few weeks earlier. I’d only written a few songs and had extremely low self-confidence, but something told me to walk over there and ask about playing a show. I remember having this ultimatum in my head: “If I get a gig here, I’ll pursue a career in music. If I don’t, I’ll go work in corporate or be a lawyer.” I introduced myself to the owner, and she told me to send her a couple of demos. I went home and recorded the two songs I’d written and “Hello” by Adele. I sent them off, and to my surprise, she wrote back and asked if I could play the next day. That was Mother’s Day, 2019. Since then, I started pursuing music with my full heart and haven’t looked back.

3. Building on that, is there a specific song, album, performer, or live show that guided your musical taste?

The discovery of artists such as Lady Gaga, Florence and the Machine, and Adele inspired my decision to pursue a career in music and made me especially passionate about writing my own songs. Their albums, The Fame Monster, Lungs, and 21, respectively, have all shaped my artistry in one respect or another, especially as it comes to storytelling within a song.

4. If you could call in any one collaborator to do a song with, who would it be, and why?

It has always been my dream to collaborate with Florence Welch (of Florence and the Machine), because I’ve always been a massive fan of her artistry and creative process. It would be beyond amazing to see her at work in-person and to come up with something together, especially with how ethereal and witchy her vibe has become recently.

5. What is your favorite activity when out of the studio and/or not on tour?  What do you like to do to unwind?

I play my Great-Grandmother’s piano almost daily, and I find that is the most relaxing thing for me. Often I find myself playing the same songs over and over again, but I never tire of them. Beyond that, I’ve been a cosplayer for over 10 years, and attend anime conventions and comic cons nationally in my spare time. I’m also a painter and a cook, when time allows me to be, and find great comfort in doing both of those things.

6. How would you describe your music to someone who’d never listened to you before? What is the one comparison a reviewer or fan has made that made you cringe or you disagreed with?

I’ve never really gotten a comparison I didn’t like, I think it’s always a compliment to be related to someone who is accomplished in any capacity within the music industry, and even more so to hear a fan’s interpretation of my artistry. As for disagreeing with, and not for the sake of disliking this comparison, I’ve been told before that my music reminds someone of Christina Perri. While I LOVE her and her music, I don’t really see this one. If I had to describe my music, I would say it’s like if you mixed Adele, Florence and the Machine, and Twenty-One Pilots in a blender with your favorite Broadway Show, and a stage performance that has the costume department of an Opera House and energy of a kid that’s eaten too much candy.

7. When was the last time you were starstruck and who was it?

I got to meet character actor Doug Jones at a Comic Con I was guesting at, and I was SO nervous to meet him. I have been a fan of his since childhood and getting to be around him was mind blowing to me. He is an absolute gem of a human being, one of the kindest people I have had the privilege to meet and speak with.

8. What is the best part of being a musician? If you could no longer be a musician for whatever reason, what would be your dream job?

The best part of being a musician is getting to do what I love every day of my life. If I wasn’t a musician, I wouldn’t be alive anymore. It’s as simple as that for me, there’s nothing I love more or have ever loved more, and I absolutely can’t picture myself doing anything else.

9. What is one question you have always wanted an interviewer to ask – and what is the answer? Conversely, what question are you tired of answering?

I don’t really like the question “didn’t you start your career really late?” because in my perspective it is NEVER too late to start pursuing your dreams. You’d be surprised how many times I’ve been asked this, and what’s crazy is I started pursuing music at the age of 19. If that’s late, that’s insane. People don’t have, and shouldn’t have, an expiration date. As for a question I’ve always wanted to be asked, I don’t really have anything specific! More than anything, I want an interviewer to ask me what feels important to them. I consider us both artists, and really like to see how our conversation comes together naturally. It’s like creating a painting with a collaborator without direction or instructions, but it always turns out exactly how it’s meant to.

10. Looking back over your career, is there a single moment or situation you feel was a misstep or you would like to have a “do over,” even if it didn’t change your current situation?

I think, in retrospect, I would have liked to be more confident as an artist before I recorded my first full-length album. There were a lot of things vocally and within my songwriting that I was still developing at the time we recorded my album, and while I’m still so proud of it and all that it’s lead to in my career, there are a lot of things I would have done differently with the knowledge that I currently have as a musician.

11. If you could magically go back in time and be a part of the recording sessions for any one record in history, which would you choose – and what does that record mean to you?

I love to be in the room when the first-ever recording of any piece of music was done. I would have loved to see the pure joy and amazement on the people’s faces following the completion of the record, to see what it meant to them and the disbelief that accompanied it. This feels significant to me, especially because we live in such a privileged time where people can create, share and listen to music so freely and without barriers that existed not even 200 years ago.

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Category: Interviews