Fresh from a whirlwind weekend of performances in the US and Jamaica, Michelle Xavier is back home in Trinidad and back in the studio working feverishly on her forthcoming solo debut album. The former Imij & Co. frontline singer is currently rocking the airwaves and the Internet with a recently released duet penned by singer/songwriter, Dale Ryan, entitled “Online Rendezvous”.
Click on the image to download the song now!
“I worked with Dale and Black Ice Studios for one of my Carnival releases, Beautiful High,” Xavier revealed, “and we had such great chemistry that we decided to do something outside of the Soca genre together as well. He wrote the song and brought it to me and I liked the unique approach of the lyrics, so I agreed to jump on it. It’s a love song, but very much up-to-the-times as they say because its built around the way many people meet and interact these days – online via the World Wide Web.”
Michelle on the cover of the Sunday Mix in the Trinidad Express Newspaper
On Memorial Weekend, Xavier performed alongside Kes The Band at the Kissimmee Civic Centre in Orlando, Florida, before flying back down to Montego Bay, Jamaica for a fun-filled solo set at Dream Entertainment’s “Bleu Weekend”.
Michelle poses with Kees and Creig Camacho in Orlando
“This was one of the craziest events I’ve ever experienced,” she described. “It was held at the amazingly beautiful Grand Palladium Resort and Spa, which is the biggest hotel in Jamaica! Swappi was on the show as well and literally, there were events all weekend long – whether day or night – as soon as one ended, there was another one already in progress and I don’t know how all those people did it, but they clearly had a blast. I got in on the Saturday and performed at the pool party on Sunday and that was amazing – everyone was in or around the pool, dancing and drinking and having a good time. I’ve never been to Spring Break, but it looked like the closest thing to it – as it’s been described – just total fun!
Michelle performs at the Grand Palladium Hotel in Montego Bay, Jamaica
“Swappi went on after and mash up and everybody just continued partying and having a great time and still went to the club for the final party afterward too! The vibe was so nice, I stayed an extra day and just relaxed and walked around to check out the hotel.”
As you can tell, Xavier is optimistic about her future and thrilled to be charting her own course as a solo act after so many years as part of a band. Still, the industry is not without its challenges…
“It’s a totally different experience for me,” she revealed, “but one that I’m really enjoying exploring at the moment. Having to think of and do everything and make all the decisions for myself now, makes me really appreciate the time I spent in the band – and how much work Joey and those guys really used to have to put in for us to be successful. Of course, the music industry has changed a lot now too, so it’s a lot more work in a different way, but that’s why I really want to pursue all the things I always wanted to do and make the music I want to make at this time in my life because doing that will automatically tap into and fill me with the passion and drive I need to succeed. Soca is a part of us and a part of me and everything I do, but I always wanted to sing pop and rock songs as well, so now that I’m free to do that and to create my own sound and style and write my own lyrics, it just feels so right, right now!
Click on the picture to follow Michelle X on Twitter!
Xavier is just a few songs away from completing her album at Random Designs Studios and looks forward to releasing her first original body of work later this year. In the meantime, she’s also started working on her Carnival 2013 releases.
“I learnt my lesson this year in terms of getting my recordings done early and being prepared for Carnival way in advance,” she said, “You can’t leave anything to chance and when that rush comes you can get lost in the mix easily if you don’t have a strong song out early, so this year, I’m trying to have at least 3 or 4 songs done before I even release my rock album, so that when the Carnival fever starts heating up, I’ll be ready to rock the road once again.”
For more on Michelle X, log on to her facebook page and check out her personal VLOG on www.overtimett.com.
Click on this pic to check out Michelle's VLOG on overtimett.com