Tell us a bit about yourself, where are you from and where you music begin for you?
I am originally from Eastern Europe and Israel, however currently based in Geneva, Switzerland. My love for music goes back to my childhood. I began to write songs and lyrics when I was 12 and had my best friend playing a guitar and so we were recording my first songs home (to be fair, I couldn’t sing at all back then and am very embarrassed to listen to these records now haha). Later on, the same friend of mine opened his own record studio and so we produced an album. Back then I was into rock music, so these songs are more of a pop rock (not exactly the type of music I do these days). I had to begin my studies in Switzerland shortly after that and so music had to be put aside. Luckily, when I finally decided to take a serious step towards it, I had a lot of talented people that supported it, and so the magic began.
If you had to sum yourself up in three words, what would you say?
Thats a tough one…I’d say: Emotional, Ambitious, Nostalgia
You recently released your latest singles Everlasting and Hurt. Where did the inspiration for these songs come from?
I always write about my personal experiences (and it has to do a lot with love and (unfortunately) breakups). I never really was able to express my feelings fully, and the only way I can do it is through my music and lyrics. Everlasting is softer, as there’s a lot of nostalgia in it for the good days. I had a lot of fun writing this one. HURT originally was released in Hebrew (and the English version will be released in a few weeks!). This song comes out from a very dark and painful place of a heartbreak (I think lyrics wise it’s the saddest song I ever wrote, and of course I wrote it following a recent break up). I got a lot of comments after it came out, where people who don’t speak a word in Hebrew still could feel the sadness in it and felt very connected to it. I think this is one of the best compliments an artist can get.
Is this a hint at more new music on the way throughout the year?
Oh there is a very BIG hint:) Besides “HURT” that will be released in an English version in a few weeks, there are still 5 finished songs that I plan and hope to release by the end of the year. Three of them with a music video for each. Also, I believe that within few months, my second collaboration with Grammy award winner David Morales will be released (there is no official date yet). This one will be a house music project, and it’s called “LET IT GO”. It’s also very personal because it speaks about believing in yourself and doing what your heart wants and not caring about what other people think. I recently quit a very high end job in a financial world to finally concentrate on my music and pursue my dreams no matter what (a lot of people call me crazy for doing that, but we have to take chances and sometimes sacrifice our comfort zone in order to grow and do what you love).
The music video looked like it was a lot of fun to make. Can you tell us a little bit more about it?
Gladly. I teamed up with Omar Catalfamo, who was directing the video and we decided to shoot in Geneva. We found the best team of the coolest people that were all excited about the song and the video. My good friend from Israel, Tom Haimov (who is the main actor in the video) flew in to participate in this one. Everyone was supporting each other so much. It was the funnest (but still stressful) 2 days. We all grew to be very good friends.
Do you ever get to play any live shows, or is there any plans to in the future?
Unfortunately, because of the current situation in the world, a number of live shows (and a festival) where I was supposed to perform (Norway and Spain) got cancelled or moved. I’m hoping that things will get back to normal by the end of the year. Until then, I am fully concentrated on working and releasing new music.
Where do you hope to see yourself this time next year?
Fully booked for my world tour! 🙂
Which artists are you currently listening to?
I listen to a lot of artists and a lot of them are not very known. I do however have few favorite ones. Currently I listen to Ali Gatie, Oscar and the wolves , the weekend, Post Malone, and my all time favorite Lana del Rey.
How have you been keeping busy during lockdown?
Well, I wrote “Hurt” in Hebrew and English, and got to fully produce and record it while being stuck in Israel. Lior Avramov (MyCasa studio) got the vibe of the song right away and produced it with me. I also planned a few video shoots for future songs,found teams to realize these projects, had my website built from scratch (by Maxim Livingston) and worked on my socials. In between there was a lot of food and Netflix 🙂
Where can we find out more about you?
My brand new website www.michelleshapa.com has all the updated information, released songs, videos, upcoming projects, and of course more personal information about how I grew to be where I am today.
Is there anything you would like to tell us?
I just want to express my gratitude for all the people around me (friends, fans, and professionals) who always support me and believe in me no matter what. I feel like without them and their love I would not be able to take these radical steps and make life changing decisions about my career. Everyone who is following, listening to my music and most importantly connect to the vibe and the lyrics- are making my heart warmer. It’s the best motivation I could get as an artist to move forward. So, Thank you! 🙂
I’d like to thank Michelle for taking the time to answer my questions and wish her all the best luck and success for the coming future, and I hope to catch her on tour one day!
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