Michelle Ray – Chasing Shadows (Spotify)
“No doubt that Chasing Shadows of Michelle Ray is a wonderful summerish electro pop hit, witch turn on the groove quick and put a smile in your face with the variety of turns and games Michelle Ray push in each turn. But is this the most soft, warm and sweet high freq and hats/snares we have hear lately? certainly yes. Solid production!”
-Nagamag.com
Los Angeles based singer-songwriter Michelle Ray gifts us with her upcoming single "Chasing Shadows," a pop offering that sounds like sweet sweet summer.
"I started singing before I could talk," Ray exclaims. The natural-born talent began classical training at age 10 after begging for vocal lessons and the rest was history. Growing up in an extremely musical home shaped her destined future. Her dad managed a rock band with whom she performed backing vocals on their national tours at age 17 and opened for their sold out-shows in Japan at age 26. "I grew up in the home my mom grew up in and we lived with my grandma who was a music manager and music connoisseur. She played classical music throughout the house while my parents taught my brother and I 80's rock and roll. My grandma managed an Opera singer, Misha Raitzin, who I was named after. He was a Tenor at the Metropolitan Opera House in NYC. There was no way I was not going to be in the music world," she adds.
With her diverse musical genre upbringing, Michelle naturally gravitated towards soul/R&B pop music. Influenced by stars like Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and Bruno Mars, Michelle found a way to incorporate soul and pop and hone in on her own sound.
Her outstanding vocals paired with a shining personality landed the talented Ray a spot on NBC's The Voice, Team Blake, Season 4. Her voice has since been broadcasted on national commercials for Maybelline, Mastercard, JCPenny, Nickelodeon and numerous others and she's also been featured in a number of shows including Garry Marshall's "Mother's Day," Amazon Prime's "The Expanse," and Bravo's "VanderPump Rules."
Ray has spent the past year focusing on writing and recording but could often be found performing at Los Angeles venues like The Troubadour, Hotel Cafe, Peppermint Club, and more. She's also lent her theatrical talents to roles such as The Witch in "Into the Woods," Klepto in "Alanis Morissette - The Album Project: Jagged Little Pill" (touring in LA and Phoenix) as well as Alyshia in the Los Angeles production of Green Day's American Idiot.
Ray shines in new single "Chasing Shadows" with soul-bearing vocals, glittery production, and electrifying synths. Intended for late-night dance parties and summer day drives, Michelle captures the splendor and wistful energy of summer juxtaposed with the melancholy of longing for something that's no longer. Sitting on the sonic edge of dream-pop and nu-disco "Chasing Shadows" is a blast of feel-good energy and hard realizations.
On the single Ray elaborates, "'Chasing Shadows' is about thinking you can see or feel this presence everywhere you go but you can never actually hold it, it's not tangible, so is it real or just your imagination? Instagram-filtered memories and drive-in movie fantasies melt together as we imagine a love that could save us. An electric summer anthem that will shine a light when you're dancing in the dark."
www.instagram.com/michelleraymusic/
Reviewed by Nagamag on September 9, 2020