MICHELLE RENE

HOMETOWN: Phoenix, Ariz.
INFLUENCES: Fleetwood Mac, Ella Fitzgerald, Patsy Cline
ALBUM: As yet untitled EP, out 2013
WEBSITE: michellerene.com

As a teen, Michelle Rene performed at county fairs, music festivals and sports arenas in her hometown of Phoenix. She even hosted her own weekly live concert event, but a crowning moment came when she was named the best new act in country music’s largest talent competition, Country Showdown, at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in 2006. That prompted the move to Music City to chase her dream. “Packing my life into my old Ford Explorer and driving across the country to pursue a life in music was definitely a leap of faith,” she says. Since that leap, Michelle has served as a supporting act for LeAnn Rimes, Naomi Judd and Montgomery Gentry. Her not-yet-titled five-song EP charts the triumphs and challenges of a young artist. “I feel the songs on this project are a glimpse into my life,” she says. “It leaves me feeling very vulnerable and I wouldn’t want it any other way.”