![\"M-33-lea-michele\"](\"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/M-33-lea-michele.jpg\")
<\/h1>\n<\/h1>\nFor more than four years,\u00a0millions of Americans watched Lea Michele belt out a broad range of hits on TV\u2019s Glee<\/i>. On her debut solo album, Louder<\/i>, she shifts effortlessly between luxurious ballads and uptempo numbers that showcase her vocal and songwriting talent. The Emmy-nominated actress and singer tapped a stable of hit collaborators including Christina Perri, John Shanks and Australian singer-songwriter Sia for the record. Though making the album was a challenge, Michele, 27, was undaunted. \u201cIt\u2019s scary at first to put yourself out there and be open and vulnerable,\u201d she says, \u201cbut I wanted that. If I recorded a song, it\u2019s because I could relate to it.\u201d Michele is also releasing her first book\u2014a combination memoir, advice and style guide\u2014titled Brunette Ambition<\/i>.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
How did the album evolve?<\/b><\/p>\n
We began recording the album in September 2012. It took a lot of different shapes and moods throughout the last year and a half. We tried a lot of different styles. I think it\u2019s a great representation of who I am.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What was your main goal?<\/b><\/p>\n
I definitely felt the most important thing was to show off my voice. I wanted to be honest and truthful and choose real songs to show myself as a real artist. That was a deciding factor. My goal throughout the album was to stick true to who I am. These incredible singers that I grew up with\u2014Mariah Carey, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette\u2014all led with their voices. That\u2019s what I wanted to do. I didn\u2019t want to sing something that wasn\u2019t real.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
How\u2019d your collaborators help?<\/b><\/p>\n
My record label helped me find the songs I didn\u2019t write. I took the time to find songs that meant a lot to me. I was able to work with Sia on this album\u2014she\u2019s such a great writer and singer. To work, write and sing with her was amazing. We were a great match. I also worked with Christina Perri, who\u2019s so talented, as well as Ali Tamposi, who\u2019s worked with Kelly Clarkson and Beyonc\u00e9. I\u2019m just so thankful to have been able to work with these talented people.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What can audiences expect?<\/b><\/p>\n
The singles\u2014\u201cCannonball\u201d and \u201cBattlefield\u201d\u2014have given the fans a great sneak peek for the whole album. It\u2019s unbelievable to think of the reaction we\u2019ve had so far. I\u2019m very grateful for the initial response to the singles we\u2019ve released.<\/p>\n
How is singing for a solo album different from singing on TV or Broadway?<\/b><\/p>\n
I guess I feel the same way with music as I do with anything else, whether that be with Glee<\/i> or Spring Awakening<\/i>. That success is a nice thing to have in my back pocket. But this album is like opening a Broadway show. You\u2019ve been working on it for such a long time, and you have this feeling of gratification. You want people to come out and see it and hear it.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Any lessons you\u2019ve learned?<\/b><\/p>\n
I love performing more than anything. Sometimes you can begin to doubt yourself and be afraid that you can\u2019t get to the finish line. I think recording this album really helped me to find strength.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What\u2019s next?<\/b><\/p>\n
I\u2019ll be promoting the album for a while,\u00a0and then we\u2019ll be shooting season six of Glee <\/i>this summer. It\u2019s great to be able to go back and be with my friends. Later this year I\u2019ll be doing a few shows. I\u2019ve been playing these songs for a while and I\u2019m glad now people are finally going to\u00a0be able to hear them.<\/p>\n
\u2013Blake Boldt<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
LEA MICHELE Glee fans\u2019 favorite leading lady tries on a new role: pop star \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 For more than four years,\u00a0millions of Americans watched Lea Michele belt out a broad range of hits on TV\u2019s Glee. On her debut solo album, Louder, she shifts effortlessly between luxurious ballads and uptempo numbers that showcase her vocal and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[4525,7401,7413],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12369"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12369"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12369\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12371,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12369\/revisions\/12371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mmusicmag.com\/m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}