This week DeBraun profiles singer Michelle Hollis.
Michelle Hollis is a singer and emcee who moved from El Paso, Texas to Lexington in 1996. Hollis lived with her mom and was educated about music through MTV. She sang for her class in elementary school, but it wasn’t until she came to Lexington to visit her father, that she realized she had a gift.
“We had come to visit him one summer, and we were driving from the airport and he heard me singin and he got the Joe Jackson idea ‘hey, wait a minute, we might have somethin to do, we might be able to do something with ya’ so I did some talent shows and they went well and then I just wanted to move here so I could focus on music a little bit more.”
Her gift has allowed her to be part of many diverse Lexington projects. Hollis, who performs under the name Emtre, has since been working with different producers. She is also known by many other musicians and producers for her ability not just as a songwriter, but also for her ability to deliver a hook. Hollis says she enjoys writing hooks because it allows her use a different approach to songwriting.
“I like to ask a lot of questions and really understand what people are wanting whether it’s writing a hook or writing a song for a movie, I like to see as much as possible, so either way you gotta use your heart, you can’t think logically a lot of times, at least when I’m writing a hook, I have to use my heart and really just kinda just chew on it for a little while and figure out how can I say the most with the least amount of words, that’s what it boils down to.”
Hollis continues to work to expand her vision by continuing to work with different producers in addition to performing with the local hip-hop collective A Tribe Called Lex. Hollis is currently working on a solo project to be released as a positive affirmations CD. The album titled Afromations in Realisms: Positive Vibrations for the Soul is set to be released later this year. Hollis says the album is meant for everyone but, hopes it will inspire a new generation of artists.
“It’s gonna be to soul music and trap, dubstep, just those genres that are popular and fun to listen to, which I think is different than most positive affirmation cds now a days, all the one’s I’ve heard are very, they’re kinda classical, contemporary style and while, I don’t mind listening to those, I just feel like we’re missing an opportunity to reach a different generation that doesn’t digest information the same way.”
Michelle Hollis performs as Emtre. More information about Hollis and her projects can be found here.
