An Interview With MICHELLE CREBER On Her Newest Tunes, Being A Voice-Actor and More!

Posted On 17 Mar 2020

Tag: All Access, All Access Music Group, Artist Interview, Michelle Creber, Storm

Meet the singer-songwriter, Michelle Creber, who recently released her single “Storm” last month on February 7th.

Listen to “Storm” below:

As a session singer, Michelle has recorded vocals on the soundtracks for many TV shows and movies. Lead singing features include the theme song for NBCs Nina’s World; several songs during nine seasons of the hit animated series My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic (Discovery Family); multiple songs on Nintendo’s popular franchise Yo-Kai Watch; singing for Alice on Martha Speaks (PBS); Hasbro albums Songs of Ponyville, It’s A Pony Kind of Christmas and Songs of Harmony; an onscreen feature performance for the Hallmark movie Smart Cookies; and a soundtrack duet with Billy Joel for the movie Just the Way You Are. As a voice actor, Michelle is known around the world as the speaking/singing voice of “Apple Bloom” and the singing voice for “Sweetie Belle” on My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic. Other notable voiceover credits include “Lucy” in Peanuts (Warner Bros); “Alice” in Martha Speaks (PBS Kids); and “Wendy” in The New Adventures of Peter Pan (Discovery Family).

As an actor, Michelle’s notable onscreen credits include series regular “Kelly” (Leo Award nomination for best supporting actress) in Strange Empire (CBC/Netflix); guest starring roles on Supernatural (CW) and The Haunting Hour (The Hub); a lead acting/lead singing role on Smart Cookies (Hallmark); supporting roles on Killer Among Us (Lifetime), Christmas Lodge (Showcase) and Eureka (NBC); and an acting/featured singing role on The Search For Santa Paws (Disney).

Michelle’s 6th album since 2012, On Display, containing 13 of her own original songs, sold and streamed in 65 countries on six continents, earning her a top 100 placement on the US Billboard charts. Given Michelle’s young age, since releasing her first album, she has performed her music in concerts in major cities throughout the US as well as Canada, Germany, Poland, Thailand, Australia and the UK.

Connect With Michelle Creber Online Here-

Learn more about Michelle Creber in the following All Access interview-

-When it comes to your music, what are you most excited for this year? How has 2020 been treating you so far?

I’m definitely most looking forward to the release of my “Storm” album! May 1st is drawing closer and I’m incredibly excited to finally be sharing these 11 new original songs with everyone. 2020 has been a very busy work year so far but also a great new chapter in my personal life.

-Can you recall the moment when you thought you could be a musician? What do you think motivates you day in and day out? How has that changed over the years?

There was never one moment I decided to be a musician. It was always my reality from day one, growing up with 2 professional musicians as parents. I am truly passionate to my very core about music and I think when you’re truly passionate about something, you always have motivation. Over the years, I’ve gained a bigger understanding of the positive impact that music can have in people’s lives and that continues to motivate me more and more as a singer-songwriter.

-How do you think your hometown has influenced the kind of music that you make? If not, why is that?

Being raised in Vancouver was a gift like no other. Society is generally kind, accepting and inclusive here and although I’m not sure if my “style” was influenced by VanCity, my lyrics and messages certainly were. I was really taught the value of equality growing up, and I feel like that’s made very clear in my music.

-Growing up, how important was music in your life? Was your family and friends supportive of this career choice? If you weren’t a musician today, could you see yourself doing anything else?

As soon as I could talk, I wanted to sing and as soon as I could walk, I wanted to dance. Music and acting and the arts was my whole childhood and I loved every second of it. My family was extremely supportive in my decision to start a career at a young age and I could not have navigated it without them. When I’m not doing something specifically music related, I’m either on set for Film & TV, in the studio for voice acting, or in the dance studio for dancing! Can’t really ever see myself doing something not creative.

-What has been the biggest surprise so far about making music your career? What has been an unexpected or welcome challenge to it all? What has been the best part?

Having a career in the entertainment industry is like choosing the road of most surprises. It’s never linear and new challenges are always arising, but lately I’ve been a bit of an perfectionist with this new album and way way wayyy to picky about my vocals. But of course, the best part of being a songwriter is finally approving/letting go of a song and sharing it with others.

-What was the inspiration for your latest single, “Storm”? How do you think it prepares listeners for more music from you?

Storm wasn’t really inspired by one specific person, despite how it may sound. It was inspired by a specific feeling, one that I think we have all experienced in some way or another. When you finally walk away from a friendship or relationship that’s been causing emotional strife, it’s completely liberating. Storm is about that initial feeling of freedom – when you have decided enough is enough, and it’s time to stand up for yourself. Self-empowerment is definitely an underlying theme in my music.

-What was it like making the music video for the song? How creatively involved with the making of it were you?

Filming the Storm music video was a blast. I hired an amazing team of videographers “Gibbons Creative” for Storm who have access to endless cool retro things. The car, the old phone, the reel to reel, the type-writer, the records, etc, etc… all their gear! I am very hands-on with all my creative projects, and the Storm music video was no exception 🙂

-Do you have plans to release more new music soon and a full collection of new songs?

Definitely! As I mentioned, my new album “Storm” will be coming out on May 1st, 2020 and there will be two more pre-releases leading up to it.

-I’d love to know more about your voice acting work. What do you love the most about being doing it? What is the most challenging part? What project has been the most rewarding to be part of?

Voice-acting is like Film & TV on steroids and it is truly a ton of fun. It requires a lot of imagination, which again… fun, but also can be challenging because you essentially have to build the whole environment in your head, for every scene. My Little Pony is pretty hard to beat. I consider myself extremely lucky to be a part of a TV show that has had such a positive influence on so many people. I have been on the show since I was 9 years old and the world-wide community that built around it continues to astound me every day!

-How do you think you have grown as a musician since you first started making music? What if anything has stayed the same about your music-making process?

I think I have grown most in my lyrics and finding the right balance between complex and simple/accessible. I have also greatly improved my piano and self accompaniment skills. Something that has stayed the same about my music-making process, is that I like to keep things as flexible as possible. I find it a lot easier to avoid writer’s block when you’re not relying on specific patterns. Sometimes my songs start with a melody, other times they start with lyrics. Sometimes they are inspired by a person or experience but other times it’s entirely random. For example, a poster on the wall, or a stranger on the street, that just seem to tell me a story.

-How do you feel about social media? What do you think social media has done for your career so far?

I think social media is great for connecting people and getting to communicate with others around the world, that you wouldn’t otherwise be able to communicate with. It has its downsides, of course, but it has been an instrumental (pun intended) tool for artists like me for quite some time now. In fact, it’s essential in most lines of work these days.

-What musicians would you absolutely love to work with in the future? Who has been inspiring you and the music that you make?

Sara Bareilles is my all-time inspiration. Working with her would be a dream come true. Other artists that have influenced me include Queen, Adele, Alessia Cara, Abba…lots of A names I guess haha.

-Where would you love to hear a song of yours played?

I think it would be cool to be sitting in a coffee shop somewhere on the other side of the world someday, and just casually hear one of my songs playing in the background on the radio.

-At the end of the day, what do you hope people take away from your music?

At the end of the day, I want to create songs that provoke thought, self-confidence, introspection and healing. So, I hope people take away whatever meaning they need from my lyrics, and that they find at least one of my songs makes their life just a little bit easier, and their day just a little bit brighter 🙂

About the Author

Leah Brungardt joined All Access Music Group in August 2011 and has been enjoying getting to know a new side of the music industry ever since. Having worked to promote radio stations in the past, seeing what makes a successful radio hit has been a thrill. As a lover of all genres of music, working at All Access Music Group is a perfect fit for Leah, and she loves learning about up and coming musicians as well. Most of her friends have come to rely on her for new music.