Michelle Branch
What a trip! Hot new artist Michelle gives TRACEY PEPPER the Top 10 Moments of her fantastic year
Michelle Branch has had a year to remember. The singer-songwriter’s heartfelt yet rocking debut, The Spirit Room, has gone gold, and she’s touring the world. “People used to ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up and I’d say, “I want to be a famous singer,” says the 18-year-old, who grew up in Sedona, Ariz. “I didn’t consider doing anything else.” Here are her Top 10 moments in an unforgettable year.
1. Most surreal moment: “I walked the red carpet with Mick Jagger!” When Michelle attended the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, she planned to sit in the audience, but she ended up before the phalanx of cameras. “I’m like, ‘What am I doing here?’” she says, laughing. “No one knows who I am! Then I turned around and I was like, ‘Oh. My. God.’ He said, ‘Hey, I’m Mick.’ He didn’t know who the hell I was, but he was nice and shook my hand.”
2. Most memorable concert event: “Stevie Nicks in Las Vegas was pretty rocking.” Michelle was in Vegas when her producer helped her snag prime seats for the sold-out concert. “I had my parents in from Arizona. They grew up listening to Fleetwood Mac so they were pretty excited.”
3. Most heady time: Her concert in the small town of West Lafayette, Ind. “It was the only all-ages show on that tour, so it was sold out. There were around 1,400 rabid kids. They were like Backstreet Boys fans — girls were crying and freaking out. That was the moment when I realized, I love my job!”
4. Best move: In April, Michelle, who was home for a grand total of seven days last year, rented her own apartment in Los Angeles. “I’m looking forward to being independent. And I love Los Angeles.”
5. Best advice: “Jewel and I played a show together, and she said, “Michelle, just remember: The only person looking out for you is yourself.” I was on the road and ruptured my eardrum. It hit me then: I’m the only person who knows how I feel. I just have to speak up!”
6. Biggest bummer: A strained relationship with her best friend Jenifer Hagio who cowrote two songs on The Spirit Room. “We were so close, we finished each other’s sentences. I invited her out on the road and learned that you can’t work with people you’re really close to. We still talk, but it’s not the same. One of my goals is to try to get our friendship going again.”
7. Best job perk: Choosing the token “hot guy” in her videos for “Everywhere” and “All You Wanted.” “I picked them both!” she says. And if she could have any guy in her video? “Ewan McGregor! Or I really like Patrick Fugit from Almost Famous. I go for the shaggy, artsy guys.”
8. Biggest challenge: Having a relationship. “I tell everyone my boyfriend is my guitar because it’s the only thing I have time for. It was the time apart that ended her brief relationship with Sean Woolstenhulme, guitarist for L.A. rockers the Calling. “Right after we broke up I left the country,” she says. “I left a lot unsaid. He’s on tour now and we keep playing phone tag. I can’t imagine what it would be like if we were still going out. I can’t even reach him to apologize!”
9. Coolest role model: When Michelle was 15, she met Lisa Loeb after one of her concerts. “I said, ‘You’re an inspiration to me.’ She said, ‘Do you want to play me a song?’” Three years later, when Michelle is recording her album, she saw Lisa perform again, and was shocked when Lisa remembered her. “She was so excited for me. She said, ‘You played me those songs last time and here you are!’”
10. Best celebrity encounter: Madonna. “She’s my boss,” says Michelle, who is signed to the superstar’s label, Maverick Records, “I had to go in alone and I started getting really nervous,” she says of meeting backstage at Madonna’s Drowned World tour. “I really didn’t know what to say and was kind of a dork. Then I walked out of her dressing room and there was David Bowie waiting to go in after me!”
