Despite the push-and-pull of celebrity and stardom, Michele’s perspective on her career is one of unfettered gratitude. She appreciates her fans, even though she says it’s still strange to her that she may be stopped on the street.
“I struggle to balance walking around as ‘Chrisette Michelle,’ ” she admits. “When I’m walking around — just hanging out, I don’t even remember that somebody might know me. Putting on my game face or my ‘Chrisette Michele’ face as soon as somebody notices me is a challenge. It’s totally not in my mind to be famous. I’m not really great at that. I’m not good at being famous; I don’t think it’s my forte. Some people are pros at it.”
She even says at one time, she didn’t fully appreciate the benefits of being a high-profile artist. But that’s all changed now.
“I took for granted the fact that I was a signed major artist. I came into the industry thinking that I’d be an indie singer. I took for granted that there was this major record label behind me and pushing me and taking care of me, essentially — straight out of college. Now I’m deciding ‘You know what? Let’s be this major artist. Let’s do these photo shoots. Let’s get out here and show ‘em what we got,’ ” she says.
