Elle Duncan talks singing with Beyoncé and why her parents and first lady Michelle Obama are her champions

elle duncan

There’s something unique about WXIA 11 Alive’s morning traffic reporter Elle Duncan. Maybe it’s the way she lights up your television screen each weekday morning with her smile, even when she tells us what we don’t want to hear about traffic. Or the fact that she looks like she just finished a photo shoot, so fresh-faced at 6 a.m. and full of joy.

Here, the TV and radio personality shares her favorite things, what Michelle Obama means to her and why she’d like to sing a Smokey Robinson duet with queen Bey.


Who is your favorite artist you have interviewed?
That’s tough — Raven-Symoné for her humility, Kanye West for being a challenge, and Jamie Foxx for his honesty.

How do you get back up when you’ve been knocked down by life?
One foot in front of the other. I pray, I reflect, I cry some, laugh some, eat my weight in ice cream and mostly I remind myself that although we as people are flawed, God’s love for us isn’t. So I forgive myself and I try to move forward.


How important are your parents in your life?
My parents mean more to me than is legitimately possible for me to express. My rock, my rock stars, my biggest fans and my biggest critics when I deserve that too.

Where do you go to read outside?
Piedmont Park

If you could sing on stage with Beyoncé, what would you sing?
Emotions … “Cruising” by Smokey Robinson because it’s a great duet song and I think I might not totally embarrass myself with it.

Identify character traits you must have in a relationship.
Honesty, humor, respect, spontaneity, acceptance and passion

Identify your favorites:
Perfume? Chance by Chanel
Department at Macy’s: Cosmetics — I actually worked there in college at the Estée Lauder counter.
Quote? “Holding a grudge is like drinking poison and expecting it to kill the other person.”
Makeup to pack on every trip? Lip gloss, bronzer, mascara… If all else fails you can get by with the basics!

What does first lady Michelle Obama represent to America and to you?
She has been a champion for smart women. It scares me that young girls think women of influence are whoever has the most Instagram followers or whoever is in the most music videos. I knock no one’s hustle, but there must be balance and to have a black woman of strength, integrity and power so visible; it’s everything.

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