Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine April 2017 | Page 194

Michele
Henderson
M
ichele was born into a musical
family in a small village on the
island of Dominica called Grand
Bay. Her grand-father was a singer,
playing several instruments and her father a
singer/ songwriter. Singing enveloped her
from birth. She too embraced singing while
growing up - at school and at church and, at
9 years old, she enhanced her love for singing
and music by writing songs.
She studied music at the Kairi School of Music
in Dominica, where she sang and played the
classical flute. At 15 years old, Michele joined a
band and started singing professionally.
With a voice so powerful, yet so sultry, her
singing captivates audiences world-wide.
There is depth, emotion and passion in all of
her renditions leaving listeners wanting yet
another song.
Being extremely versitile, Michele enjoys
singing a variety of genres to the delight of
her audience. She loves to sing Jazz for the
vocal expression and intricate melodies, and
Zouk, because it is the type of music that was
frequently played in her village as a child.
Zouk is a genre of music - usually sung in the
Creole language - that developed primarily
in the French Creole islands of Martinique
and Guadeloupe. It is heavily influenced by
Kadanse - also Creole music - from her island
of Dominica, which was very popular in the
French islands during the 1970’s.
Performing RnB and Reggae is an emotional
conduit, transporting Michele back to her
childhood. Her singer/songwriter father
“consumed many different genres of music”
at home, including Kadanse, sung in Creole,
which is the language most people spoke in
her village as a child.
But that’s not all. Michele also loves to sing Soul
and Rock - she just loves, loves, loves music,
which is cle