Do you have a story behind your artist name?
Michelle Forziati: Michelle Forziati is my real name. I chose to use my real name for a few different reasons. I wanted to use my own name to create a personal connection with the listener, as it felt like a truer reflection of my voice coming from my own name than a stage name. Music and singing is where I go to be me, to be safe and to be my true self. Music really is one of the only places I feel raw and connected with myself on a deeper level. I don’t want to wear a mask with music. I want to be me. My goal is to create honesty with my music, so trying to do that under another name would feel like a lie.
Tell us about your music journey. How has it shaped you?
Music has been a part of my life from a very early age. Some of the earliest memories have been music in some way. My family is very musical so I was introduced to the power and freedom that music is at a very young age. Music has shaped me on many different levels. I’ve grown through life with music and singing my emotions, allowing my feelings to process or be a release through song. It’s allowed me to grow to feel and be safe. Music has always been there for me. It has never let me down. It’s taught me so much about myself. So much about how to process my emotions. I’m forever grateful to music
How would you describe your sound to someone unfamiliar with it?
My sound is mostly pop while drawing inspiration from R&B and slight pop-rock, while also telling a story. So far, what I’ve conveyed in my songs are inspired by real events that have happened in my life.I write all my own lyrics while trying to capture the emotion while singing .I want you to hear that emotion in the tone of my voice.
What drew you to the general/instruments you’re playing right now?
I honestly give Victor Wooten credit for me being able to find my sound. I had immense writer’s block, so I ran to Barnes & Noble to invite inspiration. And there was Victor Wooten’s book looking right back at me. The music lesson, a spiritual search for growth through music. Victor talks about how music is a conversation and we need to listen to respond properly. At the moment, I don’t play an instrument, so I utilize BeatStars – it’s a fantastic platform. I listened to thousands of beats and the ones I felt the most, I saved and wrote lyrics to. I’m making music that I want to listen to and hopefully that inspires others to listen as well.
What inspires you to write music?
I love music, I love singing – it makes me feel true and honest. With this love of music and the gift of song I pair it with all the experiences life has offered me. I have a story to tell and I’m incredibly grateful to God that I get to share it through song.
Would you tell us about your current song/project you’re promoting?
‘Stranger’ is about having clouded vision and losing sight of what truly matters. I’m a spiritual person and there was a time that my grief and my sadness drove me away from God. I blamed him for my heartache but I ended up realizing I survived these hardships because of him. I was never really alone. So it’s about coming back home to yourself to your core and being gentle to yourself while you are growing through life. Dylan Gagnon added the guitar parts to really pull the song together, and it was recorded with Monty Dale at Graybeard Recording Studio in Framingham, who mixed and mastered the track. I truly credit him for pushing me beyond my limits to deliver the song to where it is today.
What do you want listeners to take away from listening to your music?
I want my listeners to be able to feel, to have an experience. A journey through storytelling, a place where they can relate and realize they aren’t alone. I want my music to be a safe place for them to feel and be raw and a place where maybe they are challenged to think or reflect. To have a place where release and progress is made by creating that safe space for people to feel.
Who are your top 3 artists right now? If that isn’t a fair question what is your favorite song right now?
Oh man, this is one of the hardest questions [laughs]. I love Harry Styles – not only am I a fan of his music, his heart is absolutely beautiful. I love John Mayer, his music is so chill and calming. He’s always in my life’s soundtrack. And I love Miley Cyrus, her new album gave me all the feels and her voice to me is just magnificent.
What is the easiest way for fans to connect with you?
Social media is the best way. Instagram is @michelleforziatimusic as well as Facebook.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleforziatimusic/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelleforziatimusic
Bandcamp: https://michelleforziati.bandcamp.com/track/stranger
What’s next for you?
To keep writing music that makes me feel deeply and allows me to connect with myself and others. I have another song I’m finishing in May that will be released sometime in the summer. I’m partnering with two amazing musicians, Steve Constantino and Michael Strakus, who both play in Derek Smith and the Cosmic Vultures. I can’t wait to see the magical elements they’re going to incorporate into the song. I’m excited to continue to collaborate and partner with Knyvet and more fantastic musicians in the future. I’m looking forward to growing together and learning more about myself through writing music and just sharing all of the love that I have inside of me for music.
Bio: Michelle Forziati is a singer, musician, actress, and dancer from Massachusetts. A former ballroom dance instructor, she played the role of Jilly Hurley in the 2017 biographical drama film Stronger, about Jeff Bauman’s recovery, played by Jake Gyllenhaal, in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombing. In 2023, she tapped into a longtime passion by venturing into music with two alt-pop and R&B singles in “Echo To Me” and “Familiar Face.” Forziati is set to release new single “Stranger,” recorded with Monty Dale at Graybeard Recording Studio in Framingham, MA, in April 2024.
