Michelle's parents were both country performers and as a young girl she tagged along on countless jobs in and around her small Canadian hometown. We never were a family band, but I got a lot of inspiration and encouragement from my mother. That's where my love of country music really began." By her mid- teens Michelle was playing in local bands. After high school she toured the U.S. and Canada, and in 1988 released her first Canadian album Do Right By Me - on Savannah Records.
Michelle's popularity in her homeland grew steadily through records and live appearances. Her powerful voice and solid style eventually came to the attention of Arista Records, and Michelle became one of the first artists to sign to the label in Nashville. Her 1990 self titled album drew rave reviews, and her second album Now & Then produced five #1 Canadian country hits: "Take It Like A Man", the haunting "He Would Be Sixteen", the raunchy "Guitar Talk", "One Time Around", and the album's title track. Now & Then gave Michelle her first U.S. Top 10 hit and a #1 video on CMT with "Take It Like A Man".
The Academy of Country Music (ACM) named Michelle its Top New Female Vocalist in May of 1993, and she also catapulted to superstardom in Canada the same year, receiving a total of twelve music industry awards including the Canadian Country Music Association's (CCMA) Fan Choice Entertainer of the Year award (for which she was nominated again in 1994) and double platinum honors for Now & Then.
Michelle also has a Juno under her belt as 1993's Country Female Vocalist of the Year; ten Big Country Awards (including Top Female Vocalist 1994); a Canadian Music Video award for "Take It Like A Man"; and is a return nominee in two categories . Entertainer of the Year and Top Female Vocalist - for this year's Canadian Country Music Awards
Michelle says her satisfaction with The Reasons Why comes partly from the vulnerability expressed in some of its songs. "There's a certain maturity in being able to sing about those things which make us feel challenged. It feels good to explore the different sides of life, and this record is a celebration of those sides." Michelle's contribution as a songwriter on "'Where Do We Go From Were", written with Jill Colucci and Randy Sharp, marks the achievement of another career milestone. Michelle's eyes sparkle with enthusiasm when she talks about The Reasons Why - produced by longtime associate Steve Bogard, Grammy-award-winner Val Garay, Mike Clute and John Guess and it is apparent that she regards her new music with a deep sense of fulfillment: "I feel like I've really grown as an artist with this record and I'm particularly thrilled to have one of my own songs included."