Michelle Kaz: News

Hey everyone!

I would just like to officially welcome you to my new site. Right now I am working hard to finish my EP of originals for you for it's release date later on in November. I will keep you posted on that!

Speaking of the studio, I was in there just last week, and I had an absolutely amazing time. I worked with some fantastic young musicians on some brand new tracks which I cannot wait to show you!

Be sure to check out the Calendar and come out to some of the events - especially all of you Gaels and Queen's supporters!

More updates are sure to be posted soon - I will try to keep you in the know, specifically about my upcoming EP.

Yours truly,

Michelle :)

P.S. Coming soon to a computer near you...

I am finally going to get a MySpace!

Hello Everyone!!

Oh my goodness, it has been a very long time since I have given an entry, so I must once again apologize. All right, I know I tend to make these a little long when I have missed some, but I will do my best to keep this one extra short - if you ever want more details give me a shout: michelleka@michellekaz.com! Now, here we go...

So what, you may ask, ever happened after my amazing trip to CMTC and meeting with Mode Elle? Well, I actually got an offer to sign with an agency, but I ended up turning it down. While the agency had some connections in the music business, I would have had to focus mostly on acting, and I am not ready to make my music second to anything right now! I have also decided to go to school in the fall so I will be attending Queen's University. While I wish I were focusing on music this year, I am going to use this year to become more independent, to meet new musicians (future band members...?) and to really find myself as an artist.

Now onto what else has happened...

At the end of June I sang at a wedding for a very nice couple and I would like to thank them for the opportunity to do so; the ceremony was beautiful and I am so glad I could be a part of their special day.

And most recently....

BYE BYE BIRDIE!!!

Over the past two months I have been rehearsing for Blue Canoe's production of the 50's based musical "Bye Bye Birdie" and I am very excited to say that tonight is opening night! The crew and production team have been extremely dedicated to the show and the cast's youth brings a lot of energy to the it - not to mention talent. Many of the actors in the musical have been performing for a while and you have probably seen them in other shows around the area.

There are quite a few RND students/alumni such as Jordan Richards, Marta McDonald, and Lee Clapp, all stars of RND's recent production of "Fiddler on the Roof." The main character of Kim MacAfee is played by Charlotte Stewart-Juby who has starred in many shows such as KCVI's "Anne of Green Gables" where she played Anne, and The Kinsmen's "Beauty and the Beast" put on last year at the Grand Theatre.

For a complete cast list make sure you check out the show! I can guarantee you will not be disappointed as everyone has put a lot of work into making sure Bye Bye Birdie is full of talent and energy!

You can find more information about the musical and when it's on, on my website's "Calendar" section. I really hope to see you all there!

Well, that is really all I have to say right now, I will try to do a better job of keeping you updated on my music. By the way, right now my sister is in the process of putting together a music video for "Only One" - the first single I will be releasing off of my EP coming out this fall; I will keep you posted about that as well...

But right now I have to go finish laundry and get ready for tonight's show!

Thanks again for all of your support and interest in my love for music.

Sincerely,

Michelle :)

Finally! I have been just dying to tell you all about my experience at the Canadian Model and Talent Convention that I went to a couple of weeks ago! As you might be able to tell from my excitement - I had an AMAZING time. It was one of the best weekends and experiences of my life. So here is my story of CMTC:

Going up to Toronto, I was definitely a little nervous, okay, maybe more than a little. I wasn't nervous to perform, I was more worried about what the whole thing was going to be like. While I have been to my fair share of competitions, I had never been to anything like this convention before. I was worried about what the expectations would be like and whether or not I could hold my own, or stand out.

Well, we got to Toronto and very shortly after, the convention had begun. It started with an orientation and then came the workshops and seminars. It was while attending these seminars and workshops that my nerves started to disappear. The presenters were full of so much knowledge and helpful information about the business; they all seemed to mention the same thing at some point or another too - you have to be yourself! Hearing that was so encouraging in such a subjective business and the workshops and seminars ended up being one of my favourite parts of the weekend.

And so it began! I participated in all of the acting competitions as well as the singing and dance (my friends thought that was funny) competitions. The acting ones were a lot of fun and they all went well too. The dance competition was the last thing I did and it was the first time I had ever danced for an audience by myself! I was a little nervous as to how it would go but it ended up being fine and it was FUN :).

Now for the singing! I sang "Crazy" by Patsy Cline for my audition and they told me to stop after only about 15 seconds! I wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing but I made it to the finals the next day (Friday) so I realized it must have been a good thing! I decided to sing "A Love That Will Last" by Renee Olstead for the finals and it ended up being a great song choice. Being on that stage was such an amazing feeling and only being able to sing and perform one song was torture! We didn't find out until Saturday what the results were but guess what? I WON!!!! :D It was so exciting and I got some great feedback from quite a few people. At the awards banquet, where they announce the winners, I got to sing "Crazy" again, because the judges wanted to hear it again (ahh!), and I got a TROPHY! It may not seem like a big deal but in singing, we don't get trophies, so I was extremely excited :P.

This is a very long entry eh? I'm almost done though :) ....

On Saturday, before the banquet, they have something called "Open Call" and it is a chance for models and talent to go around and talk to different agents. If any agents would like to see you again, they give you a callback on Sunday. I had the chance to meet with a lot of great people and it was nice when some of them remembered me from the singing competition. I actually got a couple of callbacks the next day which was really exciting, especially because it was my first time!

I am now waiting to meet with my mother agency, Mode Elle, this week to find out if they have heard from any of the agents who asked to see me. I am nervous and excited to hear if they had any positive feedback about my singing and other performances, but I also can't wait to tell Mode Elle how exciting my trip to CMTC was. It really was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had; whether or not anything business wise comes from it, I learned so much from going to the convention and I wouldn't trade my new found knowledge for anything.

I can't wait to give you more updates. Thanks for sticking with me (and this entry :P).

Sincerely,

Michelle :)

Hey there!

Okay so I just got back from CMTC yesterday, and WOW - it was one of the best weekends ever!! I hate to keep you waiting for more information but I am going to work as hard as I can to put a full entry in within the next couple of days, sharing with you details about my unforgettable time at the convention. Right now I am trying to catch up on some homework - yuck eh? I do actually enjoy the classes I have, but it is very hard to come back to regular life after having a taste of your dream just a day ago!

Okay, so I will try to give you a full update very soon. Oh, and in case you haven't looked in a while, I have two shows coming up this week - one actually tomorrow. Be sure to take a quick look at the Calendar for more info!

I hope to see you there!

Yours truly,

Michelle :)

Well, this is it. My last entry before CMTC. I'm sure you are surprised reading this because I wrote only last week, and it's just not like me to write an entry less than two months apart! :P

Anyhow, I would just like to take this opportunity to say a HUGE thank you to all of my supporters and of course all of my sponsors! You have all helped me a great deal, in one way or another to get to where I am, and I can't thank you enough for that.

I will be participating in both some of the singing and acting competitions at CMTC, and I honestly have no idea what to expect! This entire experience is new to me and even though I am a little nervous, I could not be more excited to get professional feedback, really the most beneficial and rewarding part of the convention.

Once again thank you, and I will try to make another quick entry and surprise you again :P. This is going to be fun!

Yours truly,

Michelle :)

Hello all. So surprise, I have once again not made an entry in over a month! I am sorry, for those of you who actually read these updates because I should definitely be doing them more often. Anyways, here it is, finally...

March was a pretty good month. I had a break from some singing jobs and I actually went down to Florida for the Mach break with my family. That is where I ended up competing in the brand new Walt Disney, Hollywood Studios attraction, "The American Idol Experience" and it was a blast! It was just like the television show; first you are given 30 seconds to sing for a judge and then they decide whether or not to pass you on to the show's producer. You go and sit in the "Coke Lounge" and choose a new song from a selective list to sing for the producer. I did "Break It To Me Gently" for the first round but most of the songs on the list I was given and knew for the next round were in male keys! Therefore I decided to go with the classic "Reflection" from Disney's Mulan. Well, I made it past the producer and got to be one of three contestants for the 4:00 show that day! The whole experience was just awesome though; they even give you some time with a make up artist and vocal coach before you perform for a live audience of 1000! It was so exciting and I was up against some extremely talented adults; the guy who won definitely deserved it. It was so much fun performing and getting feedback from real judges and I am so lucky to just to have had another opportunity to perform.

And in other news...

I was in the studio a couple of times last month and am in the process of finishing some originals, yah! I never realized how much more difficult the process is when you are doing your own songs - there is nothing to compare or build off of! It is great fun and a really good learning experience for me and I hope to have some kind of finished product for you all by the end of next month.

And finally...

Tomorrow our school band is headed of to great old Boston, MA to participate in a music festival there. Both our concert and jazz bands will be performing and I will have the opportunity to sing with our jazz band during the festival. Hopefully everything goes well; I am looking forward to visiting this very historical area of America and getting to perform, all at the same time!

Next week is Talent Convention time and I am sooo excited for that as well. This has been a very long entry though (I wonder why... :P) so I will be sending out something sometime next week with an update on that. A big thank you to everyone who bought raffle tickets and to all of my sponsors; you have all helped me a lot with this endeavor of mine!

Sorry for the late and lengthy entry!

Michelle :)

I can't believe it has been two months since I last wrote an entry, sorry about that!

This gap has actually been good for me though, as it has allowed me time to focus on some writing and thinking about my upcoming trip to the studio. For a look at some of the songs I will be recording be sure to look up my performance at BarNone on YouTube. I would love to get some input on them!

And in performing news...

I have recently, successfully auditioned for the Canadian Model and Talent Convention! At the convention I will be participating in both singing and acting competitions with the chance to be seen by over 50 of the WORLD's top model and talent agents! Exciting, right?

Well, I would love to hear from everyone so feel free to drop me a line in my guestbook, or join my mailing list to receive monthly updates of what's going on! These next couple of months will be filled with some exciting opportunities and it is great to know that I have so many supportive people here to back me up.

Talk to you in two months - just kidding!

Michelle :)

I can't believe we are already half way through the month of November. I am extremely excited of course because this means Christmas is coming!

There is lots going on this month, closer to the end and going into December. I will be playing my first live solo gig at BarNone in Kingston and of course hope to pack the building. The bands playing before and with me at the show are going to be awesome as well, so don't miss this! It is an ALL AGES show and food is permitted to be brought in (but NO drinks). There is more information about this show, as well as others in the Calendar section.

I have been writing a lot lately and am planning on doing some originals at the concert, as well as give them a run at Regi's Coffee House this month.

Other events coming up next month are two shows at Chapters and then of course RND's "Fiddler On the Roof." It is going to be a very busy but exciting time of year, as it usually is and I am looking forward to seeing as many familiar faces as possible!

Oh yes, and I almost forgot to mention that "For You At Christmas" is now available at Chapters and Indigo in Kingston. Make sure to check it out the next time you stop in for a read or your Starbucks!

I hope to see everyone soon (November 30th)!

Michelle :)

So, I know it has been a long time since I updated my journal but I have been waiting to get some information about the Forgotten Idols Benefit Concert this year first. Therefore, I will just do a quick entry now until I have some of that info.

What has been going on lately? The Forgotten Idols Benefit Concert went very well and I am hoping to check in with Gord and Kim very soon on that. I had a job the other night in Gananoque that was fun. Everyone was dancing and moving around, it was great!

I also had a rehearsal recently for my own music, and that was also pretty good. The process of putting it all together is not quite as easy as it seems, but it is definitely worth it. I really hope to get this demo done before the end of the year, so that I can start doing more promotion. For now though, I am very excited because it has almost been a year since I released my Christmas CD and I can't wait to start getting into that again!

I am also excited because I am going to see William Joseph in concert, wohoo! For those of you who don't know who he is, William is an AMAZING piano player who I met at the David Foster Gala back in March. I would suggest for anyone who loves music to check him out at www.william-joseph.com because he is truly great. I can't wait to see him live!

Well, I would say that was a pretty fair/decent update, no? Well, at least it wasn't too long.

I will keep you posted,

Michelle :)

Howdy! So I have noticed a lot recently that I am continuously being asked the same question: "What do you plan on doing in your future?" The only answer I can give to people is that I want to continue to pursue singing and performing as career, professionally. This is the only thing that I can think of right now that I want to do.

Lately I have been doing some studying and have been trying to figure out as well the genre of music I would like to begin to focus on. This is so hard because I usually just sing everything and anything that I like without restricting myself to certain styles. I guess we'll see where things take me!

I know that a few people have been asking me about the song I wrote called "That Look In His Eyes" and if I plan on recording and releasing it anytime soon. The answer to this is yes, or at least I hope so! My intention is to finish another song before I go into the studio so that I can have more of an EP/demo styled record. I will definitely be keeping everyone updated with this information.

Finally I would just like to say that the other night I happened to go to a Wilkinsons concert and I got so much more than I ever had expected. The concert was amazing. It was all acoustic with just Steve, Tyler and another man playing guitar while they sang. Amanda had such a good presence and connection to the songs, as each of them did, and overall the sound was just pure and so tight. I was inspired by the concert and it made me see once again why this is really what I want to do with my life. So, a huge thank you to the Wilkinsons who were also extremely nice when I met them after the show.

This has been a bit of a long and all-over-the-place entry but at least I did one right :P !

Sincerely,

Michelle :)

P.S. All of my recent performing jobs have been going very well - make sure you come to the benefit concert on Saturday!

Wow, what a night! For anyone reading this who does not know what I am talking about, I am referring to a competition I was in on Friday night.

It was too bad that the weather wasn't great but the show went on and still gathered a crowd as usual. I performed in the second half, closer to the end of the show and actually ended up singing the same song as the lady before me! That was a little troubling at first but it all worked out fine.

Each contestant (there were ten of us) performed two songs each so I did an original called "That Look In His Eyes" and then "Let 'Er Rip" by the Dixie Chicks. Obviously everything went well!

I was extremely excited when they called my name. I have been waiting and building up for this win for quite a while now - 7 years I think to be exact. I actually don't know what I will do now that I can no longer enter the Country Showdown competition! It was a huge honour and I can't wait to continue to move along in my career.

Now, as for "That Look In His Eyes." I am very happy and excited to say that I am planning on recording the song, as a single for now with the studio time I won. Hopefully I will be able to include the song later on when I plan on recording and releasing a full length original album sometime soon within the next year. So there is that news!

I just want to thank once again my dad especially but also Doug and Ben who put a lot of work into preparing the song with me. Also a HUGE thank you to all of my friends and family who came to support me at the show on Friday, it meant so much for all of you to be there. And for everyone who supports me but wasn't at the show - shame on you! No, I'm just kidding. Your support means a lot as well because you have helped me to get where I am today.

So thanks again to EVERYONE!

Michelle :)

Hello everybody! As most of you may know, the Kingston Fall Fair has
arrived back in town and will be on from Thursday through to Sunday at
the Memorial Centre. This year I am pleased to announce that I have
made it as a top 10 finalist in the Kingston Country Singing Showdown
Open division. This competition will take place this Friday night
starting at 7:00 PM on the GrandStand. Admission into the fairgrounds
is $5 and individual tickets or bracelets for about $25 can be
purchased to enjoy the rides on the grounds. Even though a small fair
in comparison to most, the Kingston Fall Fair is always a fun time
with lots to do and great entertainment. I will be singing two songs -
a slow and a fast - and one is even an original composition! The
winner will even get some studio time (cross your fingers)!

Thanks once again for all of your support and for helping me to
continue on the road to my dreams. I hope to see some of your faces on
Friday night!

Sincerely,

Michelle :)

Performing at people's special celebrations is always an honour for me! Knowing that someone wants me to be there when they share and commemorate fond memories is a great feeling. I only hope that I can add to these important times.

Thanks to Stan and Ellen for having me, as well as other's who have invited me to be apart of their personal "fetes"!


Michelle :)

Well, another great opportunity under my belt! Last Saturday I competed in the Rotary Club Talent Showcase preliminaries in the Individual Vocals category. I made the top 3 and last night was the final judging, and....2nd place! I have competed in the showcase for the past three years and it is always so much fun! All of the artists are extremely talented and there really are no bad performances. Congratulations to everyone, especially Beata and Julie, Steve and Jake, and Madison! I can't wait until next year!

Michelle :)

Wow! I know I start a lot of my entries off like that, but that is really all I can say in the circumstances - especially this one. Last Saturday (March 29th) my mom and I had jetted down to Halifax for the extremely rare opportunity of attending a David Foster and Friends Gala. Little did I know that later on in the evening I would end up having 30 seconds to sing my heart out for 1,400 cheering people!

If you want more specific details about how it happened, check out the article from Friday (Yesterday) 's Issue of the Kingston Whig-Standard at the link below.

Anyways, it was AMAZING! The best part of it was that I wasn't even nervous on stage! I couldn't wait to get my hands on the mic and start, which is fair since I was missing my usual couple of hours of karaoke being away and all :) ! This event was so much more than I could have imagined and it gave me just what I needed as a struggling/rising musician and performer: that final push of determination.

My hopes of going there had been to see what the professional music industry was really all about, and to get a feel how talented and special you very much have to be. I hoped for the best, and boy did I get it.

Thanks for listening,

Michelle :)


http://www.thewhig.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=971559&auth=Mark+Bergin+Whig-Standard+Staff+Writer

We are in the newspaper! I am so excited that my twin, Paige and I are in the Kingston Whig today! We were playing in the Kiwanis Music Festival with Regi's Jazz and Sr. Bands, and a really nice man named Mark Bergin saw us and wanted to interview us! We couldn't believe it but it is so cool and once again, a great push for Paige and I, and for me personally - my career.

Things have been running very smoothly lately and I am taking more time to relax and improve on my music, so thanks to everyone who has helped me to do that. We went on a cruise at the end of January and I even placed second in the "Kareoke Superstar" competition! It was so great to just let go and have fun - no pressure with that.

What are you doing? Stop reading this, and go read the article!

Haha, until next time,

Michelle :)

Wow, this CD has been very exciting for me and one of the best things is that some of my songs have been played on the radio! Thanks again to Brian and Shauna at 98.3 FLY FM and to KIX 102.7 for playing my songs here in Kingston - it was amazing! I actually was told recently that some songs were also played on HERITAGE radio station in Renfrew, through some family!

All of this is so great and I really appreciate everyone who has to make this CD a success and continues to do so, including everyone who bought a copy!

We have already sold over 400 CDs and hope to sell even more.

I have a gig in Gananoque on New Year's Eve at McNeil's Landing and will be posting more specific information on that tomorrow.

Until then...

Michelle :)

Thank you so much to everyone who has purchased a CD so far, not only do I appreciate it but the money is going to a good cause. The Regi Music Department is in need of funding, and together we are helping to do this.

I hope that everyone is enjoying their CD so far too - I know I had a blast making it.

Thanks again for all of your support and for taking me one step closer to my dream.

Love,
Michelle :)

Wow! I am very excited to say that last Friday I was in the studio recording my Christmas CD at Concept Audio! Duncan Holt, the producer, was amazing and my managaer (Dad :P), well he was okay too ;). I had so much fun and it was really good to be recording again. A special thanks goes out to Tatiana who did a great job on a song with me. I am very much looking forward to this CD and I hope that it won't disappoint anyone!

Yours Truly,

Michelle :)

Up next: Album photo-shoot.
When: Tomorrow!

Well I would have to say that the fundraising dance at Dreams in Motion was a great success! The music was awesome and it was even better to see everyone there having a good time dancing. I even got myself onto the dance floor a couple of times...hey, who can help themselves when the band starts playing "The Rockin' Roll Medley"? Overall Rating: A 'twist and shout' time that you wouldn't have wanted to miss. Definitely ****.