Michelle Chappel Bio

Michelle Chappel, Ph.D. (Princeton) ditched a career as a professor to follow her dream to be a singer-songwriter. Two years after being voted "Most Inspirational Professor of Psychology" at UC Santa Cruz, her debut CD (PolyGram Records) hit #9 on the radio charts overseas. Her award-winning songs - an uplifting blend of folk, country, and pop - inspire others to follow their hearts. Her music has been on the radio charts, and featured in TV/film.

Singing at the age of four, Chappel eventually left music behind to pursue a Ph.D. in psychology. When she was a professor students used to line up outside her office to ask for her advice. She always told them to follow their hearts. One afternoon she realized she wasn't following her own heart. She'd only written a handful of songs, but she knew if she didn't take the risk then, she never would.

Chappel's debut CD was distributed through PolyGram in South Africa, where 11 tracks received radio airplay and "A Strange Kind of Love" was a Top 10 single on regional AC stations. Her sophomore CD, "Infinity + 1, Man," was distributed to 25 countries in Europe through Gold Circle International, and held several Top 10 positions on US College Radio. Her Madonna spoof "The Wheels on the Bus" (Shifty Disco Records) went to #17 on the UK charts, and the accompanying video aired on MTV Europe.

Since then Chappel has released 3 CDs on her own record label - Beautiful Thing Records. She was chosen as one of 100 Top unsigned bands in Billboard Magazine's International Songwriting Contests, and garnered 12 outstanding achievement songwriting awards. Her song "No Place Like Home" was a 2008 Billboard World Song Contest Winner. She's also had 7 songs featured on HBO, Showtime, Encore and ABC.

Just under 5 feet tall, the petite Chappel has a powerful voice. Her songs are catchy and inspirational. One fan aptly describes her as "Carrie Underwood and Alanis Morissette combined!"

"In a world filled with 'cookie cutter' recording artists, Michelle Chappel stands head and shoulders above the crowd."

- Greg Edmunson, music composer for the hit TV series King of the Hill

www.michellechappel.com
www.myspace.com/michellechappelshine
www.youtube.com/michellechappel