Life post-Destiny's Child hasn't been as easy on its members as it's been for Beyonce. We all know that Mrs. Jay-Z has had the number one albums and singles, but what about the other ladies? Kelly Rowland struck gold overseas with her most recent album Ms. Kelly, and Michelle kept her sights set on the gospel scene, releasing Heart to Yours in 2002 and Do You Know in 2004 (the former hit number 1 and the latter number two on the Billboard Gospel Album chart). But that time has come and gone, and Michelle is at the point where she feels ready to unleash her pop debut on the world.
That album is Unexpected, Michelle's third solo effort, which is set to be released on October 7. Its title pretty much nails the reaction that it evokes, sailing on a glitchy Euro-pop sound that seems to have come out of left field for an artist like Michelle. But the reception so far has proved that fans love the direction that the husky-voiced singer has taken, with her single "We Break the Dawn" soaring to the number one spot on the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart and spawning seven official remixes (one of which features Flo Rida). The follow-up single "The Greatest" is going to be released soon, but the success she's had so far as a non-gospel singer shows that she's on the right path to achieve solo pop stardom.
Michelle isn't afraid to challenge herself, especially when it comes to establishing a new audience outside of her gospel fans on Unexpected. In fact, she's even branched out to Broadway and acting, starring as the main role in Aida after she released her debut solo record and following it up with a part in the Chicago-based cast of The Color Purple. Michelle did such a good job as Shug Avery in the Oprah production that she was nominated for Best Lead Actress for this year's 18th Annual NAACP Theatre Awards, proving that not only can she deliver bumping solo records, but she can also act her butt off.
While in New York City, Michelle was busy making the rounds at Columbia Records. But she managed to find time in her busy schedule to sneak in a conversation with Senior Editor Steven, sounding gleeful and buoyant as she talked up her forthcoming album. After overly apologizing for pushing back the interview time (it wasn't a big deal!), Michelle got down to business, discussing whether or not she anticipates that Unexpected is going to isolate her gospel fans, what her biggest dream is when it comes to acting and why it's taken so long for her to join her fellow Destiny Child members and record a pop album!
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