The Pittsburgh-based singer-songwriter and pop/country recording artist Demi Michelle sweeten our days with her vulnerable and explorative 11-track album, 'Dear Diary.'
When listening to Demi Michelle's radiant tunes, one should always expect a heartfelt, charismatic, and unique listening experience. She's known for wearing her heart on her sleeve and turning her life experience into memorable and catchy tunes. Through inspirations like Julia Michaels, Kelsea Ballerini, and Taylor Swift, Demi Michelle is able to create her honest and warm-hearted music to share with listeners. More recently, Michelle dropped her thorough 11-track album, 'Dear Diary,' and opened up on incredibly relatable and meaningful experiences.
Jumping into the project, we're met with the introductory track and lead single, "Will I Ever." The song opens with Demi Michelle's warm vocals and an accompanying piano melody that sets the song's uplifting and feel-good tone. Listening to Michelle's lyricism, she tells a relatable story of having a big imagination but not wanting to replay romantic scenarios inside her head; instead, she yearns to fall in love while wondering if she ever will. We love the honesty that Michelle brings to this piece, especially as she floats alongside her fluttery and bright instrumentals; she leads us to the outro with nothing but introspection.
Making our way into the second track, "Perfectly Imperfect," the song begins with a groovy electro-pop arrangement filled with anticipation. Once Demi Michelle's whispery and breathy vocals appear, she delves into more of a mysterious vocal delivery while making her way over to the hook. A fluttery string-like synth plops down alongside Michelle's vocals to amplify the song's reflective lyrical theme. Expanding on Michelle's lyricism, she lets us know that she's perfectly imperfect while striving to quit focussing on what she thinks needs changing. We admire this song's message, as it reminds listeners to love themselves wholeheartedly.
Moving into track number three, "Sensitive," this song begins with Demi Michelle's powerful vocal alongside another haunting electro-pop introduction. As the sonics begin to heat up on the first verse, Demi Michelle's background vocals start to pour in to amplify the song's heavy atmosphere. Listening to Michelle's lyrical content, she touches on wanting to trust those who walk in her life but is plagued with her sensitive emotions that get hurt easily. This song doesn't feature much in terms of instrumentation; it's more of a reflective and mysterious sonic landscape that emphasizes Michelle's lyrical message.
The next track, "Be Yours," takes a spot in our hearts right off the bat. As Demi Michelle begins to pour her emotions through our speakers with her vibrant and colorful vocal portrayal, the soothing piano melodies begin to seep into our ears while enhancing the song's emotion. As Demi Michelle makes her way over to the hook, she wears her heart on her sleeve and exclaims her love for someone special. While yearning for their love and touch, Demi Michelle offers a deeply charismatic performance to emphasize her limitless passion. The soothing acoustic guitar, minimal synths, and soft piano melodies end the song on a highly passionate note.
Continuing through the project, we're met with the fifth track, "Nobody Like Me," which takes off with an exciting string-like synth arrangement and Demi Michelle's energetic vocal delivery. We love Michelle's synchronized melodies with the background synths; she truly demands our attention with her creative and innovative takes on modern pop. As Michelle continues to serenade us with nothing but heart and soul, she expands on incredibly confident themes of knowing that she's the perfect match for someone she has her eye on. The hip-hop-inspired drums offer another intriguing aspect while rounding out the song to be a modern listening experience.
Reaching the album's halfway point with "Obvious," the track kicks off with a sultry and energetic sonic soundscape while Demi Michelle enlightens someone special that she couldn't be more obvious when displaying her love and affection for them. We love the sweltering pop sonics, as their anticipation is stimulating and leads us to the captivating hook. While Demi Michelle opens her heart and explains how deeply she feels for this person, the smooth and sensual sonics continue to take us on a brilliant journey through the experience of yearning for someone's love. We also love the electronic inclination of this single; it rounds out the album perfectly.
The album's seventh track, "Can't Get Over You," begins with a plucky guitar-like synth that sets the song's ominous and mysterious tone. As the bright and luminous keys begin to rain down from above, Demi Michelle jumps in and douses us with her fiery and energetic performance. We must mention that Demi Michelle's articulation and pronunciation are impeccable; we're able to understand each lyric she delivers flawlessly. The song's title is rather self-explanatory; Michelle goes into depth with her rhythmic lyrical delivery while expanding on the tragedies someone's love put her through. That said, she still holds a profound desire for this person after many attempts to get over them.
Continuing the same heartfelt theme with the next track, "Since I Met You," the song kicks off with Demi Michelle's bright vocals alongside an exciting electro-pop arrangement that glimmers and gleams with nothing but excitement. As Demi Michelle makes her way over to the hook, she expands on how she wishes to leave a relationship in the past. The hook brings listeners through the relatable experience of being over love and never asking for the big old mess that comes with a breakup. This track offers the perfect amount of sass, attitude, and vulnerability to effectively impact the listener.
Reaching the project's final tracks, we land on the ninth piece, "I Don't Know Why," which starts with a beaming and energetic synth arrangement that brings us into the lively atmosphere of contemporary pop. Demi Michelle's vocal appearances have been nothing but powerful and head-turning throughout this album, and this track is no exception. As she continues to serenade us with her passionate vocals, she expands on the relatable theme of wondering why the love she offers is never enough. It's interesting how Michelle sings such a vulnerable message over the energetic and uplifting sonics, as it adds a level of authenticity to the record.
Nestling into the project's 10th track, "Find Love," we're welcomed with a soothing acoustic guitar melody that foreshadows the forthcoming soothing performance from Demi Michelle. As she begins to display her magnetic and heartfelt vocals, she later delves into passionate lyrics about waiting however long it takes to be with the one. This is the perfect song to close out the album, as we heard Michelle expand on past relationships, new attempts at love, and her lingering emotions that sometimes get in the way. With the addition of twangy country guitars and soft drum arrangements, the song takes us through a passionate and optimistic listening experience.
Landing on the album's outro track, "Will I Ever (Acoustic)," the song opens with the same bright melody yet through a passionate and soothing acoustic guitar. As Demi Michelle takes the track by storm with her soft and breathy vocals, she puts a more heartfelt and sincere spin on the original introductory track and lead single. We adore this honest and genuine approach to the original lively single, as it has a way of emphasizing Michelle's lyricism even more than the initial sonic production. This song is the perfect way to close the album; since it began with a more energetic version of this song, the acoustic version perfectly sums up the entire album's emotion, wonder, and passion.
Experience the pure and passionate emotion of Demi Michelle's latest 11-track album, 'Dear Diary,' now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic Demi Michelle, and congratulations on releasing your emotional 11-track album, 'Dear Diary.' What inspired you to create this honest and passion-filled project?
First, thank you so much! I can't believe Dear Diary is finally out. This is an album that I had to write for myself. Over the past two years, I've felt super weighed down by many of my thoughts, feelings, and insecurities. I turn to songwriting when I have to work through things, so that's what I did for the songs on the album. All of the songs are so personal and meaningful to me, so I decided to call the album Dear Diary. I truly think of each of the songs as musical diary entries. It takes a lot to open up and wear my heart on my sleeve, but I found the courage to share my story through writing, recording, and releasing this project.
Did you work with any producers and musicians to help bring your album, 'Dear Diary,' to life? Who helped you out during this process?
I have so many special people to thank. I couldn't have created 'Dear Diary' and everything surrounding it without them. I'll start with the album itself. Even though I wrote all the songs 100 percent myself, I didn't bring these songs to life alone. I want to thank my incredible producer, Robert McCutcheon, for working on this project with me. He let me be super hands-on in the studio and during the mixing process, and I'm so grateful for that. Also, a huge thank you to my friend and guitarist, Luke Wood. He played on "Find Love" and "Will I Ever (Acoustic)." Luke and I have so much fun when we're recording together, so I'm glad he was part of 'Dear Diary.' Next, I would like to thank the other artists who were part of this project. First, thank you to my two photographers: Austin Lange Photography, who shot the photo on the album artwork, and Lonigro Photography, who shot all my Dear Diary press photos and the photos that are found inside the physical CD and on the back cover. I would love to thank my graphic designers as well. Rebecca Scassellati designed the album art, and my good friend, Eddie Davis, designed the other four pieces of artwork found on the physical CD and other promotional graphics. Also, a huge thank you to Lily Gongaware for creating my merch design and lyric graphics. I'm so blessed for everyone who played a part in making 'Dear Diary' such a special release.
Which song from 'Dear Diary' is your personal favorite? Why do you feel so drawn to that track in particular?
This is such a hard question because I love all the songs, but I'd have to say my overall favorite is "Will I Ever." This was the album's lead single and definitely one of my favorite songs I've ever written. I'm so drawn to this one because the message is so real for me. I've never been in a serious relationship, so falling in love is something I wonder about a lot. I connect to this song as much as I did when I wrote it, so it's a special one. Also, "Will I Ever" is what really sparked butterflies being a part of my brand. The second verse has the lyrics: "I fall for dreams, trust butterflies, keep counting my clouds, but they don't add to nine." Those lyrics alone led me to tie butterflies into the single cover art, which snowballed to being part of my merch design, my fanbase being called Butterflies, and more. This was unexpected, which is what's most special. Also, the whole meaning surrounding butterflies is so inspiring and fits 'Dear Diary.' I feel like I've gone through a metamorphosis of my own through creating 'Dear Diary.' Butterflies symbolize growth and breaking through the darkness and into the light. They're very colorful and give a sense of wonder and imagination. I never dreamed a single lyric from a song I love could lead to so much. "Will I Ever" will always be one of my favorite songs. I even released the acoustic version as a bonus track on Dear Diary, which captures the raw vulnerability of the song. This song made me realize that it's okay to open up about very personal things in my music, so writing it was a major turning point for me creatively as well. All in all, "Will I Ever" is such a meaningful song to me.
What impact do you hope to make on the listener with your album, 'Dear Diary?'
I hope my listeners realize that it's okay to talk about their difficult thoughts and feelings. I hope they also recognize that it's okay to accept that they have insecurities because we all do. For such a long time, I felt ashamed talking about my emotions and insecurities. I thought I had to hide it all and always put on a happy face and pretend everything was fine. I wrote Dear Diary because I had to heal, and through writing the album, I went on a journey of self-discovery. I allowed myself to feel what I needed to feel and reflect on my thoughts and feelings. Self-reflection is so critical, and I've grown stronger over the past two years. So, I hope my listeners can embrace my story and go on their own journeys of healing and self-discovery, whatever those might be for them. Dear Diary isn't mine anymore. It's out there in the world to inspire.
How does this record represent you and your artistic brand? How can we get to know you better and more personally through the 'Dear Diary' album?
'Dear Diary' is authentically me. I poured my heart and soul into this album, so what you hear is from a place of truth. This fits my brand perfectly because I believe it's extremely important to write, record, and release music that is meaningful to me. I aim to be authentic and honest, and staying true to myself in my music is something I always do. No matter where my music goes in the future, no matter what genre my upcoming music falls into or what the lyrical concept is, I promise every single song will be meaningful and personal to me. That is the common thread found in all of my music. I hope that by doing this, my fans and listeners know that I'll never stop being authentic and sharing my story through my music. 'Dear Diary' is just the beginning of that, and I'm so glad this project is out because I hold it close to my heart.