Portrait: Michelle Penn

Michelle Penn is considered an inside tip among friends of quieter rock music, and for a good reason: since 1994, she has been elating her fans with the songs she writes. It is difficult to classify Penn, not least due to the enormous development that she has undergone in the last 12 years.
Since her childhood, guitars and rock music have exerted an irresistible attraction upon her: that her brother wouldn't let her play with his guitar did not deter her but strengthened her resolve to become a rock musician.

“When my brother would leave, I would take his guitar and, you know, chop out whatever he was playing that day, which was usually like Bob Seger or Aerosmith.”

Her most important influences come from this phase. The multitude of rock and pop music styles in the 80s still leave their mark on her sound, which captivates above all with its unusual instrumental arrangements and hooky, fluid compositions. And to this, Michelle Penn lends a unique character with her changeable, throaty voice.

Penn doesn’t stay in one place too long; the native of Detroit moved to Atlanta to record her first album. After an interim in Nashville, she returned to Atlanta. Her desire for travel and change are also one of the main themes of her songs.
Her career began in Atlanta as a solo artist in the tradition of the singer/songwriter which is so loved in this city. Her move to Nashville enabled the young singer to develop new contacts and apply new influences in her music; back in Detroit she began to use an electric guitar instead of an acoustic. This development already led to a much louder and more energetic sound on her second album “How Do You Live”. Here she presents the entire spectrum of her vocal abilities, which range from soft, sad melodies to classic, roaring rock songs. She is supported on this album by guest musicians Todd Wolfe (Sheryl Crow), Jeff Cease (Black Crows) and Brandon Bush (John Mayer), who, in spite of their own experience and skills, always underscore the typical Michelle Penn style without putting themselves in the spotlight.


Penn’s live performances have been finding more and more fans over the years. Her live appearances include sharing the stage with greats of the genre like Etheridge, Sarah MacLachlan, the B52s and John Mayer. The live experience and the contact with different musicians have had a positive influence on the last album, “2 Good 4 U”, which delivers varied and catchy compositions.

The young singer wants to preserve her independence, apparent in her frequent change of residence, in order to remain true to her style. In the song “Superstar” (on “2 Good 4 U”), she laments the sell-out of one’s own talent, as major music companies or Hollywood demands, asking at the same time about her own path:

“You had a choice/Now you’re selling out your soul./Did your heroes know/That it’s all a show?”

But Michelle Penn also deals in her songs with classic themes such as love and its accompanying problems. Like so many other artists, she sees her music and her lyrics as a form of therapy which helps her come to terms with bad experiences and setbacks. That’s why it is precisely the negative experiences which receive the most attention. She herself sees the worries, the stress and the aggravating experiences as part of song writing, because she must experience them before she can write about them. Penn needs real feelings, real experiences which form the basis of her creations. Only this way, she thinks, the job as rock musician will never be boring.
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