Chrisette Michele facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chrisette Michele
Michele in 2007
Background information
Birth name	Chrisette Michele Payne
Born	(1982-12-08) December 8, 1982 (age 42) Central Islip, New York, U.S.
Origin	Patchogue, New York, U.S.
Genres	R&B hip hop soul jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter
Years active	2006–present
Labels	Def Jam Motown Rich Hipster
Associated acts	Chuck Harmony Ne-Yo

Chrisette Michele Payne (born December 8, 1982) is an American R&B and soul singer. She is known for her powerful voice and unique style. In 2009, she won a Grammy Award for her song "Be OK", which featured will.i.am.

Chrisette Michele was previously signed with big music labels like Motown Records. However, in 2017, she decided to release new music independently. She started her own music company called Rich Hipster.

Early Life

Chrisette Michele was born in Central Islip, New York. She grew up in Patchogue, New York. Her parents were both involved in studying people and their minds.

When she was in high school, Chrisette led gospel choirs. She later went to Five Towns College in Dix Hills, New York. She earned a degree in vocal performance, which means she studied how to sing professionally. She is also the first cousin of soul singer Raheem DeVaughn.

Music Career

Starting Her Music Journey (2006-2008)

Chrisette Michele began her career by appearing on several hip hop albums. She sang on songs for famous artists like The Game, Jay-Z, and Nas. She also worked with Kanye West on a song called "Still Dreaming."

Her first album, I Am, came out on June 18, 2007. One of the songs, "Your Joy," was even given away for free on iTunes. The album had four popular songs: "If I Have My Way," "Best of Me," "Be OK," and "Love Is You." "If I Have My Way" did well on the R&B charts. Her song "Be OK" later won a Grammy Award.

Michele in 2008

In 2008, Chrisette Michele sang on a song called "Rising Up" for the group the Roots. She also appeared as herself on the TV show Girlfriends. She even wrote a song for the show Tyler Perry's House of Payne. From May to July 2008, she went on a tour with Raheem DeVaughn called the Art of Love Tour.

Reaching New Heights (2009-2012)

Chrisette Michele started working on her second album, Epiphany, in 2008. The main song from the album, also called "Epiphany," was released in January 2009. This song was her first to appear on the main Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The album Epiphany was released on May 5, 2009. It was very popular and debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. After this, she released more songs like "Blame It on Me" and "What You Do," which featured Ne-Yo. She also worked with rappers Rick Ross and Drake on the song "Aston Martin Music."

Her third album, Let Freedom Reign, was released on November 30, 2010. This album included songs like "I'm a Star" and "Goodbye Game." It featured different music styles, including hip-hop, R&B, and even dance-pop. The album reached number 25 on the Billboard 200 chart. Chrisette Michele also released two mixtapes during this time: Love Thy Brother in 2010 and Audrey Hepburn: An Audiovisual Presentation in 2012.

Continued Success and New Projects (2013-Present)

The first song from her fourth album, Better, was "Charades," released in January 2013. Another popular song from the album was "A Couple of Forevers." The Better album came out on June 11, 2013, through Motown Records. She worked with rappers like 2 Chainz and Wale on this album. Better was nominated for Best R&B Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards.

Chrisette Michele also joined the cast of the TV show R&B Divas LA for its second season. In November 2014, she released a project called The Lyricist's Opus. She released music videos for songs like "Super Chris" and "Together" from this project.

On November 12, 2016, Chrisette Michele released her song "Steady." This song was the first single from her fifth album, Milestone tour, which was released on June 10, 2016. She released this album through her own company, Rich Hipster. In 2018, she released another album called Out of Control. Her single "Wait" was released in 2020.

Personal Life

On September 19, 2023, Chrisette Michele became an honorary member of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority.

Music Albums

• I Am (2007)
• Epiphany (2009)
• Let Freedom Reign (2010)
• Audrey Hepburn Mixtape (2012)
• Better (2013)
• The Lyricists’ Opus (2014)
• Milestone (2016)
• Steady Gang Mixtape (2017)
• Out of Control Mixtape (2018)

Concert Tours

Headlining Tours

• The Art of Love Tour (with Raheem DeVaughn) (2008)
• The Epiphany Tour (2010)
• The Milestone Tour (2016)
• Moody Tour (2021)

Supporting Tours

• Woman to Woman Tour for Keyshia Cole (2013)
• Liberation Tour for Mary J. Blige (2013)
• Appreciation Tour for Jaheim (2013)

Awards and Recognitions

See also

In Spanish: Chrisette Michele para niños