Michelle has never been a stranger to the music business. Her uncle is well-regarded music producer and engineer, Rick Garcia. He and his brother Roland Garcia along with Roland's wife, Annie, founded Hacienda Records (Corpus Christi, Texas) in 1979. Michelle is the current CEO of Hacienda. She's definitely the boss, but she can also relate to her talent roster and their experiences on their respective musical journeys.
Michelle has been a dancer since the age of 3. She's trained in Jazz and Ballet. With a passion for singing, Michelle also wanted to pursue music professionally. At the age of 13, Michelle earned a scholarship which afforded her the opportunity to study dance in New York. Conflicted on which direction to take, she let it be known to her parents that she wanted to take a chance on music. Initially, her parents were against the idea as the music scene at the time was very much male-dominated. Her uncle, Rick, persuaded her parents into letting her record a demo. They relented and would allow Michelle to pursue music only if the single performed well. The single was a hit and Michelle was off to the races.
Michelle signed an international record deal at the age of 16. She moved to Mexico City and, for three years, rubbed elbows on tour with the likes of Juan Gabriel, Anna Gabriel, and Cheyenne. After a few years, she came home to Texas to sponsor an non-profit animal refuge and stayed put with the organization for 10 years.
In the last few years, Michelle's itch to get back in the business grew. She came on board with Hacienda and has been joining their talent roster in the trenches ever since. She's a "singing CEO" as she has also re-launched her singing career. Her latest album, "Siempre Tuya," is out now!
Hacienda Records and Recording Studios will be sponsoring this year's Rancho Alegre Conjunto Festival inside stage! Stop on by to see Michelle Chel perform live Sunday, May 7th at Stubb's Austin!