Bunny Michael

Melisa Rincón (born 1982 or 1983)[1] known professionally as Bunny Michael, is an American interdisciplinary visual artist, musician, and rapper.

Bunny Michael
Birth nameMelisa Rincón
Born1982 or 1983 (age 40–41)
OriginDallas, Texas, U.S.
GenresRap
Occupation(s)Visual artist, musician, rapper

Early life and education

Bunny Michael was raised in Dallas, Texas.[2] They are the middle of three children born to a second-generation Mexican American father and a Samoan mother. They were raised in an affluent suburb. Michael attended Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. They realized they were queer at the age of fifteen and stated that coming out to their family was a difficult process. Michael briefly moved in with their first girlfriend's family. They have since reconciled with their family. Michael graduated from Marymount Manhattan College.[3]

Career

Michael is a visual artist, musician, and rapper[2] whose work often examines the relationship between the masculine and feminine, the body and the soul, and the self and higher self.[4] After graduating from college, they shared their music through Myspace. Michael was the vocalist performing by the name Bunny Rabbit with producer Black Cracker. It is described by HuffPost as an "eponymous experimental rap collaboration." Bunny Rabbit toured with CocoRosie and gained praise from New Yorker critic Sasha Frere-Jones who stated in 2007, "I am fond of the deeply odd, occasionally obscene art rap of Bunny Rabbit."[3]

Michael garnered a large fan base through Myspace which allowed them to book their own U.S. tour.[3]

Michael was working as a waiter in 2017.[3] In 2018, Michael went on tour in Europe with Fever Ray.[5]

They are known for their "Me and My Higher Self" memes on Instagram which started when Michael was undergoing a major spiritual transformation of their own.[2] This project is aimed at increasing self-love,[6] and much like Michael's music and visual art,[7] also explores the multiplicities within the self.[2] Remezcla reports that Michael is a "queer multimedia artist...[who] utilizes music, art videos, and memes as their mediums to explore themes of self love and acceptance, spirituality, and sexuality in a time when our 'deepest truths are being revealed'."[8]

Michael is the host of “Broadly Hotline,” a web series on Broadly.[1]

Michael is currently working on starting a podcast centered around self-care, personal growth, and other millennial-related topics.[1]

Michael appeared in two seasons of the HBO series High Maintenance.

Influences

Two years into their music career, Michael was influenced by the book A New Earth. They are a student of A Course in Miracles.[3]

Personal life

Michael moved to New York City one week before the September 11 attacks in 2001.[9] Michael is non-binary[10] and now lives in The Hudson Valley with spouse, Khara Gilvey and a cat named Pepper.[1]

See also

References
  1. Oswaks, Molly (15 August 2018). "Bunny Michael Is a Rapper and Meme Maker". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  2. Saxelby, Ruth (20 December 2016). "Meet Bunny Michael, The Artist Whose Tragicomic Memes Say What Everyone Is Feeling". FADER. Archived from the original on 7 February 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  3. Frank, Priscilla (1 February 2018). "The Selfie-Help Guru Healing Millennials On Instagram". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 8 April 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  4. Rose, Annie (16 January 2017). "Bunny Michael on Spiritual Sexuality and Transcending Gender". Posture Magazine. Archived from the original on 18 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  5. Bulut, Selim (16 March 2018). "Bunny Michael is the meme-making, psychedelic rapper touring with Fever Ray". Dazed. Archived from the original on 4 October 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  6. Dommu, Rose (29 July 2017). "Bunny Michael's 'Self/Higher Self' Memes Spread a Message of Self-Love". Out. Archived from the original on 22 February 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  7. Baritaux, Zio (21 December 2017). "these memes are the queer, uplifting answer to evil kermit". i-D. Archived from the original on 14 September 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  8. Alejandra, Itzel (9 January 2018). "Bunny Michael's Spiritual Memes Will Help You Find Your Higher Self". Remezcla. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  9. Soprano, Ripley (2016). "Interview with Bunny Michael". Mask Magazine. Archived from the original on 19 June 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  10. Sullivan, Beth (19 July 2019). "Bunny Michael's Higher Self Will See You Now". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
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