Michelle Chamuel

In 2007 Chamuel joined the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based band My Dear Disco, later named Ella Riot.[3] Initially the band was instrumental, and her addition as lead vocalist was a turning point in the band's direction.[4] The band toured extensively and released two definitive works, Dancethink and Love Child. The band went into hiatus in October 2011.[5][6]

In a 2010 interview with AfterEllen, Chamuel spoke about being out and lesbian in the music industry, staying true to herself, and artists that inspired her such as Elton John and Ani DiFranco.[2]

After Ella Riot, she worked independently. She released an album titled s/he, an EP titled All the Pretty People and an EP titled EP 1 in partnership with other artists. She released remix music with original lyrics.[7][8] She names Max Martin and Imogen Heap as major influences. She was influenced by the vocal styles of Heap and Ella Fitzgerald and said they "opened me up to the idea that one could sing melodies like an instrument."[9]

In 2013 she took part in season four of NBC's The Voice. In the blind audition she sang Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" and chose Usher as her coach.[10] Her rendition of "Just Give Me a Reason" was called a killer performance by Pink's official website.[11] Her rendition of Taylor Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" received an enthusiastic approval from Swift and charted on the Billboard Hot 100.[12][13] Over the course of nine episodes, she advanced to the finals and finished in second place.[10]

Chamuel released her first solo album All I Want in September 2013. She called the album her "solo electronic project" and said her studio work as The Reverb Junkie focuses on creative sound works, whereas the work released under her own name has more of a pop focus.[14][15] The album debuted at number 6 on the U.S. Dance/Electronic Albums chart.[16] She released a single titled "Go Down Singing" and spoke at a TEDx gathering about the role of music in shaping one's sense of home.[17][18]

In 2014 Chamuel and producer Arjun Singh released an EP titled The Drift.[19] She released an EP titled EP 2 in partnership with producer David Gonzalez. In late 2014, she headlined a seventeen city U.S. tour.[20]

In 2015 she released an album titled Face the Fire.[21] She said as a teenager she was obsessed with pop hits on Top 40 radio and in this album she wanted to produce well-crafted pop music.[9] The album debuted at number 21 on the U.S. Independent Albums chart.[22] Also in 2015 she released an EP under The Reverb Junkie moniker titled I Am, and she co-wrote and produced "Hang Out with You", a song by singer-songwriter Mary Lambert.[23]

In 2016 she released an EP titled Feel It. This was the first of several works each in a different style.[24] In interviews leading to the EP's release, she spoke about her focus on all aspects of music production.[25] In 2017 she released a self-produced album titled Insights & Turnpikes consisting mostly of stripped-down acoustic songs.[26] She released two instrumental works under The Reverb Junkie moniker titled Music for: Summer Chores and The Last Person Awake.[27] In 2020 she released a studio album titled Couldn't Stay.[28] She produced the film score of Glitter & Doom, a 2023 musical based on the songs of Indigo Girls.[29][30]