MICHELE NOX

1/ You began your year with Fader calling you one of the ’13 artists you need to know about in 2017’, which is a great way to start it. What are your plans for the coming months?

I’m going to keep writing. I have new work coming out shortly and i’d like to plan a European tour.

 

2/ Having released your first full length in September last year you said that making it had you “venture into my deepest darkest shadows and come out transformed”. Can you tell us about the process of making the album – what inspired it, the journey you’ve gone on with it and the catharsis you’ve had as a result?

‘Monolith’ is like my diary and my tombstone. From the time I started collecting sounds and words for this album I was experiencing many forms of death, from close family members passing to decaying relationships to poisonous old pattern thinking. I wanted to change the way I feared death and turn it into something beautiful and warm.

 

3/ You recently came out as a woman – can you tell us more about your journey and the reaction you’ve had, particularly as you subvert the gendered expectations of your body as a trans woman?

According to society’s standards I was very confused about what it meant to come out as a woman. What was most important to me was to stay true to myself. I’m not trying to force anyone into thinking I’m their version of a woman. My mission isn’t to teach people about my identity it’s to connect on a level that transcends superficiality.

 

4/ Did your coming out, the name change from Mekele to Michele Nox and the foregrounding of your voice in your music (having previously said that you used to be afraid of your voice and drown it in effects) all coincide?

Not really, I just actually went back to using my given birth name.

 

5/ Your song Seven was my first introduction to your work. It’s a song that seems to be about leaving demons behind and being reborn and coming out fighting. Can you tell us a bit about that?

The numbers 777 would follow me everywhere, I believe as a sign that everything was going according to plan. It’s easy to second guess yourself when everyone around you is so opinionated. I made sure to listen to my intuition and trust that I was making my own path.

 

6/ You made music videos for your track Seven and also for Heaven (released under ‘Mekele’) with Melissa Matos – do you have plans to work together on videos for other tracks from the album or for live visuals? 

Melissa is highly intuitive and feels things that are beyond this world so I would definitely work with her at any chance.

 

7/ You’ve also previously collaborated with fashion designer Rad Hourani on runway music and house producer and DJ Jacques Greene on an installation at Tate Modern, how did those come about?

Melissa Matos introduced me to both of them which was lots of fun as they are both extremely passionate people. Jacques Greene and I worked on a track for Rad Hourani a while back and since then he’s become such a supportive angel.

 

8/ You’re now based in Toronto, having previously lived in Montreal. How do the cities compare in terms of their impact on your music and creative approach?

I don’t think it has much of an impact. I partied so much growing up in Montreal that when I got to Toronto I became a total recluse and lost my interest in night life. I am still not sure if I vibe with Toronto, but at the moment it allows me to spend more time alone writing which is ideal.

 

9/ Can you give us some local music recommendations?

Pelada, Scott Hardware and Carli Cottrell

 

10/ Finally, what are your desert island book, film and album?

honestly nothing