Michele Ann Kelly is a Dublin songwriter, performer and recording artist whose sound has been described by music industry insiders as a provocative blend of blues, soul, rock and pop, with a hint of folk and a dash of country.  Her distinctive vocal style ranges effortlessly from the soft and fragile to gritty and exuberant, and has earned her comparisons to such esteemed international performers as Dusty Springfield, Shawn Colvin, K d Lang, Alison Krauss and Sarah McLachlan. Ireland has produced many successful artists in such key music genres as pop, rock, folk and country, but her style incorporates aspects of all those genres, with her unique soulfulness and distinctive songwriting skills adding icing to the musical cake. Her songs are generally autobiographical, giving them a gritty realism sometimes missing in those who write songs based on staid formulae, while making them accessible for the widest audience at home and abroad. Kelly was introduced to music by her piano teaching grandmother and childhood summers spent on Achill Island in the west of Ireland. Thus she got a unique insight to both classical and Irish traditional arrangements. At 17 she went to Milan, Italy where she sang with an Irish trad group. Returning to Ireland, Michele worked with the Ronanstown Music Programme to learn more about the music business. She honed her songwriting skills by gigging and through IMRO's songwriter workshops. Her first demo ‘Lying in the Arms of Love’ earned her support slots with Mary Black, Paul Brady and Sharon Shannon. It also gained her a place in the Top 100 Unplugged Songs of the Year in Hot Press magazine. She recorded and released her debut 6-track EP A Breakfast Affair in June 2005, coinciding with a sold-out headlining gig at The Sugar Club in Dublin. She was named First Cuts artist of 2005 by Hot Press Magazine. Michele Ann has supported Brian Kennedy, Mary Black, Paul Brady, Sharon Shannon, Luka Bloom, Jack L, Jesse Cook, Kieran Goss, Mary Coughlan, Mick Hanly and Altan, and has collaborated with established songwriters like, Keith Donald (Moving Hearts), Steve Wickham (The Waterboys), Liam Reilly (Bagatelle), Leslie Dowdall (In Tua Nua), Don Baker and Thom Moore. Some highlights on the live front also include performing at the INEC Kerry, Cork Opera House, Limerick University Concert Hall, solo shows at Whelan's and Civic Theatre, the Belfast Nashville Festival, the Blues Autour de Zinc Festival in France, headlining at Manhattan's Ear Inn in New York and at the 2FM Live Stage at the Music Show RDS in Dublin. With news of her songwriting skills spreading far and yon, she continues to play regularly at the numerous song clubs throughout the country In 2009 Michele played coveted spots during the Dublin Blues Festival, a charity gig for the Niall Mellon Trust, plus opening the Dublin Pride Festival. She developed a concept for a national money-back guarantee tour and gained extensive media coverage with interviews and performances on RTE 2FM and ‘Today with Pat Kenny’ on RTE Radio 1. She also featured on TV3’s ‘Midweek’ programme and received extensive print media coverage including Hot Press Magazine, Irish Times, Sunday Independent, Life Magazine, Evening Herald and RSVP Magazine. This year has seen the release of her long-awaited debut album Songs That Saved My Life through DARA Records, the Dolphin Music Group that is also home to artists such as Jack L, Frances and Mary Black, Phil Coulter and Dolores Keane. Michele Ann Kelly is a perfect example of an Irish artist with considerable international potential.  

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