Michelle Cross' venture into recording an album is a lot like how she says she used to handle Chicago's confusing three-street intersections: 'I would close my eyes, say 'I'm going for it!' and hit the gas pedal. My friends hated driving with me.' Blind faith may not be the best way to accomplish a goal, but it does get you somewhere. Where it got Michelle was into a studio with a bunch of songs and a desire to make an album. Having no experience in how to proceed, Michelle followed her own advice and dove in, head first and eyes closed. She did this regardless of what might happen between here and there, knowing only that there was where she needed to be. This was just one of many steps that led her to the point she is at today. The first step took place in Japan, where Michelle grew up as a child and became acquainted with the piano. For the next eight years, she studied classical piano music, searching for an identity within the stacks of music books. In 1990, at the age of thirteen, her family moved to Chicago and Michelle found herself lost in a new country with a strange and unusual culture. Finding it hard to fit in with others of her own age, she instead immersed herself in the piano, giving up her classical training to instead develop her own compositions and style with inspiration from the works of recording pianist George Winston and lyricist Joni Michell. By the time she was fifteen, Michelle was playing her songs at coffee shops, using them as an outlet for her adolescent despair and frustrations of not fitting in. Shortly after, with high school barely finished, she packed her bags, grabbed her Casio keyboard and headed for California. She ended up in San Diego, and in the time spent there found herself growing as a musician and discovered a new level of maturity enter into her lyric writing. Composing songs addressing such issues as anorexia, homosexuality, and domestic abuse, she began playing at open mics in the area and quickly established a small following. Yet before anything more could develop, she returned to Chicago. Her desire to write and perform songs wasn't diminished though. Now with a collection of new and mature songs, she began preparations to enter a studio and put together a fully developed album. Wanting more then just piano and vocal tunes, she blindly charged forward, experimenting with using a full band of drums, bass, and guitar. Searching for an excellent sounding piano soon led her to Hinge, a studio in downtown Chicago, where she met Mathew Prock. 'Immediately I realized that Mat could help me keep my eyes open through those crazy intersections,' explains Michelle. 'I asked him to produce my album and told him that I would do whatever it takes to do it right, even if that meant starting over.' Even though quite a few tracks had been completed, Michelle and her new producer did decide to start over in order to completely realize the potential of each tune. One of the first things Mat did was assemble a killer backing band for her tracks. With Matt Walker (Smashing Pumpkins, Filter, Cupcakes) on drums, Newt Cole (formerly of the acid jazz ensemble Liquid Soul) on percussion, Scott Talarida (Cassius Clay, Bomb Pop) on guitar, Rafe Bradford on bass, and Chicago Symphony Orchestra member Mike Duggan on cello, Michelle's songs quickly became larger than life. 'Of course, any female piano player who writes dark melancholy tunes with very emotional lyrics is going to be compared to Tori Amos, but there is more than just that to my songs,' states Michelle. One of the most obvious of these things is the accessibility the songs have. Each tune immediately grabs your attention and hooks you with a catchy riff, a memorable line. Michelle's vocals seethe with emotion while her piano playing is a juxtaposition of beauty and aggression. No two songs are alike, though each has a maturity and depth not usually found from someone of only twenty-two years of age. March of 1999 saw the completion of Michelle's project and the release of My Name Is Not Cinderella. At this time she is shopping her release and supporting the album by playing live with a full band in the Chicago area. For more information contact Michelle at michelle@michellecross.com.