Canadian recording artist Michelle Treacy opens up about her new song & video for “Time Off From A Letdown” and more

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing the extremely talented Canadian singer Michelle Treacy who already has an array of discography under her belt, including hit singles like “Colours,” “Armageddon” and of course, “Emotional” from the popular singing competition TV show, The Launch on CTV.

Well, Michelle is back at it after a short hiatus releasing a brand new single and accompanying video titled “Time Off From A Letdown.” Michelle’s introduction to the music industry is a unique one. As she describes, “I am originally from Ottawa and my first big performance was with Lady Gaga at her artRAVE tour in Montréal in 2014. She [Gaga] brought me up on stage to sing one of my songs and ‘Born This Way.’ This moment changed my life forever!” 

Nothing like a casual duet with Lady Gaga to get your career started! Signed shortly thereafter at 17 years old (now 24) Michelle says she’s coming into her own; “I’ve lived a lot of life in such a short period of time. I feel like I’m just starting to come into who I’m supposed to be. Well.. for now!”

With 2020 turning our lives upside down with Covid-19, I would be remiss not to ask how this new reality has affected Treacy’s life and music.

“Covid has changed a lot for everyone. For me, it’s made me realize there are really no limits to anything musically. You can do anything from your house. I record all of my new music in my closet which is something I wouldn’t have done before. It’s been nice being home and really getting to spend I guess eight whole months just writing every day. I feel like a better writer and a deeper thinker. I just keep thinking we are going to die someday so we might as well make the music or live the life we truly want to live without limitation or worry about what people may think.” It certainly has been a struggle for everyone but I’m inspired by these words. Put out the art you want to express, the life you want to lead, don’t waste time. 

Through this mentality, Michelle’s new track and video, “Time Off From A Letdown” was born. “Thematically,” she says, “the song represents the feeling of letting everyone down; however, the reality is that you are only letting yourself down by putting others first. It is about refocusing on yourself, as I have spent the last couple of years doing just that after going through such a dark time in my life. The cinematic video is a beautiful representation of this created by an all-female team. It is a piece of art in its purest form, and I hope you take something from it.” 

The song is a hauntingly beautiful adventure that has an almost unexplainable effect of making whoever’s listening self-reflect on their own life. Something only the truest of talents can get out of people…

The music video is beautiful as well, delivering a cinematic experience starring Michelle as emotionally raw and honest as her song is. “This shoot was very different for me. It was the first time there was no big production. My friend Zoe Akiko and I went to a friend’s trailer park in a small town called Carp. We both co-directed, Zoe shot everything. We used what was there. I did my own hair and makeup and wardrobe. Since we shot this during a pandemic there was really no other option other than to just do it ourselves. It was really nice actually and it taught me that we can do anything. I love the video and I really love that two strong females made it together. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Treacy’s music is vulnerable, exquisite and unforgiving in its honesty, that’s what I love about it. This energy translates to other types of performances I have seen her do, too, specifically in relation to the music covers she posts on her Instagram account. 

These covers are always on my social media watch list and I’m always looking forward to them. They inspire me every single time! It made me wonder who inspires Michelle, musically…

“Right now,” Treacy explains, “my inspirations are… Finneas because he’s the nicest dude ever and he’s really helped inspire me to get creative. I also love Stevie Nicks, Lana Del Rey, Alanis Morissette, and Rufus Wainwright. The list goes on and on and on…” 

Michelle’s music makes her social media platform special but it’s also the way she talks with her fans. “It’s a friendship,” she says of the relationship she has with her followers and devout fans. “I absolutely love my fans. They are so beautiful and kind and honest. I’m really grateful to have such a cool platform. I want to just love them and help them truly see how cool they are. I feel like they’re family. I get emotional because I don’t understand why they’re so supportive and caring of what I do. I’m just grateful every single day.”