Feature: Chrisette Michele brings blend of both classic and neo-soul sound
May 30th, 2008, 4:06 pm by Jaime Galvan
 By Jon Bream/Minneapolis Star Tribune
She has recorded with hip-hop stars Jay-Z, Nas and the Roots, performed three times on David Letterman’s show and earned a gold record for her debut album. But rising R&B star Chrisette Michele’s biggest honor came two weeks ago. She received her college degree.
“I went to the graduation ceremony, embarrassed in that big ugly black cape that I took off as soon as we finished, but I wore the hat around all day,” said the New York singer/songwriter.
After she signed a recording contract with Def Jam two years ago, she got sidetracked from her studies at Five Towns College on New York’s Long Island. But she recently went back to finish the final 20 credits. “I still had to take science and math - all the classes that you need for your degree that you didn’t feel like doing in the beginning,” she explained last week by phone while running errands.
Her degree is in vocal jazz performance. One of her projects was writing and directing a music video of “Love Is You,” the current single from her debut disc, “I Am.”
