With her hands on her hips she firmly declared she is not a singer that performs other people's songs.
But now she is.
Michelle Wright will be celebrating her 2011 induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame with her Songs from the Halls Tour October 19 at the Prince George Playhouse.
Part of her show will pay tribute to those singers who have inspired her music.
"As a Canadian you struggle so hard to make your mark and find your space and find your place and in music, in my opinion, the only way you do that is by being first or best or original somehow, you know?" Wright explained. "So copying other people has never been particularly high on my list for a vision for myself but I was reminded that I had already scratched out my mark and it was OK to do covers. My agent told me that it would be really fun for people who are fans of my voice to hear me singing these great songs and certainly some that people would also know as their favourites. From Stevie Wonder to U2, to Anne Murray to Aretha Franklin and I will go across the gamut of artists and music and that's exciting."
Wright starts rehearsals next week.
"It'll be so fun just to see what we'll come up with and figure out what order we'll do the songs in and then the lighting director will come in and build the visual around it and the whole thing will come together," said Wright.
She will definitely miss her husband and the comforts of home during the six-week tour.
"I love playing and being with the band and we become like a little family out there and it's really fantastic to make music every night and get this instant energy happening and then you get on the bus and everyone's laughing and talking," said Wright. "Then you crawl into your bunks and people are watching movies and just relaxing and it's a beautiful thing really and the only part of it that I'm challenged with is being away from my home, my doggies and my husband."
There is the idea of absence making the heart grow fonder.
"There is that expression that says 'how can I miss you when you won't go away' so we don't have that issue because we do miss each other," Wright laughed.
For this concert tour, Wright said she's pretty anxious to see what kind of reaction she's going to get from the audience.
"I think the art of being a singer is something that is important when I go to see a concert," said Wright. "The art of being a strong vocalist that can sing on tune and on pitch and deliver a song is a challenge that I've always presented for myself and to nail it every night. My goal is to sing my heart out every night for the audience. That's what I want to do. We look forward to being there and see you soon!"
Tickets are at Studio 2880, 2880-15th Avenue, or call 250-563-2880. Doors at the Playhouse open at 7 and show starts at 7:30 p.m.
