Michelle Gurevich
Background information
Also known asChinawoman
BornToronto, Ontario, Canada
GenresSadcore, lo-fi, Indie pop, Art pop, Folk
Instrument(s)Vocals, keyboard, guitar, synthesizer
Years active2005–present
Websitewww.michellegurevich.com

Michelle Gurevich is a Canadian singer-songwriter, also known by her former stage name Chinawoman.[1][2][3] Her music is influenced by her Russian heritage,[4] and has been described as slowcore rock and "lo-fi pop".[5][6] She performed regularly in Russia, and her largest fanbase is in Eastern Europe.[6][7]

Life

Gurevich was born in Toronto, Ontario, to Russian-Jewish immigrants[8] and was raised with Russian as her first language.[4] Her father was an engineer in Soviet Leningrad and her mother a Kirov ballerina (the subject of Gurevich's "Russian Ballerina").[4][7][9] Gurevich originally wanted to become a filmmaker and worked ten years in the industry before turning to music. "I eventually tried to write a song and found it was not only cheaper but much easier to get a good result."[4][10]

Gurevich began her career recording in her bedroom.[4][7] The stage name "Chinawoman" was chosen as a spur-of-the-moment joke when Garageband prompted her for a band name.[5][11] After receiving criticism for being a non-Chinese woman inappropriately using the word Chinawoman, Gurevich distanced herself from her stage name and began to perform under her own name.[12]

Gurevich has cited Alla Pugacheva, Adriano Celentano, Charles Aznavour, Yoko Ono, Francis Lai, Nino Rota, Xavier Dolan, Todor Kobakov, Jennifer Castle, and filmmaker Federico Fellini as influences on her music.[4][13] Gurevich possesses a contralto range.[14]

In 2011, Gurevich was invited to tour Europe as an opening act for Patrick Wolf.[6]

In 2012, "Lovers are Strangers" was the theme song for the Latvian film Kolka Cool.

In 2013, "Russian Ballerina" was featured on the commercial for the Nokia Lumia 1020.

In 2014, Gurevich's song "Party Girl" and "I'll Be Your Woman" inspired the 2014 French film Party Girl.

In 2020, Gurevich moved to Copenhagen, Denmark, with her Danish wife and their 2-year-old daughter.[8]

In 2022, "Feel More" was the theme song for the American documentary miniseries Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey.[15]

On August 30, 2023, she announced the cancellation of the fall tour due to being "not well enough to perform".

Discography

Singles

  • 2008: "Russian Ballerina"
  • 2013: "Kiss in Taksim Square"
  • 2019: "Poison In My Mind"
  • 2020: "Love From A Distance"
  • 2021: "No One Answer"
  • 2021: "Ho Fatto L'amore Con Me"
  • 2021: "Losing Touch"
  • 2021: "Forever Awkward"
  • 2022: "Goodbye My Dictator"
  • 2022: "Aliens Wanna Touch"

Studio albums

Title Album details
Party Girl
Show Me the Face
  • Released: 25 March 2010
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: CD, digital download, LP
Let's Part in Style
  • Released: 24 February 2014
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: CD, digital download, LP
New Decadence
  • Released: 28 September 2016
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: digital download, LP
Exciting Times
  • Released: 9 November 2018[16]
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: CD, digital download, LP
  • Note: Rereleased in July 2023 with new album cover
Ecstasy in the Shadow of Ecstasy
  • Released: 15 May 2020
  • Label: Self-released
  • Formats: CD, digital download, LP

References

  1. ↑ "Six Toronto Songs We're Digging Right Now". Now. 19 October 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  2. ↑ "Chinawoman NO / Michelle Gurevich YES". www.musicaradio.gr. 24 May 2016. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  3. ↑ ""I may actually be writing the same song over and over" – an interview with Michelle Gurevich". www.siegessaeule.de. Retrieved 12 June 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gurevich, Michelle (29 July 2011). "Interview: Chinawoman". Stil in Berlin (Interview). Interviewed by Darryl Natale. Berlin. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  5. 1 2 Gurevich, Michelle (7 December 2010). "Artist of the Week – Chinawoman". Public Republic (Interview). Interviewed by Yana Radilova. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  6. 1 2 3 Stefanies (18 February 2012). "Review: Chinawoman – For You I Want to Be Real". The Flaneur. Archived from the original on 5 March 2017. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  7. 1 2 3 Chater, Jennifer (22 March 2012). "Chinawoman". The Moscow News. Archived from the original on 13 May 2013. Retrieved 9 August 2013.
  8. 1 2 Grooss, Minna (15 May 2020). "Lo-fi-dronningen Michelle Gurevich: "Monogami handler ikke om et sidespring eller et kys med en fremmed, men om en større pagt, man laver med et andet menneske"" ["Lo-fi queen Michelle Gurevich: "Monogamy is not about a sidestep or a kiss with a stranger, but about a larger pact you make with another human being"]. Heartbeats.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  9. ↑ "Chinawoman "Party Girl"". Rolling Stone (in Russian). Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  10. ↑ "Premiere: Going Ape with Chinawoman's Video for "A Woman Is Still A Woman" – Noisey". Vice. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  11. ↑ "Wie wunderbar brennt mein Haus". Der Tagesspiegel. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  12. ↑ Boyarinov, Denis. "Мишель Гуревич: "Я рада, что это в прошлом"" [Michelle Gurevich: I'm happy, that [this] is in the past]. Colta.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 7 November 2021.
  13. ↑ Michelle, Gurevich (13 June 2012). "From LA to Berlin: Chinawoman" (Interview). Interviewed by Nadia Says. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 9 August 2012.
  14. ↑ "Michelle Gurevich, ou a filha das limitações". 13 March 2019.
  15. ↑ Morris, Lauren (16 June 2022). "What is the Keep Sweet theme song? Opening music explained". Radio Times. Retrieved 30 July 2022.
  16. ↑ "Exciting Times (2018) – Michelle Gurevich".
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