Michelle Johnson has lived in several countries and speaks several languages, including French and Arabic. She is recognized as an international vocalist, having appeared in numerous countries and singing in over seven languages.

She has performed for many Heads of State and has been seen in film, on television and at major supporting events.  She sings the national anthems of a multitude of nations and has performed in a variety of international showcases and themed events, singing opera, jazz, world music, musical theater, pop and rock.  Her unique voice and impressive range have made her a hot commodity in the music recording and touring industries.

In Las Vegas, where she currently resides, she also a headliner in her own right, having performed in French at the Paris Hotel, in Italian at the Bellagio Hotel, and in English and German at several other venues in Las Vegas, and she still performs in New York City and overseas as well.

Michelle’s versatility as a vocalist (rock, jazz, opera, Brazilian, etc.) and her affinity for languages has served her well over the years.  Born to diplomat parents, she grew up primarily in Cairo, Egypt and Hong Kong, and then attended Yale University where she earned a degree in English Language and Literature.

She then moved to New York, where she began moonlighting as a vocalist in jazz clubs while maintaining a paralegal job by day.  Her original path to Harvard Law School diverged onto a different route when her passion for the entertainment industry eventually won out. After a wonderful stint on the Broadway stage alongside fellow actors Nathan Lane, Frances Conroy, and Elizabeth Shue, Michelle called it quits for her day job.  She did some more musical theatre work, and quickly became a sought after vocalist who toured and/or recorded with major artists for several years.  Those artists included Paul McCartney, Elton John, Slash, Paul Rogers, Neal Schon (of Journey) and PM Dawn among others.

You can also hear Michelle’s signature sound on numerous television and radio jingles both nationally and locally.  She is the voice of  “UNLV Tickets” jingle among other popular spots.  Michelle has appeared on Jay Leno and the Tonight Show, the Arsenio Hall Show, Soul Train, and many international television shows in Asia and Europe.  In Las Vegas Michelle has also sung backups and toured with David Cassidy, legendary vocalist Gladys Knight, and 80’s pop icon Sheena Easton who regularly featured Michelle in a duet in her long running show at the Las Vegas Hilton.

She has also shared the stage with David Foster, Josh Groban, Spyro Gyra, Wynonna, Vince Gill, and Cher. She has sung both the American, Canadian, French, Egyptian, German and Italian national anthems at over 100 venues nationwide, and she was contracted as a vocal arranger and the featured soloist oppositeWhoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal, and Robin Williams in the opening number of HBO’s Comic Relief, a live television special which is currently in syndication.  Recently she also performed with Sugarland at the AMC Awards, which aired on CBS Television.

Throughout her years of touring, Michelle naturally fell into a leadership role of coordinator, section leader, tour manager, travel coordinator, and so on.  She has since become a full-fledged entertainment producer and event coordinator, often coordinating the very acts she had worked with as an artist. Upon moving to Las Vegas in 1995, Michelle moved to the Entertainment Capital of the World and began her own entertainment production company, Diva Las Vegas Productions.

With years of performing, traveling, and contracting under her belt, her direct access to headliners and talent in the US and abroad has put her in the forefront of the convention business in Las Vegas.  She is a recommended vendor with the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, and her reputation is stellar. She is on a first name basis with the people who “get things done” in every hotel and casino in Las Vegas, and unlike the sometimes impersonal approach of large talent agencies, she avoids the cookie cutter “show in a box” approach and prefers to pull together customized talent for every event she works on.

Her unique talents as both an entertainer and a producer have led her to work with a myriad of well known recording artists, television and film studios, Fortune 500 corporations, and meeting planners and destination management companies all over the world.  Michelle has been contracting talent, directing, and coordinating entertainment for large-scale events for over fifteen years.  In addition to her production skills, she is a bandleader, music arranger and producer, composer, actress, writer, creative producer, and director.

Beyond the lights of Las Vegas, Michelle’s work as an entertainment producer and coordinator takes her across the country and across the globe several times a year. Her hands on approach, and her unusual left brain-right brain balance has made her invaluable to clients who need both a “creative type” who is comfortable on a stage or behind the scenes working directly with talent and a “corporate type” that can communicate with corporate clients, prepare proposals, and get things done on budget and on time.   Her international corporate clients include Mercedes, Washington Mutual, Toyota, IBM, AT&T, Bayer, to name a few.  She has worked with many well known actors and has directed several charity galas and stage productions. She also contracts talent from individual musicians or backup vocal sections to dance troupes and 100 piece gospel choirs for major television and stage productions and celebrity tours.  Past clients include HBO, MTV, the NBA, the Righteous Brothers, and countless other recording artists.

ASSOCIATIONS

Michelle is a member of Actors’ Equity Association, the International Special Events Society (ISES), the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce, the Las Vegas chapter of the Musicians Union (Local 369) and the National Association of Women Business Owners and is an active advocate for women in business on both a local and national level.  In her spare time she mentors other women who are seeking careers in entertainment, production, and public speaking. An accomplished singer songwriter, she is in the process of recording a new compact disc.  She is also an coauthor of the inspirational book “Power of the Platform” and is in the process of writing her own book about the music industry entitled “The Chick Singer Bible.”  Her passion is uplifting people through the power of music, and she is in the process of creating a non profit music therapy foundation called Music Medicine WoRX.

Find out more about Michelle at www.DivaLasVegas.com