For the past ten years, Michelle Yuen has been teasing the Vancouver music scene with a voice and energy never before seen. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Michelle is proud of her Canadian and Chinese heritage. From a musical family, Michelle showed early signs that music would be her passion, although, at the time, it was assumed that she would follow in the family trait of playing the piano. When she was five, she began taking piano and organ lessons and surprised her teachers with how quickly and easily she was able to learn songs. Her talent was realized when one day, the sheet music had no title, and Michelle could not play a note. To everyone’s amazement she had been playing by ear since the very first day. Her extraordinary ear at such a young age surprised many people, and sparked her interest in singing.

During her early years, Michelle explored rock, pop, folk and musical theatre, in addition to acting in school and community productions. Her interest in jazz bloomed when she began studying with Jennifer Scott at age 17. She started listening to, and became greatly influenced by artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughan. Michelle recorded her first full-length CD in the fall of 2000. She carefully chose and arranged every song. A rookie in the studio, she called up two of Vancouver’s best musicians and recorded 10 songs in a mere 3 hours. Every song on this debut album is recorded live, off the floor, and you can hear the intimacy in every song.

In the spring of 2004, Michelle took a life changing trip to New York. She was going simply to visit friends but soon found herself taking in as many Broadway shows as she could fit into her tightly packed schedule. Within a week upon her return to Vancouver, she secured her first Musical Theatre audition and landed a role in Stephen Sondheim’s Saturday Night. Over the next few years, her theatre credits have included Urinetown – The Musical, Flower Drum Song, Strike Up the Band, Jubilee, Boogie Wonderland and Other Freds.

These days, Michelle juggles many hats – as a performer, fronting a jazz/lounge trio called Yuen, Me and Manny as well as the highly popular disco band, Boogieland Express, as a Studio Director for Ovation Academy of Performing Arts – a studio that specializes in training top quality Musical Theatre performers and as a private vocal coach and piano teacher.

She often wishes for more hours in a day but her real wish is that art and music and theatre can continue to thrive and grow and touch every soul the way it has touched hers.

Be, Do, Have.