Michelle Lockey Chats "Dig Deeper," Hollywood Music in Media Award Nomination, and More

Michelle Lockey is an accomplished recording artist, singer-songwriter, and producer based in Maryland. With a long list of accolades to her name, Michelle Lockey has solidified her reputation as a respected artist in the music industry. She has been nominated for several awards, including the Hollywood Music in Media Award, Hollywood Independent Music Award. Won Best of Folk in the Intercontinental Music Award, and more! Michelle Lockey’s music has been featured on a variety of platforms, including TV shows, films, and commercials. Her work has appeared on popular shows such as The Young and the Restless, The Voice, and Longmire, as well as in films like Speed Kills and Hallmark’s Hope at Christmas. Michelle Lockey has also contributed to Amazon Prime’s Good Girls Revolt & The Path, CBS Inside the PGA, and the CW Fall Promo, among others.

Michelle Lockey’s music and Indie/Alternative Folk sound is influenced by Ingrid Michaelson, Sheryl Crow, Boy Genius, Noah Cyrus, The Lumineers, The Head & The Heart, Warpaint, Cannons, Hope Sandoval, London Grammar, The XX, Daughter, The Civil Wars, Colbie Caillat, and Oh Honey.

Michelle Lockey is passionate about giving back to her community and has hosted a concert/fundraiser to raise awareness and funds for Pulmonary Hypertension. Her niece suffers from this condition, and Michelle Lockey’s concert featured some of the songs she has written over the last ten years, along with the stories behind them. The concert replay is available on her website, along with information about Pulmonary Hypertension.

In addition to her music career, Michelle Lockey is also a mentor to aspiring musicians and teaches courses on how to build a business in music licensing. She also holds workshops for women to help them overcome fears, find their self-worth, passions, and achieve their dreams.

Michelle Lockey has performed at various corporate events and venues, including the Bethesda Blues and Jazz Club, Signature Theatre, and several concert series such as Focus Music and Stone Room Concerts. Her set list is diverse and includes music from various eras and genres, from The Eagles to Sheryl Crow to Guns N’ Roses, guaranteeing a crowd-pleasing performance.

With “Dig Deeper” out now, we took some time to hear from Michelle Lockey. Read below to learn more about Michelle Lockey, the story behind “Dig Deeper,” and what’s to come.

Hi Michelle Lockey! Let’s start with how did you get your artist name?

My artist name is my actual name.

What city are you from and where are you based now?

Dickerson, Maryland.

At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music? How did you get started?

I started pursuing music, formally, in the early 2000’s. I started by joining a church choir and met a few songwriters at church. From there, I was introduced to a publisher who became my co-writer and we put out my first album in 2009.

Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today? If so, how?

My cousins and family were musical, always playing piano and singing, so that got me an early interest in music. I learned about Amy Grant from them and listened to all of her music. Her voice was what I strived to be early on.

How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?

My sound is similar to artists like Amy Grant, Paula Cole, Phoebe Bridgers, Ingrid Michaelson, Hope Sandoval and Sheryl Crow.

Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?

Yes, exercise, fly fishing, hiking, movies, gardening.

Who are some of your main musical influences?

Amy Grant, Phoebe Bridgers, Hope Sandoval. I like their style, voices and type of music that they create.

What’s one of the proudest moments of your music career so far?

Being nominated for a Hollywood Music in Media Award. I got to go be on the red carpet in Los Angeles, and my song and name was read out loud in front of a crowd of Hollywood stars!

What would you say are the greatest lessons that you’ve learned so far?

Rejection is common. Music is also not a get rich quick endeavor. It is a hard business to be in. There will be times when you really want to give up, but if you keep going, you can reach and surpass your goals.

Now onto your release, ‘Dig Deeper.’ What inspired this song? What is ‘Dig Deeper’ about?

Like I had mentioned in the previous question, this business is hard, and many times I have wanted to walk away. ‘Dig Deeper’ explores that feeling of wanting to give up, but something keeps pushing me forward. ‘Dig Deeper’ is about confronting the feelings of hopelessness and digging in and keep moving forward

What is your favorite lyric in ‘Dig Deeper’ and why?

In the pre-chorus: ‘To leave this comfortable Lie for an unknown life’ it was a little play on words. At first, I wanted to say ‘comfortable life,’ but I thought LIE represented the meaning more. Meaning that we tend to stay in our comfort zone. It is comfortable, but will it get us to where we want to go in life? So in a way it is a lie. A lie that life, or our minds tell us, to stay where it is safe. But being safe will not allow you to reach your goals.

What message do you hope fans take away from your music and from ‘Dig Deeper?’

No matter how bad you feel, how much you want to walk away, stay the course, stick with it. You never know when success may hit. If you walk away, you will never reach that goal.

What’s next for you? Are you working on any upcoming projects, or do you have any upcoming shows that we should be on the lookout for?

I am working on the music video for ‘Dig Deeper.’ Finding the right locations and weather is challenging!

I have two upcoming ORIGNAL music shows, that I am excited about. On June 12th at Ploughman Cider in Gettysburg, PA from 6-8, I will be performing original music.

And, I get to play in my first Folk Festival, The Mountville Folk Festival, on June 21. I will be playing at 4 pm. If people cannot attend in person, there will be a streaming link. To attend patrons must sign up on their website: https://mountvillefolk.org/contact.

Where can we follow you on social media?

https://www.instagram.com/michellelockeymusic/
https://www.youtube.com/c/michellelockeymusic
https://michellelockey.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/michellelockeymusic/
https://music.apple.com/us/artist/michelle-lockey/415095719
https://www.tiktok.com/@michellelockeymusic
https://open.spotify.com/artist/61xD9tkbLgzb6awlho5Yml

All the links to the song: https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/michellelockey/dig-deeper-2