Like a caterpillar that transforms into a beautiful butterfly to dazzle all that see, Michelle Williams has transformed from a supporting role in Destiny’s Child into an amazing solo performer. How she didn’t win The Masked Singer is beyond me! Butterfly was booted last week, but Michelle couldn’t have been happier the next morning when she talked with The Cocktail.
O Sinner Man!
Michelle is an amazing singer and performer. She is also a very distinct singer and performer. I knew it was her, and she told me I’m not the only one. Her peeps called her out and tried to trick her into admitting she was the winged wonder. “A lot of people were kinda guessing, and I was getting text messages from my cousins. I called my aunt one day just to check on her. She kinda tried to catch me. She was like ‘alright I’ll talk to you later, Miss Butterfly.'”
She was contractually obligated to keep Butterfly’s identity a secret.. but that morning she wasn’t very convincing! “And I was like what? What are y’all talking about? Y’all are crazy over there in Rockford, Illinois. What’s going on?” Now the gospel girl needs to get herself to church! “I was trying to play it off, then I was like, Lord, I’ve been lying since September since this show came out. I need to go to somebody’s church and repent, cuz I been lying all this time.”
Power Ballad
Like most singing shows, it all starts and ends with song selection. And for Miss Michelle, that was her fave part. “Choosing the songs and then getting out there and singig songs that I’ve always wanted to do.”
She tried to take a flying leap. But she didn’t have a prayer because she was grounded by pesky producers. “Like Bon Jovi Living On A Prayer. I mean I even asked the production can I fly like he did in the video? And they were like we don’t know if we can do that right now. So I’m like okay.”
But the performance that meant the most to her has its roots more than 15 years in the making. “Nora Jones. So the reason that I chose Don’t Know Why is because in about 2003 I went through a breakup. And that song was playing during the breakup. And I was like I need to take some power back in this song, because every time I hear Don’t Know Why, I think about the breakup and the environment.”
For Michelle it was about changing the narrative and changing the personal meaning of the song. “Let me sing this song, so every time I think about Nora Jones’ song I Don’t Know Why, I think about the brilliant performance of it on The Masked Singer. That’s why I chose Don’t Know Why. Taking the power back.”
Here’s the Thingamajig
Ultimately Michelle lost in a sing-off to Thingamajig, and she’s good with that. “As a matter of fact, I gotta thing for Thingamajig. I’m wondering who’s under that Thingamajig situation. No Thingamajig, that’s a very nice costume. I’m wondering how’s he walking with those big feet thingys.”
There’s a ton of speculation that Thingamajig is Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo. With an impending connection to the NBA star, I asked Michelle if she was a Pacers fan. Not quite! “Am I a fan of the Indiana Pacers? I can’t say that I am, I’m born and bred from Rockford, Illinois, so I gotta go with the Chicago Bulls. No matter what.”
Now she intends to look into the identity of the man behind the mask. “I need to get my good investigative skills back going. I’m gonna Google and start investigating who people think Thingamajig is.”
But he’s not the only one she’s clueless about. Michelle says there’s only one remaining singer she has even a remote clue to their true identity. “We were secluded from everything! I might have an idea of only one person but I’m not sure because you just never know. So I’m looking forward to seeing who’s under that mask.”
The Critic’s Cocktail Recommendation
I’m mixing a Butterfly Martini with Grey Goose. This one’s for you, Michelle.. and I totally think you can handle it!
Cheers!
Critic's Cocktail 