Rick Rock and Shaggy reconsidered singing in the soul when they released “It Wasn’t Me” at the turn of the century. More than two decades later, catchy choruses are almost reflexively spilled over in karaoke bars and during nightly snacks with friends. The unofficial anthem of the millennium became the first of many songs by a musician from Denver Michelle Rocket to make a Broadway turn as part of her ongoing “If They Made a Musical Out Hits of the 2000s“TikTok Series.
“I’ve always appreciated how [musical theater] it’s a storytelling mechanism. “
Rocket Y2K covers range from Beyonce »Lonely ladies (wear a ring)“to the tune of” The Ladies Who Lunch “from George Firth’s musical” Company “to Eminem’s” Lose Yourself “paired with”Hamilton ‘s soundtrackand even “Get Low” by Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz put to music with “Dear Evan Hansen“.” I’ve always appreciated how [musical theater] is a storytelling mechanism, so I had a lot of fun putting these ridiculous 2000s lyrics into really sweet-sounding music to tell the story differently, ”she says to POPSUGAR. [‘It Wasn’t Me’]obviously there was a bigger story in this song. This is one of those songs that we know, think, sing, and then think, “Wait, what’s really going on in this song?” So one succumbed to the drama of musical theater. It was very interesting to rethink. “
About creating covers of 2000s songs
Since the release of its first video in the series in September, Rocket has garnered millions of views. “It was really a release because I didn’t know anyone at TikTok. It gave me the freedom to try things, ”she says of how to get started on the platform. She is grateful for the online community she and her followers have cultivated. “I’m just pleasantly surprised,” she says, especially exclaiming Glee star Heather Morris, a notable supporter. “It was a really surreal moment because I loved watching Glee grow,” Rocket says. I liked how dramatic it was. I liked how banal it was. It taught me a lot about singing, and it taught me a lot about how to reevaluate and understand covers. It was really a goal to see someone from the show, who taught me basically how to do what I did, enjoy music ”.
Image source: Joshua Kern
About her band and solo career
While TikTok is a space for Rocqet where she can play and be “stupid,” her music career off the platform is also thriving. In high school, Rocket participated in choirs and theaters. She later studied sound recording and vocal performance in college and participated in a cappella school groups. For over 10 years, Rocqet has been a member Milk flowers, an experimental pop band where she sings and engages in beatboxing. Apart from the band, she is also a novice lo-fi R&B performer; she released her first solo single “Interview” in 2020.
About the “Millennium of the Musical”
At Rocket College, a big fan of musical theater, she backed off from the theater because she noticed a sharp lack of representation. “I noticed that people like me weren’t on stage and weren’t in the lead roles,” she says. “It’s reluctant, and I wasn’t sure if I made a career in musical theater. Everything has changed and everything has evolved, but it’s a slow industry.” Today, Rocqet dreams of breaking into this industry with its own music project.
“I think it was the most interesting thing to see: people accept the idea and make it their own.”
She plans to launch a series of 90s musical covers, showcase her original songs and release more musical theatrical content, including her own musical. “I’ve always wanted to write‘ Millenial the Musical, ’” she says, joking that all the songs will be about Tinder. “What [TikTok] allows such cooperation in a sense that is impossible personally. All these people are making their own versions [what I do]and I think it was the most interesting thing you could see: people accept an idea and make it their own. ”
See ahead of the best remixes of Rocqet songs of the 2000s – and a cover of “WAP”, inspired by du-vop.
