Voiceover artist L. Michelle McCray’s introduction into the arts began at five-years-old after singing “When You Wish Upon a Star” in a Disney play. Her first official gig, which was in radio, sparked her adolescent years. Tapping into her passion early on set the tone for her future to come.
“I had been playing little pranks, imitating, and my mother would read me stories. And, I was so in love with what my mother did that I started imitating her, and then it turned into me imitating people in the news and practicing all these inflections, sounds, and tones,” L. Michelle told AfroTech.
L. Michelle’s radio background and theatre, music, and media production pivoted her career as an artist, particularly in voice acting. Now, with over 25 years in the game under her belt, L. Michelle rightfully crowned herself as the “voice acting master.”
In 2020, her journey as an artist took a slight halt due to the arrival of COVID-19. The pandemic hit after she moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music. Although the outside norm had shifted, the industry veteran didn’t press pause on leaning further into her craft. Her eagerness to find ways to connect with fellow artists led her to join Clubhouse after being invited by a friend. And, it’s thanks to the social audio app that McCray landed one of her most significant breaks to date — collaborating with Snoop Dogg.
Working With Snoop Dogg
After discovering her voiceover work in a Clubhouse room, the rap legend invited her to work alongside him for his album, “Algorithm.”
“I go to the [Clubhouse] room and he says, ‘I’ve been looking for you girl. I got a job for you. I want you to help me navigate and help people find this musical house that I’m building.'”
With being the navigational voice throughout the album, L. Michelle played a key role in making it a cohesive project, with her talent being the glue to hold the timeline of old school legends, like Method Man and Ice Cube, to new school artists such as Blxst and D Smoke.
Connecting Through The Arts
The opportunity alone of working with Snoop was a once-in-a-lifetime moment, but L. Michelle’s connection to the intention behind the collaborative album is what aligned with her own artistry. As a musician herself, a saxophonist, Snoop’s desire to bring a feeling back to music resonated with her musical roots.
“That for me is huge because there’s a gap in producing good music and the creativity that we used to have,” L. Michelle expressed. “And with him being a multi-hyphenate to put all this together in this musical journey — 25 tracks — and to help navigate and show people the way that this music thing is headed. That’s how I feel I tie in.”
The Power Of Clubhouse
From closing out quarter four of 2021 with the release of her work with Snoop to her upcoming work with will.I.am — who was also was introduced to her talent online — L. Michelle’s story exemplifies how you never know whose attention you can catch on social media and specifically in her case, of where a Clubhouse room can take your career.
While she’s far from rookie status, the platform has been instrumental in amplifying her work, opening up doors of opportunities and becoming a space for the multi-hyphenate to expand on her many talents.
“Clubhouse has produced an opportunity for learning,” L. Michelle shared. “It helped demolish and destroy a 50-foot tall hurdle of ‘It’s who you know.’ It broke down that barrier for so many people that are in remote countries or people like me that are behind the scenes — the introvert. I didn’t have to get on camera to introduce myself. I didn’t have to do certain things to network with so many people across the app from the UK, Greece, Africa, just everywhere. I’ve made some lasting long-term friendships and connections that I know will be fruitful.”
