Chrisette Michele Payne
Class of 2008
A.S. Jazz/Commercial Music
Grammy Award Winner Singer-Songwriter
A Long Island native, Chrisette Michele Payne is an American Soul and R & B Singer-Songwriter. Having graduated Five Towns College in 2008 with an Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Jazz/Commercial Music concentrating in Music Performance, Chrisette earned notoriety early on in her career.
Known professionally as Chrisette Michele, she debuted her first solo album in 2007 titled, I Am, produced by Def Jam Records. Shortly thereafter, in 2009, Chrisette Michele won a Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for her song, “Be OK”.
She had many early inspirations but Chrisette was influenced primarily by her parents. Her father played the organ and was a deacon at their church and her mother was the choir director. Chrisette sings in a neo-soul style like singer-songwriters Billie Holiday, Macy Gray, Jill Scott, Erykah Badu and Lauryn Hill. She is active in the world of music, has been a role model for many young singers, and continues to awe those who know her. We look forward to following her career and hearing her beautiful voice. Here’s a link to one of her recent songs, Wait- https://music.apple.com/us/album/wait-single/1521811547.