By: Gabriela Yareliz
It’s Michelle Branch Day.
I have been thinking about this day since she announced her tour.
If you told me when I was ten that I was going to see this woman, I would have passed out.
When you are a kid and you play pretend, you don’t always get to be who you want to be. Sometimes, you do. It all depends on who you play with and what category. Kids are weird. They have imagination for some things and not for others. If we played Spice Girls, it was always reasoned that I couldn’t play the blonde Baby Spice. I had to be Scary Spice (because I was the closest thing to black). You know, elementary school reasoning. You had to stay in your lane. Now, this didn’t mean I didn’t play characters I liked. I sure did. If we played American Girl, I could be Addy or Samantha (as my bangs gave me striking resemblance; plus I had the doll). If we were Powerpuff Girls, I was Buttercup (also my fav). If we were Charlie’s Angels, most girls wanted to be Lucy Liu, but that worked out because Cameron Diaz’s character was my favorite. She was goofy, fit and light-hearted. I also played Drew Barrymore’s character more times than I can count. (I always did like the edgy characters).
Mind you, we were between the ages of 8 and 11– so imagination was in full swing. When it came to musicians, the very popular Britney Spears and Jessica Simpson were off the table— so I often picked edgier picks. Ones people were less likely to pick: Selena (Quintanilla), Shakira (just turned blonde), Gwen Stefani (with the braces), Pink, Christina Aguilera (dirrty era), Vanessa Carlton and yes, Michelle Branch. Michelle was a favorite. Her music is like Journey’s music. It makes you fly high. If only you knew how many times I stood in the middle of an empty small church school activity room that looked like an empty racket ball room (or mental hospital lol) because of its square dimensions and plain nature, strumming an invisible guitar.
We would stay in that room practicing tumbles and coordinated step and dance routines to Jaci Velasquez songs for church talent shows and then pivot to the latest artists (I mean Christina Aguilera’s “Lady Marmalade” was all the rage then, and we sure as hell weren’t singing that at the church camp talent show).
When I think of Michelle Branch, it warms my tiny child heart. First, representation matters, and listen, I am not Asian. But growing up where so many in pop culture were white and blonde— the Michelle Branch, Shakiras and Anne Hathaways of the world gave some of us a character. Someone unique to aspire to be like. (Don’t even get me started on Princess Diaries. It was life-changing).
What I loved the most about Michelle was her power. Her ballads often have passionate choruses that you just have to belt. She is confrontational (we all collectively scream, “Are you happy now?”)
She walked so Avril could run. (Also have forever loved Avril).
These women defined Y2K for us millennial women. The early 2000s started with pop-rock, heavy eyeliner, mid-length layers and a guitar strap on your shoulder. We were reminded of this by Julia Stiles, recently. Before Paris and Nicole took us on a ride, we were screaming into a mic about Sk8er Bois, because that was euphoria.
Circle back to now. Michelle Branch has three kids. She vanished for a bit. I love that women are becoming mothers and then return with power for a new chapter that, honestly, the world needed. We needed this. And not just my ten-year-old self. I needed this now.
Just as the VS Angels showed us powerful women and mothers returning for a new (and powerful) chapter, this is part of the movement. Hilary Duff’s tour, Michelle Branch returning— it’s all a message that screams— your best is still ahead of you. You can pivot, you can mother, you can take a break, you can grow, you can mature— you can also still love what shaped your past.
Michelle Branch returned into my view a few years back when I realized one of my favorite writers Kelly Oxford is best friends with her. They would often post outings together. I was like, Omg!! Michelle!!
Ironic that a favorite writer would be such a close friend of Michelle’s. Or not. Sort of makes sense. All these webs of connections. When you click into a frequency, you just click.
So here we are. Thanks for coming down my brain dump of memory lane. For revisiting the characters I’ve played. It’s not every day you meet a person you pretended to be. Ha. I am ready to see Michelle. I have been ready since 2001. Two thousand freakin one. We are all grown now. Am I wearing heavy eyeliner? Damn right, I am. Am I going to sing “Everywhere” at the top of my lungs? Damn straight. Joy is going to be everywhere tonight…
Happy Michelle Branch Day to all who celebrate.
