What Would Michael Anna Do?

Being a jazz singer is a serious challenge for me, not just because my music theory education has been gappy and the idea of improvising or "scatting" sends me into a total panic of ignorance, but also because it requires a certain sexiness, a seductive, flirtatious attitude that makes me really uncomfortable.  Chalk it up to my Baptist upbringing, combined with an introverted personality, and mix in some childhood agonies and a father who was dead set against any of his children "turning into brats" by being on stage, and this whole sultry jazz vocalist thing is fraught for me.

I've come up with a couple of ways to help de-fraught it a bit:  1) I put together a funky outfit for each gig, varying the flavors from capris and high-top sneakers to skirts and groovy boots, to help get me in a playful mood and feel less trapped in my plain-jane self; and 2) I have a drink, to help lubricate everything (although my Baptist upbringing creates a little tension there, too, and alcohol tends to put me to sleep, which isn't really what I'm after here!—so I only have one that I nurse through the whole night).

My latest and most effective strategy, however, is to say, "What would Michael Anna do?" whenever I'm feeling constricted or embarrassed to let my "wild side" out.  My niece, Michael Anna, is the single most Positive person I've ever known, and since she was born she has had an innate instinct for joy.  She's a natural performer who just lights up the place without any sign of embarrassment, phoniness, or diva ego.  I wish I had a picture of her one day at about the age of 4 when I offered to take her to the store.  She dashed upstairs to "get dressed" and came back down wearing a flowery dress with every accessory in her wardrobe—chains of beads, bracelets, and even a headband tied around her head like a flapper girl.  Michael has always had a definitive sense of style!

So at the risk of embarrassing her, let me thank Michael Anna for inspiring me to be publicly joyful, playful, wild, and even, yes, sexy.  Here's to you, Michael Anna Banana!