Michal Leah may only be nineteen, but her extraordinary talent makes her wise beyond her years.
The Chicago-born soul-pop singer/songwriter grew up in a highly musical family who listened to a range both classic and contemporary artists like Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Daniel Cesar and Billie Eilish.
Taking center stage at musical productions at just three years old, Michal continued her passion for the arts in her early years by writing and recording original music. And in 2020, the teen found herself turning to TikTok to post her gentle yet vulnerable compositions on a daily basis, which led to immediate viral success.
“I was posting covers [online] and for some reason, they ended up doing well,” Michal tells Celeb Secrets reporter Ilana Epstein in an exclusive interview. “I kind of ran with it and was really lucky with how things unfolded.”
@michal.leah Loud fan and @catburnss
Since joining the social media platform, Michal’s Nettwerk debut “The Way I Love You” has garnered over 190 million listens on its TikTok sound, charted on Spotify’s Viral 50 chart in 11 countries, and even gained recognition from artists like Meghan Trainor and Lauren Spencer Smith. The immediate success even scored Leah a spot on Eloise‘s headlining tour this year, along with sessions in Nashville with songwriters Andrew Turfano, Stephen Barnes and Tofer Brown.
As music became more of a job rather than a hobby, Michal found herself making a tough yet smart decision by deferring a scholarship to nursing school to continue her journey as a recording artist.
Of the decision, Michal tells Celeb Secrets, “I knew what I was capable of and I kind of just took a leap of faith. It reminded myself that school is always there and I have this time in my life where I’m doing something I really love so I might as well do it till fullest potential and see where it takes me.”
On Friday (December 16), Michal released her powerful new single “Used To It,” which you can hear on all streaming platforms. Finding herself once again using gentle and vulnerable lyrics, the powerful ballad gives some of the most painful feelings beautiful thanks to a flowing melody.
“I think it’s so important to realize that sometimes healing takes time and just because you feel healed from a heartbreak, doesn’t mean you are over that person. There is no step-by-step guidebook to getting over a breakup. I want people to listen to this song and know that they aren’t alone,” Michal said in a press release.
Both “The Way I Love You” and “Used To It” can be found on the 19-year-old’s debut project part one, which will hit streaming platforms in early February 2023. Sharing that she’s had a lot of growth in the last year, Michal says that this body of work will give listeners a look inside her first part of her journey, including ones that she’s both feeling and graduated from.
Celeb Secrets sat down (virtually) with Michal to talk about her musical journey, viral success on TikTok and her new single “Used To It.” Check out the full video for more and don’t forget to let us know what you think of the track by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.
You can connect with Michal by giving her a follow on Instagram at @michalleah_ and TikTok at @michal.leah.
