Skip to content

Bad experience inspires new single

Being in the spotlight can attract some negative attention, especially if one doesn’t fit the physical mold of a country singer.
Michela Sheedy – Country Thunder3 2018
Okotoks country singer Michela Sheedy, performing at Country Thunder earlier this month, is releasing her new single I Make Bad Look Good on Aug. 31.

Being in the spotlight can attract some negative attention, especially if one doesn’t fit the physical mold of a country singer. Rather than let harmful comments about her curvy figure distress her, 23-year-old Okotoks singer/songwriter Michela Sheedy turned the experience into her next single. I Make Bad Look Good will be released Aug. 31, empowering listeners to accept themselves as they are. “As a female in the country music industry it’s difficult, especially for someone who is curvy,” said Sheedy. “I bring something different to the table. I’m not your cookie-cutter artist.” Sheedy wrote the song last year, inspired by an incident where a man stumbled up to her at a bar and made a rude comment about her clothing. “I went home and it didn’t feel so hot to have to deal with a situation like that,” she said. “I thought I could spin this and make it into a positive and creative song that’s going to make me feel very empowered and remind myself every day it doesn’t matter what I look like. “I have flaws and I’m good enough the way I am.” This wasn’t the only experience where Sheedy has been subjected to negative comments about her appearance. “I’ve had some similar experiences in the country music industry,” she said. Sheedy refused to let it deflate her. “I realized that there are two things that make up who we are as people - there’s amazing things and the things that aren’t so great, but those are even more important because it’s what makes us unique and special,” she said. “We don’t need to be fixed as people, we are good enough just the way we are in this moment.” Sheedy wrote I Make Bad Look Good alongside Calgary singer/songwriters Chard Morrison and Scott MacKay. “The songwriting process went very smoothly,” she said. “It just rolled off the tongue and we pounded the song out in an hour. It was me not trying to conform to a standard that I thought would be acceptable in the country music industry. It’s refreshingly gritty and something different than what you see in the country music industry.” With this week’s release, Sheedy hopes to reach others with her message. “Not only am I trying to motivate myself, I want to inspire young women and anybody who feels that they’re different, whether it’s disabilities, gender, ethnicity, I want people to feel strong and that they can take over the world after they listen to this song,” she said. Sheedy plans to create a music video this fall or winter, following a very busy summer. Earlier this month, she performed at the Country Thunder Music Festival in Calgary singing covers and originals – including her new single. “It was so much fun,” she said. “It was one of the best weekends in the summer for sure.” Sheedy got the gig through her connections with Ranchman’s Country 105 Rising Star Competition, which she’s been a finalist in the last three years. “The prize winner gets to play on the main stage,” she said. “I didn’t win, but the people who work for Country Thunder saw me and decided that they wanted me to play as well.” Last year, Sheedy played on Country Thunder’s Country 105 stage for one set. This year she played a set on the stage, participated in two songwriters’ rounds and performed on the main stage before Dean Brody. She also sang O Canada. “Typically I sing it for the Calgary Flames and there’s lot of rules they want me to follow, which is totally cool, but this time I got to have a little bit more fun with it and hear everybody sing along with me,” she said. “It was very cool to get a pep talk from Dean Brody before I got on stage. He said, ‘Kill it out there.’” Sheedy had a few minutes to rub elbows with other singer/songwriters, including Cadillac Three. “It’s a very humbling experience being backstage with all of those artists and not having to sneak back there,” she said. “You belong back there with everybody else.” Sheedy is keeping busy with Project Wild after being selected as a finalist for the Alberta Music and Calgary country radio station WILD 95.3’s artist development program last spring. She spent the last few days at a boot camp in Princeton, B.C., furthering her skills in performance, song writing, marketing, business, finance, media and touring. “I’m excited to come out of that a different artist with more knowledge and skills under my belt,” she said. Once the finalists go through various tasks, they will perform a series of showcase events vying for the public’s vote and one of three cash prizes. Sheedy performs at the Canadian Country Music Awards Sept. 7 and 9 in Hamilton, Ont. Learn more about Michela Sheedy at michelasheedy.com

push icon
Be the first to read breaking stories. Enable push notifications on your device. Disable anytime.
No thanks