Episode Transcript
Hello, my name is Aziz and I'm the son of a divorced mother. She is my superhero. That's
why it's important for me to support women to share their uniqueness, their personalities,
perspectives, and emotions about this world. In these difficult times in human history,
we need to bring the cultures of the world together. And when we listen to real people,
to real lives of women from other countries, we connect our humanity without our differences
or stereotypes, and we get inspired by their stories to live a better life. That's what this
podcast is all about. My guest today is Michaela Stratton. Michelle is from Kalarasi, Moldova,
currently studying abroad music and design. Michelle is a musician, a singer, and she can
play three instruments, the piano, saxophone, and drums. Her heart beats for music. She intends to
make it her career. And in the last 12 years, she managed to collect numerous prizes at various
national and international music competitions, including the UNESCO Prize. Michelle has a
diverse number of hobbies, including, of course, music, political science, sciences, geography,
and travel. Last summer, she participated in one of the projects created by the Council of Europe
in Strasbourg, Youth Action Week, Democracy, which was an unforgettable experience for her.
Michelle, how are you today? Hi, I'm wonderful. I'm very honored and happy to be in this project,
and thank you for having me. You're welcome, and it's my privilege to interview you, to explore
you as a person, to share your voice. And I'm really curious to know if your friends could
describe your personality since they know you best. What would they say about you?
Hmm, interesting. I can say they will describe me like I'm very perseverant, I guess. Very
sensitive person. It's a lot. And with various dreams, dreams like to come true. I like that.
So you're ambitious, you're sensitive, and you're persistent and perseverant towards those goals.
But usually, it doesn't work that way because sensitive people and people who become musicians
and artists, they get the feeling of pain and feel it strongly, so they don't persist because
they need to run away. So how do you do both where you can stay sensitive and face the
adversities and persevere towards the difficulties of your goals?
Yeah, that's a fun fact. When you see me, I usually have two personalities. One is the artist who is
on the stage, and one is in society. In society, I can say I'm a sensitive person. In the stage,
I have much courage. I have this feeling that I can connect with people. In society, I'm more
introvert than in the stage. So that's the fact. That's why I can say I have many personalities.
Thank you. That's so interesting. And you mentioned that on stage you can connect with people.
Can you tell me a bit more about that? Is it energetic, where you feel your energy goes
into the audience through your voice, and you're creating an atmosphere? Or is it that you feel
you are your first audience, and as long as you feel good, you know that pleasure will transfer
into the listeners? What does that connection mean? How do you describe it? Tell me more.
Let's say that the stage is like a theater. It's like a reflection. It's like a mirror.
It's like a mirror to the feelings of the public. What do you feel on the stage, like the artist?
It's like a mirror for the public. What is the feeling that artists create on the stage?
It's the same feeling that has the public. That's the goal of the artist, to make them feel
what the artists feel on the stage. So it's a reflection. It's a reflection of people's heart.
And that's the, I can say, the mission of the artist, of an artist, I can say. It's a very...
It feels amazing. It's like you in the stage and the mirror. You can see yourself through these
people. When you are on the stage and make them feel the way you feel, it feels amazing.
It's a reflection of yourself, of your feelings and of people's heart. That's my answer.
Thank you. And yes, so it's like a mirror, a reflection of yourself and the hearts of the
public. And to ask you even more, because you have multiple personalities. So when you are outside and
in public, are you also a high empath? Can you feel people's energy and hearts just when you're
around them or by their body language or just looking at them? Or is this more in the stage
and outside you're introverted and you don't allow the energy of the surrounding to enter you too
much? I can say definitely I'm introverted in society because I don't know why I have this
social anxiety. Maybe it's from in the past, from my past where it's from how become
society in these days. They're always in their phone. They don't live. They don't live. They
don't see what's around them. They don't smile. They are different. But when they came on a concert,
on something cultural event, I can say. Why in every beginning, when a concert starts,
they say turn your phone off, like without phones. It's that to be open-hearted and to feel what it's
happening on the stage. And that's the energy. That's an energy. That's a beautiful energy when
it's with the game on the stage. So it feels more comfortable when the people have the same
feelings as you and they understand you in the stage more. It's more positive. It depends on,
of course, on the creation or what you would say. But they understand you. They understand
your feelings and it's more comfortable than outside on society when everything is
an impression, an anxiety or I don't know. That's a feeling. I mean, when they came on a concert,
they just are open-hearted. And when they, they don't remember of troubles on their life.
They just feel more comfortable. And that's the difference between a reflection on concert
and to be outside. That's why I'm more introverted in society, I can say.
Thank you. I understand what you mean fully. And that makes me think. What do you think and feel
that social media and phones have led people to lose in this world? Is it only that they don't live
and they're too stuck looking at the phone, not in connection with reality? Or they see people who
are photoshopped and look perfect and they lose their self-confidence? Or what's your opinion on
it? Because we're moving towards times where people will always more and more look under
their phones all the time. Even at some point, studying goes by looking at your phone.
Well, my opinion is that social media have a special role in this world, but not to close
people's lives. Because this is like a drug. I felt I was addicted, by the way. By the way,
I was addicted in the past. I was addicted on phones. And that experience makes me feel that
this is a dangerous thing. And we have to keep a balance between our life and social media.
I mean, social media is useful, but not for what you feel or for what makes you really,
really happy. That's my answer. Thank you. And it makes me ask you,
what is the ideal way to live life, in your opinion, and that motivated you maybe to let
go of your addiction to social media? You spoke about that. Is it because you're also socially
introverted? Are you thinking about going out of your comfort zone, becoming more extroverted,
or having more adventures in life, or you feel you live when you're around people you love and
you speak with them, or trying new things, going hiking on a mountain, going to concerts to watch
and to listen as well as to perform? Tell me more about what motivated your desire to stop
addiction to social media. And how do you live in a way that makes you satisfied and happy,
in your opinion? What stopped me is, I think my parents
advised. It wasn't easy, by the way. First of all, it wasn't easy to
lose this addiction. But I believe in myself and my family. And for 18 years, I lived with my grandma
and my parents. They were outside in the country. I think I realized that with this addiction
of social media, I wouldn't be able to make my dreams come true. Without my grandma, with
her advices, she's my hero, I can say. Without her, I wouldn't be able to be what I am right now,
today. In conclusion, I think the personality of my grandma, she's a very strong woman.
Helped me very much. Her advices, her personality, her perseverance, her love, first of all. For me,
stopped me thinking and stopped me to be addicted to social media and think about myself more and my
goals in this life. And to think about this question, what I want to do in this life.
Thank you. And it's interesting that you mention your grandmother. It makes me wonder,
you as a girl who was born in Moldova and raised by her grandmother, did this make your way of
thinking and culture traditional Moldovan? Or because of social media, as we spoke,
because of Hollywood and K-pop and anime and all those things, you are more a mix of the cultures
of all over the world. If you could describe to someone who doesn't have friends from Moldova,
how is their personality way of thinking that sometimes or usually is when a girl
is born and raised in Moldova? So, first of all, I can say I'm a mixed. I have a mixed personality.
And since I respect our traditions as a Moldovan girl, but I can be, and I like, I can say,
I liken the modernism in our days. I mean, I like Hollywood. I like other traditions. The culture of
Moldova through the majority population is very similar to the culture of Romanian states. And
thanks to the minorities, it also has tangents with the culture of Ukraine and other neighboring
states. Traditions. Traditions in Moldova manifest in such areas as music and dance,
traditional cuisine, winemaking, of course, folk artists, and, of course, costumes in this way.
Without which no important Moldovan event takes place. Like, for example, holidays,
which are much loved in Moldova. I can start with one. It's very famous in Moldova. It's called
Mertisor. I know it's not, it's, we can't translate this, but it's called Mertisor. This holiday is
beacons in first March. In this day, all the persons, all the, all the inhabitants of Moldova
congregate each other and give each other small ornaments in the form of two flowers hanging on
string. Like, this is called Mertisor. And during this entire month of March,
these ornaments are worn on clothes. And at the end of the month, they are tired,
they are, these ornaments are tied on a tree branch and a wish is said. In Moldova, everyone
is sure that they will be realized. So it's a very beautiful holiday. And we have a very, very,
during the European integration tent of Moldova, with the help of several, several European states,
many cultural edifice has been, have been created and opened. And the Republic of Moldova is often
invited to participate in various cultural events and speak about my personality. I can say, I,
I love the tradition of Moldova. It's, it's called it. I think, I think it's our, it has managed to,
our traditions, our characteristics of culture has managed to be transmitted through centuries
and millions without being lost. So this is, this is cool. But also I love, I love modernism and
something cool. As an artist, as an artist, I need inspiration, of course. And nowadays, music is in
continue evolution. Okay. And this, these things, this modern is like Hollywood, like, okay, pop
songs, every, every genre of music, or not just music, but also, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's
important for, not just music, theater, movies, everything. Give, give me an inspiration to
continue my music career. So that's why I can say I'm a mixed, I have a mixed personality.
Thank you. And it's so interesting that you're speaking about inspiration. For you, what is the
feeling or the process of inspiration for your music? What in general, overall inspires you?
And in your music career, usually some people say, oh, do your music, but first get a degree
as an engineer or as a lawyer or as a doctor, because music doesn't give too much money. So
how did you decide or what inspired you to decide to do music as your main career?
Fun fact. I, I wanted to be a police when I was, I don't know why. That's because I like,
I don't know why, but I love spy movies and some mysterious things like, like that. But
the thing that makes me to, to be into music, I mean, I, music was my inspiration, science I
even can remember. So around six years old, my parents noticed that I had some musical skills
and they enrolled me at school music. First of all, at the piano section. And at the same time,
I took singing lessons and the teachers say that I have something that, that can be great in the
future. I mean, I don't, I believe that divine's forces can do this because I don't have any
musicians or musical professionals in my family. Okay. My dad loves music a lot. He can play
guitar, but not as a professional one. They, he didn't took a school music, a music school. So
I don't know. I liked, I liked to sing since I was little and for 10, 10 years, I mean, 11 years,
11 years, I just sing and sing. I was, I was participating in many, many conquers, national,
international, every time I took the first place, the first prize, maybe the big one. And that's
encouraged me, encouraged me that I decided me to create a music career. And here it's
begins in social media too, because we thought right now in this nowadays, a musician without
an artist, I can say without social media, it can't do, can't evaluate without this. So I think
it's a small role in social media and of course a music producer and many other things to create a
great musical career. There's so much, there's so many obstacles in music industry. And also
what decided me to create a music career is that, that I like to calm in people's heart, I can say,
because as I said, I'm a sensitive person and I want to, I think my main, my mission in music is
that to create, I can say to create a better world in emotional level. I mean, right now in society,
we are too different, indifferent. I mean, we are too addicted, I can say to the things that happen
in this world. And I want to become a heart melted, to create people, to be open hearted
with their self. And my inspiration in music, of course, my experience, it depends, but most of
them are based on my experience in the past. Thank you so much, Michelle. I really wish you to be the
reason that more people open their hearts and live fully and don't live in reaction or stuck to their
phones. It's a beautiful way to live. It's a great mission and message. Thank you for participating
in this project. It was my honor and privilege to understand you better, to share your experience
and life and culture. And I wish you more success and keep going. Thank you so much. I really have
been open hearted in this project. Usually I don't, as I said, I'm introvert. It makes me more
comfortable. And really, really, I'm very, very thankful for that. Thank you so much.
