Famed record executive Tim Dubois was building the roster for the new Arista/Nashville label when he discovered Canadian country artist Michelle Wright and recognized her growing success in Canada. He signed her and brought her to Nashville, where her 1990 U.S. debut album, Michelle Wright, introduced American audiences to “that girl singer from up north with the snow in her videos.” Her first single, “New Kind Of Love,” became her first Top 30 U.S. hit.
In 1992, Arista released Now & Then, featuring six successful singles, including “One Time Around,” “Guitar Talk,” “He Would Be Sixteen,” and the career-defining “Take It Like A Man.” Released in February 1992, the song made Michelle the first Canadian-born artist in the modern era of country music to earn a Top 10 hit in the U.S., a #1 video on CMT-USA, and a major American industry award when she won the Academy of Country Music’s Top New Female Vocalist award in 1992. The success of Take It Like A Man helped propel Now & Then to double-platinum status and earned Michelle 12 music industry awards, including the 1993 Canadian Country Music Association Fans’ Choice Entertainer of the Year award.
Michelle’s career has since become one many artists dream of achieving. She has received more than 40 major awards, including induction into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2011. Across twelve album releases, she has sold millions of records and produced 25 Top 10 radio hits while performing internationally throughout North America, Europe, Africa, South America, Australia, and Asia.
In August 2022, BFD/Audium Nashville released Michelle’s tenth studio album, Milestone, produced by Bob Funk. The album featured nine new songs, including the autobiographical lead single “Small Town,” along with a powerful new version of her classic hit “Take It Like A Man.” Several musicians from the original recording session reunited for the remake, including Lonnie Wilson, Brent Mason, Biff Watson, and Bruce Bouton.
Due to overwhelming fan demand, BFD/Audium Nashville also reissued remastered versions of Michelle’s Savannah Records releases. Beginning with The Wright Songs: An Acoustic Evening With Michelle Wright in 2023, the series continued with Do Right By Me, Everything And More, Strong, and A Wright Christmas & More, which included newly recorded holiday songs.
Michelle continues to perform approximately 65 live shows each year. Beginning in late 2023, she toured across Canada co-headlining The Great Canadian Roadtrip alongside Jason McCoy and Doc Walker. In 2025, she also performed the classic “Snowbird” at the Grand Ole Opry House during a tribute concert honoring Anne Murray. The year concluded with the release of her holiday single “Let’s Make Memories For Christmas.”
With new touring plans, the return of her popular Christmas concert series, additional Great Canadian Roadtrip dates, and a new studio project underway, Michelle Wright continues to prove she is not slowing down.
