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Memphis multi-hyphenate K. Michellecelebrated the release of her third album, More Issues Than Vogue,
with a full concert on Tuesday night (March 29) at New York City's Webster Hall.
Sporting a black one-piece that would make Wonder Woman jealous, the singer commanded the stage, proving she’s more than a reality TV personality.
That’s not to say her set wasn’t loaded with outrageous soundbites. “You may have broken up with him, but you forgot that you also broke up with that ***,”
she lamented about no-good lovers in between songs. Before launching into the piano-driven slow jam, she also said,
“On my nightstand, I have my ***, a Bible and my pills -- everything that keeps me calm.
That’s where “Nightstand” came from.” She also started the party with the T-Pain assisted jam "Mindful"
and threw it back to her 2013 debut with the raunchy "Pay My Bills." The evening carried its more somber moments, as well.
At one point, K. Michelle gave her back-up singers the chance to shine,
allowing them each to sing a solo as they banded together for an impressive medley that included Adele’s “Hello” and Chaka Khan’s “Ain’t Nobody.”
She also noted how she took pride in hand-picking each backup vocalist.
She even delivered earlier fan favorites like "Ain't You" off Issues as well as "Maybe I Should Call" off her 2014 effort Anybody Wanna Buy a Heart?
See the Many Sides of K. Michelle in Her 2016 Calendar: Exclusive Photos
The most vulnerable moment of the evening came when K. Michelle delivered a speech about being pigeon-holed in the industry.
She explained that while executives wanted her to be another Mary J. Blige or Keyshia Cole, she had something different to offer: an appreciation for country music.
She even shared that the first cassette tape she got from her mother was from country duo The Judds.
“I owe it to myself to sing a little music that I do love,” she said to applause. “I want to introduce my fans other music.
Music is music.” She then segued into enthusiastic covers of The Judds’ 1990 track “Born to Be Blue" and the Dixie Chicks’ 1999 song “Sin Wagon.”
She finished the country set with a heartfelt performance of “Memphis,” a bonus track on MITV.
K. Michelle closed the show with a special treat for her fans: “It’s about to get super *** rachet. I will not forget where I came from,”
says the singer who once hurled a candle at castmate Rasheeda on a 2013 episode of VH1's Love & Hip Hop. K.
then jumped into “Medley” from her first mixtape, 2012's 0 *** Given,
and delivered her special take on Yo Gotti’s "Down in the DM," proving that versatility is her forte.