Michele Correnti Guested on Zac Little's Podcast "Make a Mixtape”

Our Founder, Michele Correnti, was recently a guest on the Make a Mixtape podcast, hosted by Zac Little—a fellow recipient of the Catapult Seacoast 10 to Watch award. In this episode, Zac and Michele make a “mixtape” of the defining songs of Michele’s life, from the nostalgic songs of her childhood to songs that remind her of fun memories of studying abroad.

The podcast is a nice change of pace to get to know Michele better on a more personal level, with a little sprinkle of marketing and branding tips, of course! We hope you enjoy this conversation about the songs that have underscored the different chapters of Michele’s life.

Track One: The Soundtracks of Your Childhood

Zac: “ I don't know very much about you. But one thing I do know about you is that “when you were a young boy, your father took you into the city to see a marching band.” So, let's talk about, Welcome to the Black Parade, a song that reminds you of your childhood. Tell me about it.“

Michele: “Yes, it's funny, I was talking about this with my partner last night and asking him the same questions that you asked me about songs that like, you know, bring up memories and things, and he went immediately when he was really little, and I thought of middle school. I feel like that was such a time for me. I really loved emo music and I still, to this day, love My Chemical Romance. They've done a tour recently and I went to see them. So when I thought of childhood, I thought, "Oh, My Chemical Romance, Welcome to the Black Parade." I love that album.”

Zac: “Do you feel like your parents had a very defined taste in music? Yes or no?”

Michele: “Kind of…My parents were a little unique. I wasn’t raised on rock or anything like that. I was raised on Billy Joel and Barbara Streisand. My mom also loved Celine Dion and Madonna. So, I was raised on pop music, and then my dad was basically Billy Joel and Andrea Bocelli. Which, you know, I love both of them.”

Zac: “Interesting. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Italian guy, your dad?”

Michele: “He is, yes. He's Italian, straight off the boat.

Track Two: Your All-Time Favorite Song

Zac:  “Let's talk about ‘Sugar, We're Goin Down,’ another classic of the genre and a song you consider your all-time favorite. Let's talk about.”

Michele: “I loved music videos and I still do to this day, even though they don't get as much hype as they used to, but I remember watching this music video channel all the time, and I saw the video for ‘Sugar, We're Goin Down,’ and that song just clicked for me.

Before it became big on the radio, I was like, “What is this song?” “Who is this band?” and then it got very popular, obviously. Now it's my go-to karaoke song, and if it comes out on the radio, I'm going to belt every lyric. It's just really hits all the spots.”

Track Three: A Song You’re Listening to A Lot Right Now

Zac: “Well, shifting gears and touching now on…a song you're listening to a lot right now. ‘That's So True’ [by] Gracie Abrams. I had heard this song without knowing what or who it was, and she does have famous parents. Yeah, I was aware of Gracie Abrams as an idea, and then I realized that she was JJ Abrams' daughter. And then I realized this song that I've heard before is her song. So, talk to me about this song and why you like it.”

Michele: “So, it's funny, she gained popularity probably a year or two ago, and I did not give her the time of day. I think I had one song that I liked of hers, but she released her latest album, and at the time I listened to it, it was kind of like the Taylor Swift effect, where you go…“Ugh, all the songs sound the same,” you know? So I didn't give it the time of day.

And then a few months ago, I picked it back up, and I was like, “Oh, no, no, no.” This IS the Taylor Swift effect, where the songs aren't the same if you actually are listening to it. And I fell in love with the whole album, and especially this song has been on repeat for a while for me.

There's something about, especially like when women are writing songs about different, various relationships that they've had that's so honest and human, and there are such good one-liners in them. So, yeah, just a big fan of Gracie Abrams.”

Track Four: An Emotional Song

Zac: “ First of all…Noah Kahan… What do we classify him as?

Michele: “So I remember, he released the single (Stick Season) a couple of years ago, and a friend sent it to me, and I was like, “Wow, this was really good. I really like it.” I think what the thing is about Noah Kahan is that I would consider him, first, to answer your question, he's like a folk artist.

Yeah. Essentially like an emo folk, which, you know, hits all the things for me. He's very honest, he's struggled a lot with mental health issues, and obviously he’s very passionate about it. He has a whole nonprofit dedicated to mental health resources and all that. But, as someone who struggled with anxiety and depression, his songs really resonate. They're very honest and very human and very dark, and this song in particular, ‘Call Your Mom,’ is just… one of the saddest songs I've ever heard.

[Trigger warning] If you've ever been in a dark place—I believe the song is about a friend who attempted to commit suicide—where you felt very defeated, this song really resonates when you listen to it , and you just feel like it can be better. That there are people who care about you, and you're reminded of how much love there is in the world. And it's just a very emotional song to think about either yourself or a loved one that's gone through something hard, and you just feel all the pain and love.”

Track Five: A Song That Makes You Feel Productive

Zac: “ Let's talk about a song that makes you feel productive. I gotta say, this song has been a mainstay on my holiday playlist… ‘Tezeta’ by Mulatu Astatke, I've never actually said any of those sounds out loud. But, great song.”

Michele: “It's just this like delightful Ethiopian jazz, and…I remember there was a long span of time where I would just put it on in the morning while I was making coffee. It's great. It's uplifting. It doesn't have distracting noises or anything. You could throw it on in the background, and it just keeps the mood up and keeps you going.”

Track Six: A Song That Makes You Feel Creative

Zac: “ When you saw this question of what makes you feel creative or inspired, you picked 'Churchyard' by Aurora…Were you picturing the creative times at work, or were you picturing something else?”

Michele: “Oh, that's a good question. I think it's more like a creative, inspiring creative energy. I think Aurora is just like otherworldly. I don't think she's human, she's a fairy or something.

Zac: She feels like she's someone very in the lineage of Bjork…

Michele: They're definitely in the same family. I think her music is so beautiful and otherworldly, and when I listen to it and that song in particular, I just feel chills. It’s this energy where you're like, how did she create this sound? Where was she? How did she think of this, you know? And it makes me inspired and makes me wanna be more creative.”

Track Seven: A Song That Reminds You of a Good Memory

Zac: “So, now we're gonna talk about a song you associate with a good memory. This is 'Rather Be,’ by Clean Bandit ft. Jesse Glynne”.

Michele: “This song reminds me of [when] I studied abroad in Italy, and this song became popular at the time. When it comes on, I think of just how blissful that time was. It was so expansive. I'm such an exploratory person. I love trying new things, seeing new places, meeting new people, experiencing new cultures… and that song just is so positive and happy. It reminds me of that time and that feeling that I love, where I'm experiencing something new or living in this very present moment.”

Track Eight: A Song That Reminds You of a Bad Memory

Zac: “ A song you associate with a bad memory?”

Michele: “‘Dare You to Move,’ by Switchfoot. This song reminds me of when 9/11 happened and the Twin Towers fell, which, you know, I don't know about everyone else, but very pivotal moment in my life. I was old enough to sort of understand what was happening, but young enough to not quite understand what was happening, which made it ultra impactful because there was this like, not quite knowing what was gonna be happening, but I guess also adults felt this way at the same time. They didn't really know what was to come either… I remember I had my Walkman with ‘Dare You to Move’ on a mixed CD. I loved making mixed CDs, and I just played ‘Dare to Move’ over and over and over again, and I just felt very… introspective and emotional and unsure. It just reminds me of this feeling of being like, what's happening?”

Track Nine: A Song That Reminds You of a Loved One

Zac: “ Our last song here is a song that makes you think of a loved one. ‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift… ”

Michele:  This song reminds me of my mom. I think if you had asked me, probably a decade ago, it would've been Billy Joel for my dad, ‘Piano Man,’ which is a staple in my life. But…my mom and I love Taylor Swift, and I'm not like an original Swifty. I'm like a, when she started making folk like ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’, which is more like folky, dark, lyrical, like emotional music… and my mom was kind of similar. She started to fall in love with her around the same time. So a song that reminds me of my mom is Lover.”

Conclusion

We hope you enjoyed this fun, getting-to-know-you blog! If you would like to listen to the whole conversation between Zac and Michele, which includes more about her work at Correnti, you can find this podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Substack.