Holbrook High School 2005 graduate Michelle Thomas has added her name to the long list of Holbrook alumni who have put their hometown on the map after recently receiving the Native American Music Award (NAMA), for her first music single “Beautifully.”
Born and raised in northern Arizona, Thomas, who is half Navajo and half Chinese, was raised on the reservation with her mother who she lost at the age of nine. As a young child living in a traditional environment, Thomas struggled to gain acceptance because of her differences.
One of Thomas’ earliest memories of music was of her grandfather singing traditional Navajo songs, “I remember sitting on my grandfather’s lap and he would bounce me on his knee while he sang old Navajo songs.” It was then that she discovered her love for music and the healing she felt it brought.
Thomas also attended church with her grandmother where she was exposed to gospel music. She said that as a young girl she would watch the music groups perform and even sometimes join them. Though Thomas never joined choir or any other extracurricular music programs, she continued to learn songs in her native tongue and explored singing through traditional and other music.
With the passing of her mother, Thomas was moved from household to household between Indian Wells and Utah. Growing up she found herself in difficult circumstances, sometimes without the essentials such as water or transportation while moving around. Eventually she settled in with her aunt in Holbrook where she finished her high school career.
At age 14 she began her singing career by singing the National Anthem in Navajo at local school games in honor of the Navajo Code Talkers, a group of Navajo soldiers who created and successfully utilized a communications code during World War II using their native language.
“I stood behind that and that is actually what took me to a lot of places around the country,” said Thomas, adding that singing the National Anthem is where she discovered her love for performing and through it she also found healing from her troubled beginnings.
Throughout her travels and her early music career, Thomas has performed for dignitaries of other countries and widely televised events such as professional bull riding, which has ultimately afforded her a large platform of exposure.
Thomas offered details about how her NAMA came to be. According to Thomas, a director by the name of Pony Vigil from Native Music Television contacted her after she released her first single, “Beautifully.” Vigil wanted to do a video for the song and met Thomas in Albuquerque, N.M., with his production crew.
After completing the video Thomas explained that Vigil submitted it to the NAMA’s. The mother of two who now lives in New York, N.Y., explained, “It was actually nominated for “Best Music Video Produced.” As a result of the production crews hard work and Thomas’ dedication she was awarded the NAMA for Best Music Video Produced for her single “Beautifully.”
Thomas attributes her success to the resilience she gained from her struggles growing up in a broken home in small rural communities, which have fueled her dedication to her career. She’s also released a few children’s songs in Navajo in hopes of preserving and exposing the dying language. Thomas continues to work on new music and her T-shirt line and said there are bigger developments taking place in the music industry but due to confidentiality reasons, she must wait to share the news.
Thomas had only one message for students with dreams who may become discouraged by the obstacles of rural America. “With upbringings and teachings, never forget where you come from. This is part of who you are, a part of your foundation and always stay true to yourself. Most importantly, love yourself and always be proud of who you are.”
