Me’Shell NdegeOcello

ARTISTS

Michelle Johnson (a.k.a. Me’Shell NdegéOcello) was born on August 29, 1969, in Berlin, Germany. Her military family moved back to the States, and she grew up in the D.C. area. She attended the Duke Ellington School of Arts and then Howard University while performing in local clubs. Before moving to New York and scoring a deal with Madonna’s Maverick label, she changed her name to NdegéOcello (pronounced en-day-gay-o-chell-o), which means “free like a bird” in Swahili. She released her debut, Plantation Lullabies, in 1993.

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