Whatever happened to Australian Christian music artist Michelle Tumes? Tumes dominated the Christian music charts in the mid to late 90s and early 2000s gaining significant international recognition her emotionally charged and spiritual music, especially with albums like her self-titled album Michelle Tumes (1999) and Listen to the Voice (2002). She was known for her unique voice and deep lyrics, and her music often explored themes of faith, hope, and inner reflection. Her sound was unique to Christian music at the time.
Tumes’ music resonated with listeners for its gentle, piano-driven sound and spiritual themes. Her songs like “A Place for Us” and “You Lift Me Up” became staples of Christian music radio and helped define the genre for a generation of believers. However, as the music industry began to change in the mid-2000s, Tumes, like many artists of the era, began to shift her focus away from the spotlight.
Then Tumes just disappeared from public life and the contemporary Christian music scene in the mid 2000s, got married and had three children. She now lives in California with her husband Douglas Higgins. After years of touring and recording, she took a step back to focus on her family and explore other interests beyond music.
Recently Michelle shared what has happened in her life on the podcast I Degree Of Andy her first interview in over a decade since she departed the music scene. She discussed transitioning away from the limelight, song writing for others and the recent devastating California fires, from which her home was mercifully spared.
Rather than continuing to tour and release albums, Michelle chose to find peace in a more private life. Her departure from the Christian music scene allowed her to spend more time with her loved ones, and she spoke about how rewarding this shift has been for her personally and some challenging times she has had in church worship ministry.
“You’re getting some truth and honesty out of me. So there are some things at the church that I saw that I didn’t love, like integrative things and I’ll just make it very general. So I brought it to people’s attention and it just wasn’t heard, and then it flipped around and it just wasn’t great,” she told Andy Chrisman.
“So I left that. But the community is incredible. Nothing about all the people in the team still have my heart and I’m just keeping contact with them, but I just can’t do that because it’s the church of the Lord, like it’s Christ’s bride, you know what I mean?”
A New Direction: Pursuing New Passions
Post-music, Michelle explored several creative avenues from songwriting for others to developing a movie script and a reality tv series.
The movie script came from a creative venture inspired by her family history. She discovered that her Nana’s claim of their French aristocratic descent was true, which sparked an idea for a story about a young girl who discovers she’s the heir to a kingdom, navigates challenges, and follows her own destiny. This idea led to a film project, and Michelle, along with a friend, developed a script that attracted interest from production companies. They travelled to Switzerland to collaborate with the Swiss government and film industry professionals, including a director of photography from Romania. The project is nearing production, with filming planned for Switzerland, Romania, and France.
Michelle also reflected on her personal journey, dealing with past hurts, undergoing counselling, and using songwriting to express her feelings and worship. She emphasised the importance of staying creative and embracing new ventures as part of her healing process. Additionally, her connection with her friend, who is also involved in the project, has strengthened, and her husband is involved in the movie industry as well which has helped with ongoing development of the project.
The Legacy of Michelle Tumes’ Music
Though Michelle Tumes isn’t actively releasing music or touring anymore, her influence on Christian music during her time in the industry is undeniable. Songs like “I See You” and “When I Call” continue to hold a special place in the hearts of those who grew up listening to them. Her unique Enya-like brand of vocals and music transformed the CCM for the better at the time. Her songwirting for other women in the industry at the time like Jaci Velasquez made her a highly sought after collaborator.
For those who don’t know of Tumes, a quick glance at Spotify will reveal all of her albums and they are definitely well worth a listen.
She may not be on the radio today, but Michelle Tumes’ work continues to resonate through the beautiful music she created and has her inspirational legacy on the Christian music industry.
