Now you can once again experience the musical journey of Mississippi power vocal duo Shay and Michi who are making a big impact in their community and on their generation. Aside from recently being named as nominees in two Josie Music Awards categories, including Entertainer of the Year - they are also celebrating a new release title "Here I Am Today" this month. The song is their fourth single emerging from their album - "The Day". Written by lead singer Shay Guess, the song tells the story of someone who was once an outcast in their town, with people thinking they just were not needed.
"But God had a different plan for them" adds Shay.
"Now they're sharing their journey and asking for prayers, feeling a bit nervous but determined to not let anyone down. In the chorus, the person stands strong in their faith, sharing God's word and grace"
Shay and Michi's background is a testament to their musical diversity and spiritual drive. As both of them are accomplished recording artists, performers and writers, they have made a significant impact on their community and their generation. "Here I Am Today" is just the latest chapter to that testament and their commitment to excellence and dedication in all that they do for their community and their generation.
The song speaks strongly to the words of John 3:16 and how those words have changed their lives and also how a simple prayer can turn everything around. They are grateful for God's amazing grace and as the song proclaims, they are here to testify, even though they were the last person anyone expected to walk down the aisle and pray.
When we interviewed Shay about how this particular song was born in his heart - he said "I tend to write from a place of trying to tell stories where the subject has a moment of overcoming something in their lives. I wouldn't say this song is about any one person, but the emotion of every person taking on a huge conviction to lead others from the place they came from before knowing Christ"
Shay shared that in the past he has known several pastors who nervously fought off a divine calling on their lives and their humility really astounded him. He had heard his pastor friends give their testimony and say "I was always under the impression that if I so much as walked into a church, because of my past, the building might fall down around me.
Upon further reflection, the singer, writer and half this amazing duo who has recorded this song said "When the Lord can snatch one of the devil's trophies off the shelf, shine them up and make use of them to lead others to the cross - it is an AMAZING message.
In "Here I Am Today", Shay's biggest desire was to pay tribute to pastors, evangelists, and/or anyone else who has been cast out by society because of their past. It has always been interesting to him that a "traditionalist" can complain about the appearance or the past of a person and then judge them by saying Jesus could or would never use that person....only for the Lord to say, "Yall....watch this!"
That possibility and dynamic just makes Shay laugh but it also excites him about the power of redemption our Lord has for all of us.
Shay and Michi's music and message resonate deeply with the friends, family and fans who are the true beneficiaries of their talent. Known for their diverse musical styles and spiritual drive, they and the music they write and present has made them well known for representing the sound of their communities while inspiring positive change.
That positive change came into this world in 1974 when Michi was born in South Korea. She was adopted at around the age of 2 years old by SSG James Doyle Lesley of the US Air Force and Yoko. Mr. Lesley tragically died in a boating accident when Michi was 4 and she, along with her brother, were sent to live in the States with her grandmother. Not long after she was here, her family learned she could sing. She began singing professionally at 6 years old and has been singing every day since.
Shay joined his first gospel signing group when he was 14 and it was then that he and Michi started singing together. They married in 1994 in what some would say a match made in musical heaven. After Shay was awarded 2nd place in Nashville's Inspirational Songwriting Competition in 2009, both of them auditioned for NBC's The Voice making it past the second round of callbacks in 2011. They have continued to perform and inspire audiences every since then and in 2023 they released their bebut album "The Day" with Dreamland Entertainment Group and three cuts from that album have all charted in the top 40 in Christian Country Music genre.
Their pursuit of excellence and their talent and ability to move audiences through film have additionally garnered highly esteemed nominations at The Grand Ole Opry for both The Josie Music Awards AND The Inspirational Country Music Associations "Video of the Year" categories for their music video "Going Back Home" while also being named a nominee for The Josie Music Awards Top Category of Entertainer of the Year - Duo with winners to be announced in October.
As "Here I Am Today" is the fourth release from their album "The Day" - it also serves as a sequel to another song on that album titled "One of the Scars".
Shay really enjoys writing that way, using the same subject but from different perspectives. He adds that his wife, Michi, has the toughest job of the two of them. Shay writes the songs and passes them by here before he even finishes the songs. As you can hear in ANY Shay & Michi recording and most prominently in their live performances, Michi is so connected to her emotions that whne there is something hiding inside of a melody or lyrics Shay presents to her, she simply cannot hide how it makes her feel. This is the point where Shay knows he has a keeper.
It is their truest and most genuine hope and prayer that everyone experiences the songs in the same way.
Visit https://www.shayandmichi.com/ to learn more about Shay And Michi.
Renee Collins Cobb, M.Ed. and Warren Cobb are Executive Producers of Overtones LIVE and Co-Owners of Listen Locally, LLC, as well as Executive Directors and Founders of Room 17 Productions, a non-profit 501c3 organization. We are also co- owners and partners in Dreamland Entertainment Group and The Scribe TV Network.
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