Just like the red lipstick she flaunts makes a statement in the way she looks, Michelle Playter has been doing the same on the runway, in makeup artistry, and most recently with music.
The single mother of two, who turned 41 on Thursday, celebrated with the release of her first single “God’s Not Done With Us”, a song she wrote that speaks to the present pandemic and other crises Guyana has been dealing with since the start of this year. “God’s Not Done With Us” serves as a reminder that as people, despite our situations, we still have a purpose and should unite for the greater good.
“God’s Not Done With Us” is currently being played on the radio and can be found on YouTube under Ssignal Productions.
As a girl, Michelle spent her early childhood in Kumuni Creek with her mother, stepfather, two sisters and a younger brother. A tomboy, she enjoyed playing football, cricket, volleyball, fishing, running, climbing trees, swimming, hunting for wild animals and driving a speedboat. However, she was also fascinated with glitz and glamour, so when she was not caught up with activities with her male cousins, Michelle liked playing dress-up. She modelled her fancy dresses and heels that an aunt sent from overseas and used her mother’s lipstick for eyeshadow and blush. When she could, she did up her mother’s and sisters’ faces. She also worked on visitors who did not mind a little girl painting their faces.
Though she has only recently released her first single, Michelle shared that singing has always been her first love, but other opportunities presented themselves and she took them as they came, putting her dream of becoming a singer on the backburner. Growing up, she tuned into the family’s black and white television watching international singers perform and dreamed of the day when she would serenade an audience with her voice. While she dreamt of such a life, Michelle took every chance she got to perform. Her singing began at home, then church and before long, she had requests to sing at funerals.
Michelle is often complimented on her looks, something she had gotten used to as a child. Members of her community referred to her as ‘Miss Guyana’, so years later when she was afforded the opportunity to participate in the Miss Universe Guyana 2004 pageant, she could not pass it up. In fact, there were three events that led to this and what was the start of a career in modelling. Owing to her passion for singing, she decided to participate in the “Beauty of Christmas Show” on NCN. Following that Michelle competed in photographer Aubrey Barker’s ‘Miss Photogenic’ which she won. At this point, she caught the attention of Courts and was asked to sing the national anthem and recite the pledge at their 10th anniversary, as well as co-host the event. It happened that the then Miss Universe Guyana franchise holders Andrea McAdam and Paul McAdam were in the audience. Michelle recalled being watched and followed by Paul after the end of the show and she was beginning to worry when Andrea approached her and asked if she had ever contemplated competing in a pageant or if she was a model.
Michelle, who is light in complexion, said that throughout her life she has been asked whether she is Guyanese which often made her feel like an outcast. Yet she was still surprised when the Miss Universe Guyana team asked to meet her father because they could not be sure she was Guyanese. In fact, she said that although she presented a Guyana passport to the team, they asked her father whether he had bought her passport and whether he was sure he was her father.
It was the pageant that opened the doors for Michelle to strut the runway. She has been in both local and international shows modelling for Sonia Noel, Olympia Small-Sonaram, Michelle Cole and Derick Moore and for designers from Paris, Dubai, and New York at Brooklyn Fashion Week.
The model has also appeared in commercials including for City Mall, Splashmin’s Resort, Pepsi Max, and Demerara Distillers Limited and has participated the Genesis Fashion Show, Guyana Fashion Week, Courts Guyana Stash For Cash, CPL Twenty20 in Guyana, and Jamzone Master’s Cup Twenty20 cricket.
The talented Michelle has also dabbled in a bit of acting, appearing in two films Live and Love in Guyana and The Black Box, both of which were produced by Last Movements Production Company which has since relocated to Barbados.
Michelle is in the process of planning a video for “God’s Not Done With Us”, in which she intends to showcase Guyana. However, she is looking to shy away from displaying the same places Guyana and the rest of the world already know of in her video. She will look for more pristine areas as well as other locations that she believes the video will help to promote in the tourism industry. Guyana has bountiful beauty, and this is an exciting project she is looking forward to.
According to Michelle, she has been writing songs for a long time and has a number she plans on recording. Though no timeline has been set, she hopes to finish a Christmas album as well as an inspirational album and a gospel album.
This singer has her hands full, but she is determined to follow her dreams. She has a takeaway lunch business that she operates from home on Fridays as well as a business in makeup artistry. She also caters for any events, large of small.
The model said that she chose to work from home since her older son has special needs and this requires her to be around.
She said that as a makeup artist she is all about making women feel confident and enhancing their looks, not covering them up. Michelle is also the makeup artist for designer Sonia Noel and has done makeup for a number of prominent figures including at the wedding of former Guyana cricketer Ramaresh Sarwan.
When it comes to wearing lipstick, she always goes for a red or a pink as she does not believe lips should be in another colour unless one is modelling and is required to wear another colour to share a story. Red lipsticks are perfect for women who are having a drag of a day and feel that they look dull. The colour, she explained, is a perfect cover for someone who wants to seem confident as it gives the face a pop of colour and brightens a woman’s facial expression.
Wearing other lip colours, Michelle said, was usually to tell a story. She said modelling goes beyond promoting a piece. It also defines the wearer and tells a story. Models, she noted, have to be keen to project the image and story the designer expects of them and she does so with utmost pride. A freelance model, Michelle has as recently as last year joined Long Live Productions Runway Modeling and is currently with Sesame Carnival in New York City. She is hoping to one day soon have them come on board to form their own band and participate in the Guyana Carnival. Michelle is also the proud owner of Playter’s Modelling Agency that has had ten models at shows in and out of Guyana.
As a model, one is expected to follow strict dietary guidelines, but Michelle said she does not have to eat a certain way or workout to keep her toned physique. In fact, the 5’ 9” model believes that believes that since she is always multitasking, her fitness is taken care of. When it comes to her skin routine, she strongly believes in cocoa butter which she has been using for as long as she can remember. Most of the other products she uses are herbal.
Though she is years behind in following her dreams of being a singer, Michelle believes everything happens in its own time and for her, now is that time. She added that when she left her village as a teen, many persons expected her to taking up a singing career and it is finally happening.
Michelle is currently working on a new year/new decade project called Jaden Foundation that will help more special needs children, be a voice for women dealing with special children, and help them to be better informed as regards taking care of their children. For the time being because of Covid-19, she is working on food hampers and intends to start at Kamuni Creek and Santa Mission, situated along the west bank of the Demerara River.
Michelle is forever coming up with ideas and finding new projects, with the hope of making a difference in the lives of those she comes into contact with.
