Don't Tell Me I Can't......Join A Band

Marcelle Stroud found her musical calling as a singer

- James Hanman & Matthew Barbour

The band sounds behind me, and I feel the vibration of the music running through my body as I take the mic in my hand. But this isn’t just any live performance – I’m about to make my debut as the lead singer of a rock band. My palms are sweaty with nerves but as soon as I start singing, my anxieties instantly disappear and I begin to wonder why I haven’t taken to the stage sooner.

I’ve always had an interest in music. Growing up, I’d raid my parents’ record collection to listen to The Beatles, Queen and whatever else I could find, then I’d shut myself in my bedroom and belt out notes to Bohemian Rhapsody and Hey Jude. I often pretended I was in a band, singing into my hairbrush as I jumped up and down on the bed.

As I got older, my music taste broadened to rock. I listened to The Cult and White snake, and I always had the radio on in the car and at home.

But I didn’t think of pursuing music as a career. I just never thought it was a possibility.