Many Ann Arborites, myself included, have been watching former local Michelle Chamuel wow the judges and the public recently on the TV music competition show “The Voice.” Every time she knocks their socks off, I’m thrilled anew and, truth be told, more than a little proud of her.

For the uninitiated, East Coast native Chamuel was vocalist for the much-loved Ann Arbor band My Dear Disco—later Ella Riot—between roughly 2007-2011.

As music writer for The Ann Arbor News and now, Annarbor.com, I had the pleasure of interviewing Chamuel and her bandmates often, the last time being in late 2011, when she and long-time musical pal Tyler Duncan were forming the duo s/he.

In interviews, the bookish-looking Chamuel, with her large glasses and long hair hiding her face, was always the quiet one, hard to draw out of her shell. The naturally gregarious Duncan usually took the lead. But in concert—at the Ann Arbor Summer Festival, at the Blind Pig, or at the Michigan League Ballroom—it was sometimes hard to believe that the same singer belting out rave-ups like “White Lies” was the same seemingly introverted person I had just sat down with for coffee at Sweetwaters.

She’s still the quiet one, although on “The Voice” she seems to be pushing herself to be more outspoken. Recently she told the Web publication Cambio.com just what comes over her when she steps on stage and starts to let loose.

“For me, I'm not really that shy,” she said. “Being an introvert is more about where I draw my energy and creativity from - which is by spending time with myself. It can be overwhelming to connect with everyone in a large group, so I can come off as shy or a straggler. But when I'm on stage, I'm trying to communicate with that one part that connects all of us. Being an intimate, one-on-one conversation makes it so there's no need to be overwhelmed (or shy) in that setting.”

If audience response in-studio and from callers across the country is anything to go by, they love how Chamuel owns the stage every time she steps up to the mic, be it for a ballad like “True Colors” or a rocker like “I Kissed A Girl.”

The good news is, whether Chamuel ultimately wins or not, the acclaim she’s gotten via “The Voice” clearly shows there’s an audience for her sound, and that the music industry (at least as represented by the show’s judges) likes her. She’s not going anyplace but up.

And that’s good news for us introverts everywhere.

"The Voice" airs on NBC at 8 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays.