She was born Tenitra Michelle Williams on July 23, 1980 in Rockford, Illinois. Raised in a Christian family, Michelle developed a close bond to her faith as a child and decided to join the church choir, a career starter that she never thought would bring her a big promise. With her sister, she also joined a musical group called United Harmony and by her high school years, Michelle has channeled her artistic qualities by involving herself in her school's Creative and Performing Arts extracurricular. Surprisingly, she went to study criminal justice in Illinois State of University but after two years, her calling as a singer came back in the form of an offer as Monica's backing singer. Michelle, full with ambition, abandoned her study and pursued her passion.