Michel

Michel was released in July 2000 as the third single from Anouk's second album Urban Solitude. An emotional ballad inspired by a childhood sweetheart, the song showed a more vulnerable side of Anouk compared to earlier singles such as R U Kiddin' Me and The Dark.

The single was released in two editions: a 2-track version in a cardboard sleeve and a 4-track edition in a plastic jewel case. Around the time of its release, Anouk unexpectedly cancelled all scheduled summer festival appearances after suffering from burnout-related exhaustion, making Michel one of the quieter moments in an otherwise turbulent year.

The relatively low-budget videoclip was directed by a close friend who had previously made the videos for Nobody's Wife and It's So Hard. During filming, Anouk met rapper Unorthadox, who also appeared in the video itself. The two lost contact shortly after and did not see each other again for many years.

More than a decade later, Unorthadox became the father of Anouk's fourth child, giving the videoclip an unexpected place in her personal history. The warm and intimate clip received frequent airplay on TMF and MTV and helped Michel become another successful single from the Urban Solitude era.