by Jocelyn Loren

Still riding high on the wave of her lesbian-sprinkled, up-tempo dance show, Me and The Girls, Lori Michaels’ new album, Living My Life Out Loud, slams into stores on July 8 — sooner if you’re the downloading type. Promoting her album and her Pride Tour, Michaels grabs her gear and scantily clad back-up dancers and hits the beach — Long Beach that is. IN Los Angeles caught up with Michaels to muse about living her life out, loud and proud.

You were the featured national recording artist at Dinah. How was it?

The whole weekend was a blast! Just hanging out with the girls and meeting everybody was a really cool experience. Any place where there’s lesbians is always fun. [Laughs]

You’re doing Live Out Loud Pride Tour 2008. What do you have planned for us at Long Beach?

I think we’re just going to keep it as upbeat and sexy and interactive as possible with some of the songs off the album, and we[’ll] also intertwine them with some covers that people will enjoy. The dancers will rock it. This is my first time doing Long Beach Pride, but I’m excited to come back out West. I’m a Jersey girl, so I love having an excuse to come to Cali. I’m like “yes!”

What do you like most about the Pride events?

I love the energy of the crowd and being able to meet people who are just happy to be out for that day. [Laughs] On occasion, we get people who share their stories with us. When we did Phoenix Pride, I sang my title track, “Living My Life Out Loud,” and afterwards somebody came up to me and was like, “I love that song! I was going through something with my family and that song made me really feel something cool! I’m just going to be who I am and thank you.” So I really appreciate when I hear that at a performance.

Can you tell us about your new album Living My Life Out Loud?

I wrote a large majority of the songs and shared in the production and musical arrangement, and I really was hands-on with this. I’m really proud with how the project has turned out.

Any special songs you’d like to talk about?

On “The Right,” I worked with Curtis King, Jr. I just felt like it was going to be an awesome song for the gay community to embrace because the whole song is about “If I had the right, I would take your hand and love you”—this whole gay marriage thing. [It gave me] goose bumps and tears. [Laughs]

Tell us about your nonprofit organization for disadvantaged youth.

That’s the heart and soul of my existence. I formed Reach Out in 1989 to make the community aware of what the young people were doing to make the world a better place. We’ve been fortunate [enough] to meet a lot of wonderful people who are true heroes. We’re a very small organization that does very big things. What I’ve learned is these kids are the strongest people on the planet.

Would you share any final thoughts with our readers?

My songs preach unconditional love and I think that equal is equal. I’m an “out” artist and I hope one day that that doesn’t even mean anything. I think we need to embrace the love that we share and get over it and wake up.

For more information about Lori Michaels, Living My Life Out Loud or Reach Out, visit her website at www.lorimichaelsproductions.com. You can also catch her at Cambria Women’s Weekend Oct. 23-26. For more information, visit www.womenonaroll.com.