Michelle Forziati has a ritual. When the creative urge hits, she lies down on the floor and writes. It’s humble, physical, and entirely her own, and it’s exactly where “Once More” was born. The new single from the Massachusetts singer, actor, and dancer is out now, a hazy, warm blend of alt-R&B and atmospheric pop that wraps its emotional honesty in a production that feels like exhaling after holding your breath too long.
“‘Once More’ is about falling into failure or hard times, and finding the courage to always stand up just once more,” Forziati says. “Life is a dance, and in dance we take steps forward and steps back. As long as we’re moving, that’s the most important thing.” That philosophy runs through every bar of the track, and the delivery backs it up with real vulnerability and warmth. Dylan Gagnon’s guitar work acts as the connective tissue throughout, fluid and soulful, while Monty Dale’s mix and master at Graybeard Recording Studio in Framingham gives the whole thing a magnetic, slow-burn quality.
Forziati is most widely known for portraying Jill Hurley alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in the 2017 Boston Marathon bombing biographical drama ‘Stronger,’ but her music has been building its own quiet momentum since 2023. “Once More” follows 2024 singles “Stranger” and “Strings,” both of which earned strong notices from Stereogum and others, and continues her evolution as a songwriter with a deeply personal and distinctly Boston-rooted point of view.
Acting, dance, and music feed each other in Forziati’s creative world in ways that make her output genuinely unlike anything else in her scene. “Acting helps me find the truth in what is,” she explains. “Dance helps me feel and become one with the music.” “Once More” is the sound of all 3 disciplines working in perfect alignment.