Music

Band Member Bios

Michelle & V.O.O. is a Los Angeles-based band founded by Michelle Raitzin, in collaboration with some members of the Danish-Swedish rock band Royal Hunt and an engineer Bill Malina—who has worked with Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Santana, among others. Our unique melodic rock sound results from the mix of a variety of musical flavors and the raw talent that our four seasoned, professional musicians bring to the table during the recording sessions.

Michelle Raitzin—Lead/Backing Vocals

Michelle is an exceptional singer/songwriter with a brilliant voice. Her professional career in music began at the age of 10 on Long Island, New York. Some of her early work includes:

Eleven Kidz Bop Albums
Barbie Diaries CDs
Pottery Barn Christmas Music CD

Royal Hunt Albums
Zoey 101 Voiceovers
MasterCard Commercials

Michelle competed on The Voice and landed a spot on Team Blake Shelton; she also had numerous live performances and tours, including festivals around the USA (Taste of Pinellas/St. Petersburg/Florida, The Delta Fair/Memphis/Tennessee, etc.) and abroad (Sweden Rock Festival and Japan's Loud Park Festival, among others). She attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, before TV roles brought her to Los Angeles.

Andreas "Habo" Johansson—Drums/Percussion

Andreas was born in Västervik, Sweden. At the age of 3, he moved to Habo, where he spent his youth and developed his musical interests. He grew up in a musical family and got his first drum kit at the age of 7. His real passion for music has been following him since he heard Kiss for the first time in his early teens, and at the age of 16, Andreas finally decided to go pro: in 1994 he moved to Stockholm, and since then he has been working as a session drummer/percussionist for many of Sweden's distinguished artists. Now, Andreas is a member of the bands Narnia and Royal Hunt.

Jonas Larsen—Guitars

Jonas rose to the top of the music world in Denmark by winning the "Copenhagen Guitar Battle" competition two years in a row in 2008 and 2009. Since then, he has worked as a session musician in various studios and played with the cover band Highway Jam. His multifaceted style of playing is a great contribution to the band's sound.

Andreas Passmark—Bass

Andreas was born in Linkoping, Sweden. His interest in music started early as he began to play cello at the age of 7 and—already after a couple of years—turned to his uncle's electric guitar and started to play along with his favorite albums. As his interest in rock music grew stronger, Andreas started his first band with a few school friends, and things began to progress a bit more rapidly—local gigs and a few studio sessions then followed. When Andreas turned 20, he decided to move to Stockholm in order to expand his "musical horizon," and since then, has been playing professionally with many different bands in many different styles: all from pop/soul/funk to rock/metal. His experience gives an extra oomph to the sound of the band.