Michelle Obama showed off her musical chops, such as they are, to promote her latest book, Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice, with a little help from a friend—talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres.
The former first lady posted a video on Instagram on Thursday featuring a duet between her and DeGeneres.
“Michelle Obama has a new book,” sang DeGeneres, seated at a piano. Obama then took a seat next to DeGeneres to clarify, in song, “It’s actually a journal.”
“The purpose of the journal is to write down your own story of becoming, to chronicle your memories, your thoughts, your ideas, your impressions,” Obama said. “Because every story matters. Even yours, Ellen.”
Obama’s journal is a follow-up to her memoir, Becoming, the bestselling book of 2018. Penguin Random House imprint Clarkson Potter, which published the journal, says it “features an intimate and inspiring introduction by the former first lady and more than 150 inspiring questions and quotes to help you discover—and rediscover—your story.”
Becoming and the journal it inspired are part of a book deal—said to be worth $65 million—that she and husband Barack Obama signed with Penguin Random House. There’s no word yet on when the former president’s book might be published.
Michelle Obama’s vocal performance on her song with DeGeneres might not get her invited on American Idol anytime soon, but she probably isn’t too worried about that—on Thursday, she earned her first-ever Grammy nomination for the audiobook version of Becoming. (DeGeneres, whose singing skills are … similar to Obama’s, also got a Grammy nod for her comedy album, Relatable.)
Michael Schaub is an Austin, Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
