“My mother was a wonderful singer and I was always inspired by her. ”
It all started when…
SOULDEGA: When did you discover your voice? And does anyone in your family sing?
MELISSA: I discovered my voice at a very young age. I have a memory of me singing Madonna’s like a prayer at the age of 3 or 4. Music was always played in the house growing up. My father was really into stereo surround sound speakers so it felt like I was always at a concert. My parents collected a lot of vinyl records and it was super inspiring to be exposed to great soul music and other genres. My mother was a wonderful singer and I was always inspired by her. She told me that a young age that I would harmonize with her and mimic everything should would sing.
SOULDEGA: What does your song-writing process look and feel like?
MELISSA: Most of the time I develop melodic ideas and record voice memos sometimes lyrics or the concept come simultaneously and sometimes I go back and listen to the melodies and create other melodic/harmony ideas around it. It definitely feels like I am producing and thinking about all of the instrumentation that goes into writing. When I am given the music beforehand, I still usually create the melodies usually first before lyrics.
SOULDEGA: Congratulations on your New Single "Make it Last", what was the inspiration behind this song?
MELISSA: Thank you, the inspiration behind the song was wanting to celebrate black love. I was inspired by looking at black love pages and trying to recreate something that highlights black folks loving each other/positive images.
SOULDEGA: In an age where the music industry is saturated and social media can dominate where artists express, how do you creatively stay grounded and focused?
MELISSA: I usually spend a lot of time writing and communicating with other writers for inspiration. I do weekly poetry workshops to keep me focused on consistently writing. I also take an entrepreneurship class that focuses on emotional intelligence and best practices for staying focused. I workout consistently and study music that inspires me.
SOULDEGA: What other female artists give you the chills when they sing?
MELISSA: Definitely Jazmine Sullivan is on a whole other level right now. I would say Ledisi, Brandy, Nao, And Lala Hathaway.
SOULDEGA: If you were given an opportunity to collaborate with any artist for a full album, who would it be and why?
MELISSA: That’s a pretty tough one, if Prince was still alive it would have been him easily. Stevie wonder would be awesome to work with because I feel like it would challenge me in a good way. His lyrics and melodies are super timeless and beautiful.