Interviews: Melanie Fiona

So I got the chance to do a phoner with the lovely Melanie Fiona. She’s as gracious and polite as she is a good of a singer. I had a great time chatting with her, despite both of us having colds and feeling under the weather! Talking to her about her influences was fascinating, and really makes me feel great and excited about her soon to drop project titled The Bridge. I asked questions about her roots and the new world that she has entered head first called “the music industry”.

I’d featured her a while ago on a podcast (Episode #2) back in November (yeah, I was one of the first to drop her music on the web…) and had been enjoying her music ever since.

I even got an impromptu performance of “O Canada” out of her! She is a native Canadian and said that I was the first to ask (go me!).

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

So check out the interview she gave us after the jump and learn more about the new artist that Kanye West and others have raved about. Soon…you will to. I present to you…Melanie Fiona.

ThaFeedback.com: So, you are from Toronto -

Melanie Fiona: Yes I am.

TFB: And, I don’t know if you get asked this question a lot…but I really wanted to know if you could give me a few bars of “O, Canada”? (The Canadian national anthem)

MF: (Laughs) You are the first person to ever ask me! I’d be so willing to!

TFB: Excellent! I’m ready!

MF: (Sings) “O Canada! Our home and native land! True patriot love in all thy sons command.” There, those are the first 4 bars (laughs).

TFB: Awesome! Thank you! And you know what gave me the idea? I saw that Tamia sung it on the [NBA] All-Star Game -

MF: Umm hmm! Love Tamia!

TFB: Yeah, I love Tamia. She’s one of my favorite singers.

MF: She’s awesome. Yeah.

TFB: So you know, especially since you’re from Canada, I’m sure that’s one of the people that you kind of, grew up, maybe looking up and listening to.

MF: Absolutely.

TFB: Absolutely.

MF: Tamia, yeah, I was so happy to hear her perform that the other day.

TFB: Awesome. Ok, so, what is the first song that you ever remember singing?

MF: Wow, um. The first song that I ever remember singing was “The Greatest Love of All” by Whitney Houston. My dad, he plays guitar, and he was playing it on the guitar when I was really young, like 3, and then I started singing along. And you know when it switches keys in the B-section, I switched keys too, and so everybody was kind of like ‘oh you can actually sing! Like, ok!’ So from then, that kind of became my anthem. Like, you know, there’s a Canadian anthem? That was the Melanie Fiona anthem, and I was just always singing that. That was the song at every family party I was requested to sing. Family, yeah, they put you on the spot and make you sing that. So, “The Greatest Love of All”.

TFB: So that means of course that there must be embarrassing video of this… (Laugh)

MF: Oh my god, oh my god! Yes!

TFB: So when they do your [VH1] “Behind the Music”, of course you know, that that’s what they are gonna put on there.

MF: They’re gonna ask for it, I know. I’m already prepared. I’m warning everybody now! I wasn’t a cute kid! From what I think, I don’t think I was. It was all bad – frizzy hair, chubby – it was just crazy. Yeah, that was me.

TFB: I love it I love it! So you told Whitney Houston was one of the first songs you remember singing, so to kind of segue into the next question, who are some of your musical role models?

MF: Well…musical role models, my parents, always giving credit to my parents, because I really feel like their choices of music influenced what I love and what influenced me. So you know, us being West Indian, I was always familiar with traditional Reggae, soca, calypso music. And then my mom and dad listen to, who I think, are some great artists and singers of our times. So I grew up being influenced by Sam Cooke, (unintelligible), Bob Marley, Whitney Houston, obviously because I ended up singing her songs, and then, you know more recently for me, India.Arie and Lauryn Hill, more recently, I have to name them. I mean, I could keep going – I could go into Stevie, I could go into Donnie, but I’ll save us some time. (laughs)

TFB: So, the usuals! (laughs)

MF: You know…the usuals!

TFB: Right, right (laughs). So you seem to have very much a “throwback” sound to your music. Is this purposeful from the production aspect of things, or are you just an “old soul” as they say?

MF: You know what; it’s a little bit of both. I’m definitely an old soul. Always people used to tell me ‘you’re so mature, you’re so mature’. I always have had this kind of deep voice, so people always, you know, thought I was older than I was growing up. So, I just have adoration for old soul and it so lifting. So when it came down to making the music, I really knew that it had to reflect that and I wanted it to be live instrumentation as well.

TFB: OK, OK. And so, now that you’re an artist, which do you prefer the most? Do you prefer performing on stage to a big crowd, or do you enjoy the satisfaction of having one of the songs that you’ve written placed on another artists’ project?

MF: Fortunately, I’ve been blessed to do all of those things you just mentioned to me, but however, my favorite thing to do is to perform.

TFB: Perform? OK.

MF: Absolutely the performance. I feel that you just get to have so much fun really connecting to your audience and that’s truly important to me. So performing, going to have to put it up there at the top of the list.

TFB: Ok! So now you are starting to get some exposure in the mainstream, of course the inevitable comparisons are going to come. Who are you most often compared to, and which comparison do you agree with the most?

MF: (Laughs) You gonna throw this curve ball at me now?

TFB: I know, I know, that’s how I do it!

MF: I know! OK, I think I play a little bit of baseball, let’s see what you got. (Laughs) I get compared a lot, for different reasons. I think I get compared, for sound of music that I do, I get compared to Jazmine Sullivan. I get compared to Alicia Keys. This is all based off what I’m reading on blogs and what people are saying. I get a lot of Jazmine Sullivan like I said…Alicia Keys. Somebody gave me the most amazing compliment the other day at my show and said that I was the love-child of Lauryn Hill and Amy Winehouse, which to me is like, the biggest compliment I could have ever received. I am sure that in some way, those two amazing artists, Amy and Lauryn, have influenced the album because I love listening to them and they are actually two of my favorite artists. I just kind of feel like the one thing we all have in common, which is…how I can definitely see why…folks…I am most likely to be compared to these people, is because I think we all have the real live instrument sections, real vocals, and we’re influenced by the same type of artists as well. So I’m sure that’s how it’s all relative. I really just hope that after people hear my music it’ll really just be me and that I’m a new artist and then…it’s just a cycle.

TFB: That’s a nice setup the my next question because you mentioned that somebody compared you to Lauryn Hill and I was reading that you’ve worked with Vada Nobles, you know, which produced songs on her debut album. You’ve also worked with the likes of Salaam Remi and The Stereotypes out of L.A. So being now that you’ve kind of gotten a nice little smattering of the up-and-coming producers, the kinds of producers that fly under the radar, and the heavyweights, which are your favorite to work with?

MF: Hmm, you know, I gotta throw it to Andrea Martin, who I worked on the majority of the album with. I don’t know if it sounds to good to be true, but everybody I worked with on the album really got what I was trying to do and it was a great experience overall, but Andrea Martin, she’s also Guyanese as well, like myself, and her and I just had this really amazing connection on a musical level, a personal level where we really create great music together and write great songs. She really brings the best out of me as well. So I’m going to have to go with Andrea.

TFB: This goes right into my next question. So Andrea Martin, I’m pretty sure, if I remember correctly, that she was an artist in the 90’s, right?

MF: She absolutely was.

TFB: Yes, so has she given you any advice about bridging both worlds, between being an artist and being a songwriter?

MF: Yes, she has lived and seen a lot and has worked with so many different artists. Like I said, we have a really close relationship and she’s so amazing at songwriting that I’m so humbly honored to have her writing for me on this album and to have written with me and to have kind of taken me under her wing. I literally just want to learn and I watched how she worked and learned from her experiences. She’s fantastic and I learned so much about songwriting from her. I learned so much about really writing a great song and about how much people love you and respect you for that. She’s an amazing part of my team I am really fortunate to have her.

TFB: Yeah, it’s really good that you can find somebody who is selfless and is willing to teach you the ropes and not worry about themselves.

MF: Yeah, you know, and some artists have to wait until that 2nd, 3rd, 4th album to find that one person on a creative level that brings the best out of them and helps them make the best album of their career. I’m fortunate, like I’ve really feel like I’ve found it in Andrea so I’m looking forward to continue to work with her throughout the rest of it.

TFB: So now that you’ve got your major record label deal…now that you’re in the “system” you’ve got to play the game, which necessary evil do you despise the most?

MF: Wow, I absolutely hate parties…industry parties! I hate them! (Laughs) I’m not a party girl at all. I’m not a party girl…I really just like to chill and be in the company of good people and keep it low key and whatever. All the industry schmoozing and fakeness that can come with those parties…man…it just doesn’t fit my personality at all. You know, I got to play the game too and I got to and it’s cool, you know, I meet great people. For the most part, I could do without that if I didn’t have to.

TFB: Yeah, I’ve done my share of industry parties so I totally know. The artists have this look like ‘OK, hi, I’m glad I’m here, kind of, but I’d rather be at home in the bed sleep.’ (Laughs)

MF: Yeah, and don’t get me wrong, I’ll never be sour about it if I am there, but as far as…yeah, you asked, I’m going to tell you how I feel. (Laughs)

TFB: A lot of people say that your music has “soul” and it’s “soulful”. What about your music, aside from the classic samples that you use, makes it soulful? How would you define soulful and what makes your music soulful?

MF: I think that the thing that defines soul really, is how you tell the story. I think we can classify what we think soul music is based off history and the definition of what it’s supposed to be but I feel like soul comes in every genre. I really think that it really just comes from the artist within. Whether it’s through the songwriting, the lyrics, whether it’s through your delivery, it’s through your performance. I just feel like a lot of the artist that influenced me growing up, they all had the kind of thing in common. It was their delivery of how they sang what they sang. I just feel like at the end of the day, whether it’s a song I’ve written or song or someone has written for me, it has to be something that I’m willing to stand by and I believe in so I can deliver that story so it’s believable and people will feel it. It will make them feel something as opposed to just them thinking ‘oh here’s just another song’. So I think “soul” is in the feel.

TFB: Speaking of classic soul samples, your first single “Give It To Me Right” has an R&B sample. I was reading in your bio that you think it’s a fresh take on female empowerment.

MF: Absolutely.

TFB: What other social causes do you hope to champion one day through your music?

MF: I’m actually looking to align myself with breast cancer. I’ve been affected by breast cancer in my family, and I’ve done a couple of benefits for it. I just feel like this is something that women go through and if my music can be an empowerment in times of adversity and obstacles and struggle and make women feel better…

In being a woman, that is one that I would love to be aligned with. Also, in the future hopefully, anything that has to do with young girls. I think that young girls, teenagers, young mothers, whatever it is. I’m not a young mother, but I know what it is to be a girl. I know what it is to be a young woman. Hopefully one day, I will know what it is to be a full woman and a mother, and I feel like that story is relative and it important that women find strength in one another.

TFB: So again on that social tip…being of mixed heritage background, and America now has a black president, how did you feel being a Canadian when this happened?

MF: I cried! I cried tears of joy! For me, It was witnessing history happen. It was witnessing history happen to have the first black/African-American President ever. I just think that it was the emotion and how it spread through the country and how it felt as a people. Even though my physical vote couldn’t be counted, I was definitely involved and I definitely supported what was happening because I think it’s a real sign of progression and I think it’s a sign of people uniting. I’m obviously a fan of that because I feel that as musicians and artists we should do. Music should bring people together, so, seeing that was really moving and inspiring to see that election bring a whole country together. It was wonderful, wonderful to be here for that.

TFB: I have to ask this question, because I’m in the business myself and one of the things I’ve worked on is film & TV, and I used do clearance for Canadian Idol. (laughs)

MF: Oh my gosh! (laughs)

TFB: So I want to know, have you ever watched Canadian Idol and which is better, being that American Idol is on now? Which do you prefer? (laughs)

MF: Funny! (laughs) I gotta rep for my Canadians, I love that the fact that it’s in Canada and everything and that’s wonderful, but I prefer to watch American Idol just because it’s so ridiculous, it’s so ridiculous out here. It is so much more geared to being entertaining as opposed to a talent competition like it was in Canada. It’s become this whole gig out here I feel, you know, with the audition process. It’s meant to be entertaining. I think it’s cool though, I think shows like that…people can say whatever they want about it, that it’s fixed and they can make their judgments. I think it’s a great opportunity to give a majority of people the opportunity to really do this, because the path I’ve taken is definitely not easy. If that’s another avenue for people to really try and get to where I am and where I am trying to go, it’s great. The people that I’ve seen win in the past have all been good singers. I think it says something. They haven’t picked people who couldn’t sing, so I don’t think it’s all bad.

TFB: So being that you don’t have a built in audience from being on a show like that, are you afraid of the economy affecting the sales of your music, being that you’re a new artist trying to make your mark?

MF: Especially over the last few years, any artist getting in the game….yeah, that’s a definite concern. Especially if you’ve educated yourself and you’ve paid attention to how the climate in this industry has changed and what’s really going on with record sales, and art and music in general. I really believe in what I’ve done and the record I’ve created. I really believe in the music, and I feel a lot of people define it and they always use the word ‘refreshing.’ That’s a great compliment, because I just hope that when people hear it, it will be refreshing; it will be something that they don’t mind spending $12.99 to go and buy because it makes them feel a certain way. I feel like music is supposed to drive you and if you take your last $10 and buy my album I promise you I will appreciate it because I really made the album for the people to enjoy. I hope people get a sense of who I am and they will be willing to support the music because they enjoy it that much.

TFB: Good answer, good answer! OK, so my last question. I want to know — Melanie Fiona, is that your real name or is that a stage name?

MF: No that is my real first name! Yep!

TFB: OK! Well, I could go on but I won’t because I am sure you have other things to do today. (Laughs)

MF: (Laughs) Thank you! The interview was really fun!

Related posts:

1. Interviews: Tha Feedback Talks With Chester Gregory
2. Live Performance: Melanie Fiona Gives It To Us Right on Fallon
3. Melanie Fiona Wants Your Loose Change In Her “Subway Series”
4. Interviews: Tha Feedback Catches Up With Lil Mo!
5. Music Video: Melanie Fiona – “It Kills Me”

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.