Melissa Bel grew up listening to soul, classic rock and draws inspiration from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and Christina Aguilera amongst others. She also regularly receives creative support from producer/songwriter Justin Gray who has worked with artists such as Joss Stone, John Legend and Amy Winehouse and also produced Melissa’s album.

Melissa is certainly not afraid of hard work, having already released three albums over six years and played numerous live shows including Montreal’s Festiblues and supporting Juno Award winning Canadian artist Matthew Good. With In The Light Melissa has truly found her voice, promising her most vulnerable and electrifying album yet.

In The Light is out on Friday 4th November 2016 via Belhop Records.

In this interview spotlight, we spend a few minutes with Melissa to talk music, influences, the upcoming album, and more.

Full Q&A, links, and streams below. Her new single Big Boys Don’t Cry releases September 9th.

Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?

My parents played a lot of soul, Motown and blues music in the house when I was growing up which made a big impact on the sound that came out of me when I started singing and writing songs. But I love Pop music too, so with this new album I wanted to do something that was more fresh and current than what I’ve done before and could be played on Hot AC/Top 40 radio, while still being infused with soul and hints of a more classic sound.

What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?

It sound cheesy but I think it was more of a “music found me” as opposed to “I found music” situation. I’ve been singing for as long as I can remember and I wrote my first song – which was actually more of a rap – when I was 7. My solution to my first heart break when I was about 14 was writing a song about it, and continues to be a very inexpensive form of therapy. When I started performing and felt that spark of connection with an audience I was hooked. And now it just seems like the only thing to do…write songs and hope I can get people to hear them!

Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?

My musical tastes have definitely changed over time. I went from being obsessed with Nsync, The Spice Girls and all the other 90s Pop stars to being very anti-Pop while I was making my first couple albums. Now I’m back to really liking most of what I hear on the Pop stations on the radio. My love of soul and Motown and The Beatles has always been there though.

Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?

The main goal was finding that balance between a fresh pop sound and the soul and blues influences I grew up with. This is also the first album I’ve done since splitting with the label I was with a few years ago. So, trying to accomplish having my most successful album yet, now as an independent artist, shortly after moving to a new country. #goals

What was the last song you listened to?

Paperback Writer by The Beatles

Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?

Gotta love the crackle and depth a vinyl record, but mp3’s are just so convenient.

How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?

I tend to use Spotify the most…so I guess that one? I like Apple Music because I think it looks nice on the screen, but prefer the playlist options and capability to discover new music on Spotify.

Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?

Trying to keep people’s attention is a big challenge. What kind of experience can I offer them that will make them decide to buy my album, come to my show, or even watch one of my video’s to the end? Because there’s so much to choose from these days, something has to REALLY hit you for you to take notice, so I think an authentic artist to fan connection is all-important.

Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?

www.facebook.com/melissabelmusic and/or www.melissabel.com 🙂

Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?

My new single Big Boys Don’t Cry is coming out on iTunes and Spotify September 9th! I’ll be at my Mom’s wedding in Canada that day so going to be a big day all around!