Melanie Fiona travels through time and speaks on her roots and her love for her own style as an artist in an recent interview with (nydailynews.com)

check out the interview below.


Source: nydailynews.com





Melanie Fiona travels through time in her music. Play her records, and you're trans-ported back to the DayGlo days of mod '60s soul, a time when snappy Motown songs ruled the charts and shiny go-go boots defined the fashion.

While many modern stars have gone for retro-soul sounds over the past decade - from Lauryn Hill to Maxwell - Fiona aims for something more bright, poppy and pruned. Luckily, her connection to history hasn't stopped her from climbing steadily on today's charts. Her debut CD, "The Bridge," has seen building sales over the past few months, slowly inching its way into the Top 30 in the last few weeks, goosed by a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

This week, the 26-year-old Canadian singer (born Melanie Fiona Hallim) played the Garden, opening for another star with an eye on soul history, Alicia Keys. Which makes one wonder.
How did a girl from Canada — born to Guyanese parents — get that vintage, finger-popping sound?

My parents were big music lovers and played soul music all the time. They loved the Supremes, the Ronettes and Sam Cooke, along with music from their West Indian heritage. My dad also played guitar in a band, and my mom sang all the time in the house.
Do you think your sound has brought you an older audience than it otherwise might?

Yes. I feel like I have an old soul anyway. Older audiences are hard to win over. They're very specific in their tastes and critical of new music. But my music seems to have spoken to both generations.

You got a Grammy nomination this year before many people even heard of you. Did that make a difference?

It made a big difference. Now whenever anybody mentions me, they talk about me as a "Grammy-nominated artist."

Your album uses a lot of prominent samples of classics: The first single, "Give It to Me Right," is based on the Zombies' "Time of the Season." But you've also got bits of Frankie Avalon's "Venus," Martha and the Vandellas' "Jimmy Mack" and Eddie Holman's "Hey There Lonely Girl."

Were you ever self-conscious about using so many older hits in your music?

I feel this album is a tribute to my influences. It's also a kind of history lesson. A song like "Time of the Season," people know it, but they may have forgotten where they know it from. This helps put the spotlight back on these artists.
It's interesting that your breakthrough hit in America, "It Kills Me," is the most contemporary-sounding number.

I knew that song would shift the market to the urban listener and appeal to people here. In Europe, it's more open. They just like music. They don't care where it comes from. In America, it's more segmented by radio formats.

When did your parents come to Canada from Guyana — and why?

They came in the late '70s, before I was born. They wanted a better life. Canada had the good health-care system and educational system. It was a privilege for me to grow up there. But it was hard, at first, for my parents. They came from the tropics to a cold country. They had never seen snow before. At first, my dad worked as a janitor. My parents came a long way. Now my dad works in finance. My mom is in banking.

Your first break came from the Caribbean side of your musical influences. You got a Jamaican-styled song on the "Reggae Gold" series. Why didn't you stick with reggae?

If I had done a reggae album, I would be known as a reggae artist. And I didn't want to be pigeonholed. Basing the music on soul was a good foundation to be more diverse. I could mix it with rock, R&B or anything.

How did you get your record deal with Universal?

I had a deal with a production company, and for five years we developed what I would do. Steve Rifkind at Universal had a commitment to keeping the sound as it was. Another label might have tried to change me. Steve was on the same page.


Why did you call the album "The Bridge"?
Because we were bridging cultures, genres, generations and ethnicities.


What do you say to those who find your music too retro?

Retro can be a crutch. I don't want to be seen as going only where music has already been. I'm also about where music is going next.(www.nydailynews.com)

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