Melanie är just nu ute på turné med Alicia Keys och aktuell med singeln Monday Morning. Det hyllade debutalbumet "The Bridge" finns nu ute i butik och i Spotify!

"The album is called The Bridge," enthuses Fiona, who has shared the stage with a diverse roster of artists including Akon, Lupe Fiasco, Robin Thicke, and Keyshia Cole. "It crosses the barriers between ethnicities, genres, age groups, and genders. It can't be defined as just one thing. It's got a soul that's something old, yet something new." The album reflects the duality that asserts itself in Melanie Fiona's own exuberant personality. Flirting with the traditions of classic soul from artists like Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole and Gladys Knight, the songs also pack the punch, and authenticity of modern music. United by a singular passion, Melanie Fiona's sound bridges past and present with an artistic and consistent blending of classic soul samples. It's all held together by a unique quality, something that is innately her, much like the other artists she mentions as influences: Bob Marley, Sade, and Patsy Cline. 

Born to Guyanese immigrant parents and growing up in a music-filled house in the inner city of Toronto, Fiona knew from the very beginning that music is what moves her. "I was this little girl in stature and size who had this big voice," she laughs, remembering that she would sing anywhere, and to anyone who would listen, almost from the time she could speak. "My mother, who shares my love for music, played everything from The Ronettes to Whitney Houston around the house as I grew up. My father would let me sit on the stage while he rehearsed with his band as a guitarist. They both heavily influenced me." Melanie Fiona saw firsthand what is was to sacrifice, as well as the benefits of hard work and patience. "My parents worked very hard to support my brother and I." 

Since being discovered by Carmen Murray of Title 9 Productions, Fiona has been living out of a suitcase, singing, writing, performing, and discovering her voice as an artist. She has also had the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of the industry through Michael Michel and Murray. "I am so fortunate that I had people to educate me and show me that development as to what it really is to be an artist." The strong sense of family translates to the team she's surrounded herself with including managers Jay Brown and Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith of Roc Nation. 

Though Fiona had been writing her own songs for years, and contributed to Rihanna's sophomore album, the introduction of songwriter Andrea Martin, known for penning hits for En Vogue, Angie Stone, Leona Lewis' "Better in Time", and many more would prove seminal for The Bridge. "When I met Andrea, it was an instant connection," she explains. "We developed this very personal working relationship where we were both inspired by each other... That union helped me grow a lot as an artist. She took me under her wing and it's magic." Sharing each other's life experiences, they collaborated on some of the defining songs in the collection.  

UK producers Future Cut delighted her by creating the track for "You Stop My Heart" around a sample from with one of her favorite songs, Frankie Avalon's "Venus". She describes their collaboration "Ay Yo" as her "baby record," self-penned. "He's Alright" and "Please Don't Go" were produced by Vada Nobles, known for his work on The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Other producers on the album include LA's The Stereotypes, NYC's J. Phoenix, Natasha Bedingfield-collaborator Peter Wade, and Salaam Remi, known for his work with Amy Winehouse and Nas. Rounding out the mix are Andrew Wyatt, "G.A.M." Rob Fusari, and Angela Hunte "Bang Bang". Fiona also shows off her Caribbean roots on Reggae Gold 2008, with Supa Dups' "Somebody Come Get Me". 

The album's first single, "Give it to Me Right is a feisty call-to-arms, backed by a sample of The Zombies' "Time of the Season". It asserts itself with a fresh take on female empowerment, another theme that is close to Fiona's heart. She credits her innate confidence to being surrounded by strong women. "It's really important to me that when women listen to the music, they feel strong, sexy and beautiful without alienating men."

The Bridge is sure to transmit Fiona's blend of sassy strength to its listeners. "I've got to give it all I got before I die," she sings on "Ay Yo", a worthy declaration of a young woman poised for big things. But you won't find Fiona trying to rush the hand of fate. 

"It's been a long journey that has taken me around the world, recording in Toronto, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Kingston, and London. If it needs to take a little longer for it to be right, then I willing for that to happen. I've been exposed to many different cultures and music growing up in Toronto, which I pay homage to by having it engrained in my sound. I don't think that now you can look at someone and decide what type of music they listen to based on their clothes, age, or ethnicity. I am the bridge that blends the music that creates my sound". 

"This experience will never happen for me again," she muses. "I'll never be a new artist again. I'll never be a complete and utter student of the game."  Whatever may come when The Bridge releases on Steve Rifkind's SRC/ Motown Universal Records in Spring 2009, Fiona is poised and ready. "I still live humbly out of a suitcase, and I appreciate the smallest things in life, and I want people to feel that. I have an opportunity to be on a stage, but I want my listeners to know that I'm just like them."