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| Ms. Meli'sa Morgan became a household name when she released the" Prince" penned song, "Do Me Baby", in the 1980's. I remember the first time I heard this song, at first, I thought that she sounded like Chaka Khan. But once I sit back and truly listened, it became clear that she has a sound of her own. The Queens, NYC beauty who's a songwriter, producer and actress has been singing to audiences all around the world ever since. |
| If you don't know this talented diva, just go to her "my space" website and hear the magic of Ms. Mel'isa Morgan. Listen to hear song, "Will You", which is excellent radio friendly and it promises to be re-mixed made especially for the club kids and at the same time will be enjoyed by the hip-hop generation. She's done a club re-mix of "Body To Body", boy did that song, take me back. |
On April 23, 2010, Ms. Morgan will be lending her talents at a fundraiser at the LGBT center in NYC, to celebrate the release of a new film directed by Mr. Wolfgang Busch, titled, "Flow Affair", which is a documentary on Fan, Flag and Floguing. I'm so honored that Ms. Morgan had a moment to "chit chat" with me. |
| INTERVIEW |
John: I'm so honored that you are taking a moment to chit chat with me. I've loved your music for years.
Meli'sa: I appreciate that, you know, that's what keeps me going.
John: I know you did background singing for Ms. Chaka Khan. What was that experience like?
Meli'sa: Oh, it was wonderful, I sang background for her, it was the "Ain't Nobody" tour. She was so my idol, it wasn't even funny. It was a great experience for me. It transformed me from being a club singer to singing professionally with someone of her caliber, to seeking my own solo career. It was a wonderful time in my life.
John: How did the Prince recording of "Do Me Baby" come to your attention?
Meli'sa: It was a song that was placed on hold by the owner of Capital Records, he had said to himself, the next good R&B singer |
I find, she's going to do this record, it can be a number one record, and he was right!
John: I know you're a church girl. Were you comfortable singing the lyrics to "Do Me Baby?"
Meli'sa: No, no, I wasn't, I was fresh out of high school, I graduate high school when I was 16, so I didn't feel comfortable with it at all, at that time my father was still alive, I spoke to my father about it, his advice to me was, "The song is a little racy, can you sing this song?"
And I said, "Yeah I can sing this song". Then he asked, "Can't you sing the "hell" out of this song?" I answered, "Yes, I can sing the "hell" out of the song". He then said, "Well sing the hell out of the song." So then I sang that sing. (This was a lovely, wonderful gift from her father, a blessing.)
John: Wow, that's a wonderful father.
Meli'sa: That's what I said (laughing at the memory).
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John: Have you ever met Prince? And did you two discuss "Do Me Baby?
Meli'sa" Oh, yes, I've met Prince several times, when the song was actually number one, I met him back stage at a Lionel Ritchie concert, it was the after party for the Rose-Bowl or something like that in Los Angeles, they had arranged for me to meet Prince during this time and he came over to me and he said, Thank you for a great song". I said, "What do you mean, it's your song. He said, "Yeah but you made it great!" That was a really nice comportment.
John: What is it about entertaining, do you like?
Meli'sa: Oh, everything, (laughing) I love the" diva-ism", I love the power, I love the control, I love the money, I love the audience, I love singing the songs and the fans reaction, the traveling is wonderful, it's in my blood.
John: Do you consider yourself a diva?
Meli'sa: Not that kind of diva, I'm not one of those, "get out of my way" kind of diva but I've reached a certain level and I'm not going to settle for anything less.
John: I understand that you, Ms. Melba Moore and the Floguing Dancers will be performing at the "Flow Affair" Documentary fundraising at the LGBT center in NYC on Friday, April 23rd, 2010. How did you become involved with this event?
Meli'sa: Well, it's the strangest thing, I wrote some songs with Jericho and Michael O'Hara some years ago, so Jericho, I guess is friends with Wolfgang, and Wolfgang must have heard some of the songs that we had written in 1996 - 97, that far back, and Wolfgang heard the songs,
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Wolfgang heard "Oh, In The Name Of Love", which is a great song with a nice melody and uplifting lyrics, Michael O'Hara, wrote songs, like, "Just Because . So I guess the songs, "Oh, In the Name Of Love", works for this independent film. I'm very excited about it. |
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John: You have a huge gay following.
Meli'sa: Yes. (laughing and I can tell that she's happy about it and grateful for this fan base.)
John: Do you know why the gay community has connected with you in such a way?
Meli'sa: I believe it's because they feel my passion. They probably feel my love. I love everybody, that's nothing in my heart but love and I appreciate everyone for who they are. I hope that comes across in my music and also in how I carry myself. And in return (her gay fans) they send the love back.
John: Who inspired in musically when you were growing up?
Meli'sa: Oh, I would have to say, my mom, she was the first one, she promised me if I would sing Aretha Franklin for her and her friends, she would take me to "Showtime At the Apollo Amateur night" but of course she didn't. (laughing at the memory). Apollo didn't happen to later in my life.
Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, all of those wonderful,
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wonderful singers from back in the day who paved the way for us, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Chaka, all of them, their voices just touched me. By the time I was in high school, I knew that I was to be a singer.
Most of the kids would be playing in the park, I would run home with the new Chaka Khan record or Aretha Franklin record and play it on the stereo and get in the mirror and sing for hours. (laughing) I knew then singing was what I wanted to do.
John: Throughout the years, I've only heard lovely things about you. How do you stay grounded and humble?
Meli'sa: I guess it was the way I was raised. I do have my moments; I don't take no stuff from anybody, just like most people. If you treat me good, I will treat you good.
I just try to love myself and if I love myself from within to out, instead of the other way around. I love spending time with myself because we are constantly growing. We need to nurture that before we can love somebody else.
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| John: You have been compared to Chaka. Do you Chaka in your voice?
Meli'sa: Oh, yes, yes, can't help it. When I was out singing background with her, if she would get tired, she would say Meli'sa you hit the note, (as she would lip-synch) she would say, "I want you to hit this note tonight, I don't feel like doing it. (We both were laughing) I would hit the note and people wouldn't know the difference.
John: How does it feel to be known in your country and around the world?
Meli'sa: It lets me know that I did something that was appreciated. When I go into the studio, I give 150 percent, it would break me to do it and people don't get it. I'm grateful that people got it, lets me know that my music has stood the test of time. It allows me to be able to work and take care of myself. So I'm just humbled. I appreciated my fans and my audience.
John: You are very beautiful, have you ever done any modeling?
Meli'sa: When I was a child I went to modeling school, that was the beginning then when I started to sing and record, I didn't feel that I would need to model. The photos would come with my career, which allowed me to be photographed in magazines etc.
John: A lot of singers once discovered move to California, what made you stay in NYC?
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Meli'sa: I went out to California and lived there for two years, I made a promise after that, it's a nice place to visit, I have to be where my heart is, I love Los Angeles for recording and for the kind of industry that I'm in, but I have to have New York City.
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John: Do you have any new, complete CD's coming out?
Meli'sa: I'm working on some songs now, will be going back into the studio. I will be featured on some rap stuff coming out. I'm a writer, so I have some songs in Tyler Perry's movies, "I Can Do Bad By Myself", that was the Mary J. Blige song, "Can't Keep A Good Woman Down", and I'm enjoying my three or four platinum records, where I co-wrote. I hope that the next record deal that I sign with, the label will believe in me, that's the beginning of something great, cause you have to believe.
John: Do you real that since you are ageing gracefully, it's hard to get a recording contact? Yes, artist like Alicia Keys, Beyonce, the funds are there, but for the more seasoned singers like herself, record companies will not apply funds and promote. She ended this thought by saying that the funds should be unlimited.)
Meli'sa: No, it's not hard for me, I was just discussing that with someone the other day, if I release something, radio's going to play it, I've been blessed with that, it's the marketing factor, the money factor. (Ms. Morgan feels that the record companies have to promote the product, in order for it to get the exposure necessary, it will not sell just on the recording artist name alone.
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| John: I've never been to Europe, but I hear that our older, "seasoned" singers are more appreciated.
Meli'sa: Yes, I have a song that's released over there, I did some work with two German guys, producers, and its getting great response, I'm going over there in May and do a couple of shows. Yes, it's really different over it, there's a different kind of appreciation for real R&B music.
John: And my last question, where can we find your upcoming concert dates?
Meli'sa: I'm on facebook, go to facebook and also "my space". (To her fans) Listen out; I have some summer concerts coming up. I'm working on those now (Information will be available at a later date on her website).
http://www.myspace.com/meli39samorgan
Thank you for the music Ms. Morgan, I truly enjoyed the interview. Lets "chit chat" again.
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