By Michelle Alles
While most eight year old girls were playing with Barbie dolls and dressing up, Melissa Stephen was memorizing her first rap CD. A wholesome and refreshing mix of girly and tomboy, Melissa hung out with me for a glimpse into her mind about growing up and living in three countries, why she chose to become a rap artist, her favourite ‘boys’, Major and Mango, and her other career as a dog psychologist.
Melissa, how did you get your start in music?
My dad, Tony Stephen was a musician as well and I used to perform at the hotel he worked at in The Maldives. I guess singing to large crowds at an early age gave me the foundation to be a confident and engaging entertainer. I recall attempting to write songs even at an early age, but can’t for the life of me remember what I wrote! We moved to Singapore during the war because my dad wanted us to have a safe environment to finish our studies, so my song writing kinda took a backseat, but at 14 I started writing my own lyrics again. Being much older, I had more stuff to tell! I was also listening to more rap artists like Jay Z and could relate to the message in their music. I’d perform at most of the family occasions and school events just for the pure pleasure of rapping all the time. My friends would bug me so much saying that I can’t rap because I’m not African-American and I’m a girl, but I kept doing my thing and writing lyrics, even during classes at school when I probably should have been studying! When I entered Deakin University to do my Bachelor in Creative Arts, I’d always try to incorporate my love of rap into whatever I did. I came across this competition online and sent my demo to Grammy award winning producer Scott Matthews; I got selected and that’s how my first single ‘Believe’ came about. That was the start of my professional career as a rap artist.
Why did you choose rap and what inspires your sound?
I’m fascinated by a music genre where you can work to a rhythm that’s almost poetic. It’s kinda like singing and poetry smacked together, with really awesome beats that you can move and dance to.
Even if rap is in a different language, I’m will still be moved by it in some sort of way, because music is universal at the end of the day. Rap resonates with me the best because I’m not a great singer and I don’t really play any instruments except for a bit of drums, but when I hear a really good beat, I get inspired by it. As for what inspires my sound, I’d say it has a mixture to do with the three countries I’ve lived and grown up in. My main inspiration would be Lupe Fiasco and Jay Z. I’m also my own critic, which helps me evolve and improve.
How did the ‘Victory’ as the Equal Ground anthem come about?
I worked with Pasan Liyanage on the track. I got to know that I was going to perform at Artwalk, however I didn’t know yet as to which segment. When I met Rosanna Flamer-Caldera and played the song for her, she loved it and said they wanted it as the anthem for Equal Ground. That was the best news ever as I really wanted my music to be attached to a cause. The LGBT community was a great choice because I fully support the cause as most of my friends are from that community as well. I’d say this basically chose me instead of the other way around, but that’s great because it worked out perfectly. These barriers are on their way to being broken and that is absolutely fantastic.
What do you do when you’re not making music?
I am a dog behaviourist; you could say I have a gift with dogs. I run a company called ‘Dog Time’ which is a canine friend training service where I help people better their relationships with their pets. Major, my Staffordshire bull terrier is one of the friendliest dogs on the planet and now I have another which walked into my life, his name is Mango and he’s one of the most adorable dachshunds you’ll ever meet.
How do you feel you differ from other artists?
Everyone has their own story and I think that to a certain extent, mine is unique. First of all, I’m a Sri Lankan girl who spent most of her childhood in The Maldives and has lived in Singapore and Australia and hasn’t really been to the US, but is a female rap artist! So I have this whole cocktail of experiences to incorporate into my music and offer to the world.
What are your musical goals?
To get far enough where I can travel the world and make money and inspire people with my music, which would be the most amazing thing. I love to perform and I love being on stage, so if I can do that for the rest of my life, I’m good. I’m currently in the studio working on new music and planning an album; I can’t really say too much about it, but there’s definitely new stuff out for my fans next year!
What’s the best piece of advice someone ever gave you?
Make the music that you want to make and it doesn’t matter how other people feel about it. In the end, if you’re true to yourself and you’re making the music you want to make, there are people who are going to appreciate you for being you. Art is always controversial so with there’ll be people who love you and hate you and that’s okay because you need the haters as much as you need your fans!
Any Final Shout-Outs?
My family for their encouragement; they have been super-supportive. It’s not every parent who encourages their 8 year old daughter to rap! They never forced me to be more girly; they just let me be myself. I also have this awesome group of friends who support me I love them to the moon and back; I’m not going to mention names, they know who they are!
To know more on Melissa, check out her pages and buy her music on:
- Buy – iTunes, Amazon
- Stream – Spotify, 8tracks, Tidal Discovery, Soundcloud.
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/Melcstephen
Facebook.com/melissastephenofficial
Instagram.com/melissastephenofficial