Melonie Gillett

Me……….

From a baby screaming the second she came out her mother’s womb, to a woman finally achieving her dream of inspiring, captivating and charming the hearts of people all over the world through music, Melonie Gillett, born August 23, 1984, has risen from the beautiful country of Belize. She has taken her diverse heritage and compiled it with modern day R&B;, Reggae, Dancehall and Alternative music to create her album entitled Melonie Gillett “Finding me”.

“I remember in school, only my family and really close friends knew that I could sing, I was always shy about it. I didn’t really come out as singer until my early teens when I realized that if I wanted to be a singer, people had to hear me sing. It was then, with all the positive reactions, I knew I had to do something with my voice. I knew I had to sing!”

Melonie, born and raised in Belize was fortunate to experience both the city life and the country life. She attended school in the city, however; her home was in the small village of Burrell Boom. She also attended Community College in the United States where she became a Certified Network Engineer. Upon returning to her home town, she began to experiment with music, entering competitions and ultimately recording music. Her experience with different cultures has contributed greatly to her versatility and numerous styles of music.

“Growing up my biggest influences and motivation has been my family! I couldn’t run away from music, because it stared me right in the face. I come from a very musical family and I’ve watched my grandfather, uncles, mother, and aunts utilise music as the heart of our family. It has always brought us together through tears and turmoil, happiness and distress, and it still does! To this day, I can still sit on the porch and listen to the refined, melodious voice of my grandfather as he strums his guitar chanting traditional music and singing ballads of yesteryear. Some of my biggest influences, outside of my family, have been Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Abba, Karen Carpenter, and Lauryn Hill, just to name a few.”

Melonie has tried to stay true to herself, and true to her music by facing issues real to not only her, but to people all over the world. It might only be a first step, but getting through this first step has been years of dedication and perseverance. “It took me a while to get where I am now, but this is where I have always wanted to be. The possibilities are endless! I hope that I can bring energy, soul and passion to music and in so doing, bring energy, soul and passion to you!”

To keep track of Melonie, you can find her at http://myspace.com/meloniegillett.