“I want folks to say, oh that’s Melissa when they hear my songs”
By Ruqyyaha Deane
It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow and if you are in the mood for a feel-good love song Melissa Stephen’s new single ‘Shawty Let’s Go’ that has been released on YouTube, Spotify and iTunes might be what you’re looking for!
Melissa Stephen started rapping after her father gifted her Lil Bow Wow’s Beware Of Dog CD when she was just eight years old. She says back then, all she wanted to be was like Lil Bow Wow. It was only later when she was 17 that she realised she wanted to pursue music as a profession.
Melissa Stephen
“I always knew I wanted to be in the entertainment industry, but I wasn’t sure how. So right after I finished university, I recorded Believe to just test the waters and it kind of picked up from there. When I came back to Sri Lanka, I recorded a couple more songs and now I’ve just released my latest single ‘Shawty Let’s Go’ which is part of my upcoming debut album,” Melissa shares with us excitedly.
Born in Sri Lanka, Melissa went to middle school and high school in Singapore and then on to Australia to pursue a degree in Performing Arts, majoring in theatre. It was in Singapore that she recalls that she came across some bullying and discrimination which instead of bringing her down, only motivated her to keep doing what she loved.
Her debut album is to be released later this year and ‘Shawty Let’s Go is one of her favourite songs from the album. A music video is soon to be released as well.
With its catchy upbeat vibe, Melissa calls it a fun love song that everyone can dance to. For her personally it is a song she loves and she feels strongly that artists’ should first love the work they put out instead of making the music for someone else. “All the songs that are going to be on the album are going to have different vibes and I wanted to create something that was well rounded while tapping in not only to the English market but the Sinhala one as well, not only focusing on love songs but a mix,” she adds.
Speaking about her transition from rapping to singing, Melissa admits that it was absolutely terrifying. She had been so used to being known as a rapper and people complimenting those skills, that she wasn’t entirely confident about doing a song where she just sings. However, with her vocal producer Rachel Halliday’s encouragement, she went ahead.
It wouldn’t have been possible without Rachel, her producer Malcolm Boteju, Finum Galadima who mixed and mastered the song, Etched Crow who did the animations and Chandali Hewage who manages her socials, she adds.
“I would definitely say that I have a specific sound and I want people to hear my songs and say ‘oh, that’s Melissa’ and have that sense of familiarity,” she says. Find Melissa on TikTok @melissastephenofficial where a new dance challenge has also cropped up for ‘Shawty Let’s Go’ and other socials on Instagram and Facebook under the same handle.
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