Influenced early on by musical parents, Melissa has a classical and musical theatre background. She grew up listening with her mother to Barbara Streisand and picked up her passion, expression, vocal and breath control from years of singing along with Barbara’s old standards. Melissa fell in love with jazz in middle school and remembers singing along to Ella Fitzgerald recordings all throughout middle and high school. In more recent years, Melissa lists singers such as Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, Patty Griffin and India Arie as additional influences on her unique fusion of musical styles.

Melissa’s debut album, Be a Light, is due to release on 12/8/11, and along with her band, features local artists Chris Wagoner, Mary Gaines, Leroy Deuster and Jeff Olson. The album includes 12 original songs ranging from her spirited title track “Be a Light,” to the heartfelt lullaby “Beautiful Child” dedicated to her two godchildren, to “Purple Sky,” a bluesy anthem to unrequited love. Her first recording project was made possible through a grassroots fund-raising effort and the support of family and friends who have been inspired by Melissa’s music.

With a B.A. in psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a certificate in life coach training, Melissa founded her own life coaching practice, Ignite Your Voice Coaching, in 2006 (Now called JoyDiva™). “I began writing my own music in 2008 after asking myself one of my favorite coaching questions: ‘If you could attempt one thing knowing that you could not fail, what would it be?’ The answer for me was clear: I would be a singer/songwriter, and spread my message of love and empowerment through my music,” Melissa says. “I knew that it was time to start putting one foot in front of the other and pursue my dream.”