Thereâs no getting away from teen singing sensation Melissa OâNeil in Canada these days. The first ever female winner of Canadian Idol is enjoying unparalleled success with the album âAliveâ at the ripe old age of⦠17!!
Talking on the subject of the title track from the album, Melissa revealed the secret of her success was in the planning and sublime execution of each track. âThe music and lyrics really put you into a zone. When the producers and I began recording the CD we knew the pop/rock infusion would move people. We wanted to create a record with a little bit of everything for the fansâ. 
Melissa even got the chance to explore her own song-writing potential on the album. âSafe Place To Hideâ is entirely her own work and dedicated to her brother. It is a message of love and support to him featuring the chorus line: âIâd fly through the night to get back to your side, / Iâll be your safe place to hide.â
And to think Melissaâs undeniable talent could have been wasted on another profession. Born on the same day as Bill Cosby, Melissa was an intelligent and academic student at school and only auditioned for Canadian Idol on her fatherâs whim. He suggested going to the auditions one evening as he arrived to collect Melissa from school basketball practice. Perhaps he had simply had enough of her renditions of Broadway Musical Show tunes in the shower every morning.
Aside from belting out such popular classics, day in day out, since she could talk, Melissa admits a passion for her motherâs favourite jazz singers, Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday . But she is quick to distance herself from any charges of imitation. Lady Day is not an influence. Melissa OâNeil is strictly doing her own thing.
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