Melissa Providence, originally from Queens, but now a local Philly resident, has been making fans one by one since her earliest days as an aspiring vocalist. Charming countless listeners since the age of thirteen, Providence was raised in a hard working West Indian household where the importance of education and social mobility was stressed, yet music still maintained a constant presence. Her life and education, which ultimately led her to an ivy league institution, has played an important role, yet Providence persisted with her love and connection to music through choir and acapella groups. She was also a vocalist for New York underground staples, The Understudies.
Providence's voice consistently elicits response via her heart wrenching yells, chillingly emotive whispers, and the warm yet challenging quality of everything in between. When listening to Providence, it's easy to gain a sense of her wide range of influences, which may include everyone from Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige, to Tweet and Jaguar Wright.
Providence was a top-10 finalist for a nationwide competition held by MTV Networks held just a few short years ago, and since then, she has been making timely appearances at several venues and events.
Along with Keyshia Cole, Jaguar Wright and recently signed Rawkus recording artist and fellow University of Pennsylvania alum Naledge, Providence served as the opening act for Common in early 2005. She has also performed in several well known venues in the New York City and Philadelphia area, including The Electric Factory, Cavanaugh's Riverdeck and the Nuyorican Poets Café, just to name a few.
In recording her debut, If You Don't Know, some of the most accomplished and well-respected musicians in the city of Philly agreed to work with Melissa Providence, including world renown jazz pianists, trumpet players and the like.
"K from Mother Tongue Productions is producing the whole thing, and co-wrote the whole project [with me]," Providence said. "I realized I can't really sing with feeling anything I don't really feel like I'm a part of. You'll feel a lot of me in it (the project) because I've had the opportunity to write. I'm trying to share [my music] with the world; it's really what I love to do. I've been doing it for a long time, and didn't know how to settle that within myself because I wasn't really raised thinking that this was much of an option. I was taught, go to an ivy league school, you get a good education, and you get a job that's going to pay you immediately and that's what it's about. It's been a battle, but I'm finally at the point where I don't feel like I can do anything else right now."
Melissa Providence and Mother Tongue Productions are currently being courted by several record companies, and are anticipate to head back to the studio to record several new tracks for a widespread release of Providence's If You Don't Know with a few very well established surprise guests. Keep an eye on this one, Melissa Providence carries on a long tradition, which Aretha Franklin and Mary J. Blige so gracefully embodied -- get familiar.
Scouting Report
Aspiring soul artists are in abundance, yet after seeing Melissa Providence take the stage and also listening to her album in Mother Tongue's intimate studio setting, it is clear that this artist has the "it" factor that cannot be taught nor acquired. The fact that she also has an insane amount of friends on her myspace page (Myspace.com/MelissaProvidence) is also testament to the fact of how much fans relate and attach themselves to her music. With undeniable talent, charm and a fierce will to succeed, Melissa Providence is set to simultaneously reaffirm and redefine the standard of finer womanhood in rhythm and blues.
Contact
Myspace - Myspace.com/MelissaProvidence Site - MotherTongueProductions.com
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