Urban World

Meleka Interview

After the phenomenal success of her 2009 summer UK funky banger “Go,” Meleka is back with the eagerly awaited follow up single ‘Miss me’. She returns with a bang, collaborating again with UK Funky production giants Crazy Cousins, to bring us another summer anthem. I got the inside scoop from the lady herself on the single “Go”, where Meleka has come from – and where she’s headed.

“Miss me,” Meleka’s follow up single is due to be released on September 26^th. Meleka explained that unlike “Go”, “Miss Me” was written “from personal experience” and explores the aftermath of a break-up. “The concept of “Miss Me” is very petty, but it’s something I think we all do. After you tell your boyfriend to go, you have to ask him if he misses you – not because you want him back – but because he should miss you – because you’re fantastic,” she giggled.  “When your ex sees you and you look banging, he might have moved on, but he’s still thinking ‘oh my gosh’ and it makes them feel that little bit worse”. “Miss Me” fuses Meleka’s sultry tones with another amazing UK Funky beat, providing the listener with sweet, soulful vocals and a brilliant beat to dance to. 

During the summer of 2009, Meleka’s previous single “Go” was heard all over the UK. It was a powerful, soulful ballad remixed by Crazy Cousins and was thrown into manic circulation on the UK club scene. The powerful vocals and empowering lyrics, combined with the funky beat led to its success on the urban scene. The impact of the song was amazing and a controversial video soon followed. “Director Ben Jones came up with the sick concept for the video,” which led viewers to believe Meleka killed her cheating partner in a self-described ‘crime of passion’ – although we don’t actually see any crime being committed.

The video for Meleka’s follow up single “Miss Me” was shot recently and Meleka revealed that this video will similarly have a slightly “sick” twist to it. “The concept is based on me and an ex-boyfriend who’s feeling me now that we’re not together. He sees me performing, looking fantastic and doing really well, which makes him confused. This video is a little bit sick too, like the video for “Go”. The idea is to kind of make boys scared of you. A few familiar faces pop up in the new video, the person who plays my ex-boyfriend is a familiar face,” Meleka admitted, but she wouldn’t reveal anything more.

Meleka has been singing since she could talk, winning her first talent show at the tender age of six with a performance of SWV’s weak. She comes from a musically influenced family, growing up on an eclectic mix of music from the likes of Dorris Day to Mary J. Blige. Meleka told Urban World her top three artists of all time are Brandy, Mary J. Blige and Etta James. The multi-talented artist attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School and Sharon Harris Drama School and she also trained in Jazz and Tap-Dancing: performance is in her blood.

Meleka described her current sound as “very dance influenced.” “Miss Me” is another Funky house track, but she told Urban World her next single moves closer to the dance genre. “My sound is dance influenced at the moment but I’m definitely taking it all over, exploring different genres. I have a couple of features coming up that aren’t dance or Funky”. She is currently working with some up and coming UK rappers, with possible collaborations in the pipeline with artists such as Incisive, Tor and Mz Brat.

Meleka’s roots are traditionally within the R’n’B genre: “I started off with a more R’n’B sound. I love slow jams. I could listen to them and be depressed all day.” But her sound has evolved over the years – adapting to, and exploring musical trends to keep her music current. “You’ve got to move with the times in R’n’B. Sensual singing was more nineties and early 2000’s but we’ve got to get with 2010 which has a more electro, dancy, poppy feel’.

Meleka is also a budding songwriter: “I’m writing a lot at the moment for other people as well as myself, which is enabling me to contribute to other genres of music.” She is currently spending a lot of her time writing, and in the studio, as well as touring the UK – doing festivals and club nights to promote her new single “Miss Me.”

“Miss Me” is out on September 26^th. For more information on Meleka’s music, you can check out her website at Meleka.co.uk