Listening to the powerful songs on her forthcoming debut album, it’s hard to believe that Melissa Suzanne hasn’t always had the kind of soulful voice that makes heads turn.
In fact, it wasn’t until Suzanne’s back-to-back Spring Sing wins at UCLA in 1998 and 1999 that she even decided that she wanted to pursue a career in music. Growing up in southern Orange County, with an awkward voice and no exposure to any music outside of conventional radio, Suzanne would have never envisioned herself working with top-of-the-line R&B and hip-hop musicians while playing to sold-out crowds.
But on Saturday night, Suzanne will perform to what’s expected to be an over-capacity audience at Hollywood’s Genghis Cohen. It may not be the largest venue in Los Angeles, but for the newly ambitious Suzanne, it’s another step on the road to a successful career in the music business.
With a voice that never really stood out until she entered high school, Suzanne never considered music as an option for herself. Even during her time at UCLA, she studied sociology and communications and only dabbled in music as a hobby.
“I never stood out as a singer as a youngster. I absolutely never thought I would go far with singing because until I was about 14, I couldn’t even really hold a tune,” Suzanne said. “But by the time I became comfortable with my voice in my teenage years, I started to really excel in music ““ it was all kind of out of nowhere.”
But emerging with a great voice presented larger problems for Suzanne, as she then became challenged by racial expectations that mere vocal talents couldn’t easily overcome.
“When I first started recording, I was always getting the same kind of criticism: “˜You’re a white girl but you sure don’t sound very white.’ A lot of producers and record labels just didn’t know what to do with me because they didn’t know how to market something that was soulful and Motown-poppy coming out of a white girl,” Suzanne said.
This initial disappointment caused Suzanne to take a break from music during her college years, as she entered UCLA with no intentions to continue recording music. However, she couldn’t entirely abandon her passion and immediately started taking advantage of several opportunities to demonstrate her skills as a singer.
“The more I got into things like Spring Sing and singing at the athletic games, the more I got a positive response from people,” Suzanne said. “When people started going bananas after I sang the national anthem, they made me realize that what I really needed and wanted to do was get back to my music. I was getting such good feedback from everyone at school that I thought, “˜Well, I must be doing something right.'”
Ignoring what music industry professionals told her previously, Suzanne joined the gospel choir at UCLA and continued to pursue the styles of music she loves because of her confidence in her ability to change minds.
“I was in the UCLA gospel choir for four years and I was the only white girl in there, leading the whole thing,” Suzanne said. “I don’t know where it came from because I grew up in the whitest of the white families in Orange County but I am so grateful that somewhere inside of me, there is this capacity to sing the kind of music that I love, and I know that if somebody wants to doubt my ability to sing a soulful song because of the color of my skin, I can change their opinion after just three opening notes.”
Suzanne recalls going to a live taping of the Vibe show during her college years, during which her friends pushed her onstage before the show to showcase her remarkable voice.
“A lot of the audience there were inner-city black kids and I could hear them saying, “˜What does this white girl think she’s gonna do?’ and even the host of the show was skeptical when I told him my talent was singing. But I just started singing “˜I’ll Be There’ by the Jackson 5 and halfway through the song, the house band joined me onstage, people were up on their feet, and the whole crowd was screaming and dancing,” Suzanne said.
“Nobody there expected my voice to come out the way it did and when it did, I literally saw people’s jaws drop from shock.”
Always being met with initial uncertainty didn’t stop Suzanne’s enthusiasm as she returned to the studio after graduating. It was just a matter of finding the right producers and musicians to accept her somewhat unconventional style. After some independent work, she came in contact with record producer Kevin “K Flow” Flournoy, who has previously worked with the Pointer Sisters and Gladys Knight.
Along with Flournoy and a slew of professional musicians, who have collectively worked with legends like Stevie Wonder, Prince, Luther Vandross and Celine Dion, Suzanne has been busy finalizing her self-titled debut album.
“I think anybody, regardless of gender or race or whatever, can expect to find something they like on my album because it is all real music. It’s all recorded live, nothing is synthesized, I’m really singing and people are really playing ““ what you hear is exactly what’s going on right there in the studio,” Suzanne said.
As for her musical career after the release of this album, Suzanne has only positive aspirations for continued success.
“My desire is to have a long career in music. I want to always stay a classy artist who always has a level of quality while also having a sound that is contemporary,” Suzanne said.
“I absolutely expect No. 1 record sales, world tours and the whole thing. In the next few years, I want to be working with the best and creating the best ““ and I can see myself there now.”