Melanie Durrant: Where She Came From, and Where She’s Going

By T. Micallef

It’s been said that talent alone will only take you so far, so maybe it’s the combination of perseverance and personality, on top of that incredible talent, that brought Melanie Durrant to the heights she’s achieved thus far. Or perhaps it’s because she knows the importance of believing in yourself first, before anyone else can. Then again, it may have something to do with her hot style or her striking stage presence.

“The only thing I’ve been doing is working, trying to do something every day to work towards it, and I think people have got to realize that every day counts,” says the modest performer.

Take your pick, but whatever the formula, Motown president, Kedar Massenberg, recognized that Melanie was going somewhere straight off the bat, as did many Torontonians, when he heard the single, “Where I’m Going”, on a PT Cruiser commercial in 2002. Soulful, sultry and original, it’s no wonder she was scooped up by the label, known for its roster of R & B prodigies, only a few days after Massenberg heard the promising songstress do her thing.

While she’s been compared to, “Minnie Ripperton and Blu Cantrell, and someone else said Jill Scott,” she maintains, “I don’t mind comparisons, but I think I have so many colours to my voice that it’s tough to find. I’ve got jazzy stuff, rock stuff, high stuff, low stuff.”

What might appear at first to be an overnight success is actually quite the opposite. The president of Motown may have been the mighty wind that sent her rolling across the border, but it was years of hard work that set the ball in motion for Melanie. Born and raised in Toronto, Melanie attended the Earl Haig School of the Arts. She trained at the Royal Conservatory of Music and worked on an eclectic array of projects before she became an “alternative hip-hop soul” (as she describes it) artist. She performed in Rent and The Exhale Show, appeared on Snow’s album, Justus, and performed regularly at Honey Jam, where she started a buzz with underground audiences.

It seems music is in the blood, too. Karen Durrant, Melanie’s mom, tours Canada with her band as a Tina Turner impersonator, a show Melanie was once a part of. Her mom now sings back-up at Melanie’s shows.

Melanie’s first single, “Housework”, hit the airwaves in 2002, before she struck her deal with Motown. People responded well to the playful, infectious track and to her powerful, wide-ranging voice and wanted to hear more, which prompted the release of “Where I’m Going”.

“I really thought about, where am I going, and how am I gonna make this happen for myself, and I decided I wanna sing, and I wanna perform, so I’m gonna make this happen. I definitely haven’t made it yet, but I’m gonna get there.”

She’s coming from Toronto, and she has plans on taking it much further.

Summing up why she’s going where she’s going, when so many others have tried and failed, Melanie says, “Stay true to yourself. Stay true to who you are.”

Watch for the video for “Where I’m Going”, directed by Little X, coming soon and her album also out soon. Also, check out Melanie on August 29th at the Toronto Urban Music Festival.

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