Melissa Indot’s solo debut album looks set to take her career to greater heights.

By NIKI CHEONG
niki@thestar.com.my

THINGS don’t always go the way you expect them to. But if uncertainty has ever had a negative connotation, don’t expect Melissa Indot to tell you about it. The sassy singer’s solo debut album was the product of an almost whimsical decision.

If you had told her four years ago that she would be spending these next few months promoting Eclecticism, she would probably have laughed in your face.

About 10 years ago, Melissa was one half of Confucius Says, a London-based pop duo. Marchella de Angelus was the other half, and together, they were signed on to an independent label. They later signed a contract with Universal Publishing. Confucius Says released two singles, two music videos and once performed on the popular BBC1 National Lottery Show.

“Everything was working well,” Melissa says, “but the timing wasn’t right.”

Since then, many years have passed; while Melissa still enjoyed her music, she never thought about doing it all over again. In 2004, she returned to Malaysia, after spending 20 years in London, to “travel a bit, spend time with my family and do things I haven’t done”.

Melissa did all that, and more.

Shortly after her return, her friends persuaded her to take part in several open-mic gigs, including a competition, in Kuala lumpur. In the competition, Melissa won an invitation to return to the venue (which she declined to reveal) to perform a 45-minute set. So successful was the night that she was invited yet again to perform.

But all this wasn’t enough to re-ignite the passion, or so she thought. What Melissa did do was to form a band – The Misfits – that started getting requests to perform at birthdays, launches and corporate functions. It would be too much of a cliché for Melissa, but the rest, really, is history.

Fast-forward to now, Eclecticism is the product of over a year of writing, and nine months of really hard work.

“I was bitten by the writing bug in April last year, but I was just doing it as a hobby ... then late last year, when I was on a holiday with my family, we started talking about possibly cutting an album.”

So, Melissa started searching for producers to work with, and in February, everything started falling into place. Respected producers Mac Chew, Audi Mok and Sharon Paul came on board and selected about a dozen songs for the album.

Eclecticism features nine songs written by Melissa. The other two songs – So Beautiful and Woman in Love – were written by her former musical partner, de Angelus. Both songs were translated into Bahasa Malaysia, the only Malay songs on the album.

“I wanted to put these songs in to remind people that as much as (Eclecticism) is an English album, I am Malaysian,” she explains. “I can speak, and sing, in Bahasa Malaysia.”

Looking at her past – she grew up in London and once led the Queenswood School Senior Choir (which performed at Britain’s renowned Royal London Hall) – it seems only natural that Melissa would cut an English album.

Yet, the songstress is determined to maintain the Malaysian touch. “I’m proud to be Malaysian, and the project is all Malaysian-made.”

But, of course, Melissa has plans to broaden her horizons, which is why, she explains, that while her album and forthcoming music videos will be made in Malaysia, they will have with an international look.

A lot of Melissa’s personality has gone into the album.

“It’s like a rainbow ... there is a song for every colour of the rainbow,” she says. This explains the title of the album. Those who have met Melissa, or seen her in the social circuit, will know that there are many facets to her, as is obvious through her dressing.

“Sometimes, you will see me in a suit, or ripped jeans, or a dress ...,” she shares, then jokingly adds, “Just don’t confuse schizophrenia with eclecticism.”

This, too, is translated into the album. Listening to it, one feels as if one is on an astral plane, visiting various dimensions. There is not merely one feel or type of music; instead, electro-pop, jazz, bubblegum pop and ballads are all meshed into one album. The first song, Paradise, has a Sophie-Ellis Baxtor feel. Little Girls, the first single, is reminiscent of Gwen Stefani. Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Jennifer Lopez come to mind when one listens to China, Soul Stealer and This Time, respectively.

“When I heard the finished songs, all I thought was ‘Wow, it’s finished’.” says Melissa.

But that’s not the end. There is much promotion to do, two more planned singles and a performance at CoChine & Bar Savanh Too at Plaza Mon’t Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, on Dec 5 at 10pm.

But the day she had been waiting for came on Tuesday, when she got her hands on a pressed copy of the CD, complete with the cover and booklet.

“I plan to lock myself in my bedroom, put the CD on and listen to it from start to end,” she says. “(After everything), I want to appreciate it for what it is, and not dissect it.”

Eclecticism is available nationwide from EMI. To find out more about Melissa Indot, log on to melissaindot.com.

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