Melissa Loretta
Melissa Loretta is a small-town Canadian Singer-Songwriter with hits signed to major EDM record labels such as Armada Records, Kontor Records, Spinn'n Records, Flashover Recordings and Adjusted Music.
Melissa is the voice and lyrics behind the chart topping hit "Skyfire," (No. 4 of the ASOT Top 100 of 2011) with producer Shogun. "Skyfire" has been nominated for the IDMA 2012 "Best Trace Track" award.
Melissa Loretta also appears on the Gold-winning album "ATB - Distant Earth," which landed at #7 in the German mainstream Billboard Charts.
For information on Songwriting or Vocal Recording Services, please contact Management at info@melissaloretta.com
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- May 14, 12Such an awkward title and yet so much of it seems to be true in our current times. This fast-paced, electronic, high-speed wireless world has sped up not only our internet browsing experience but more significantly, our musical appetites. We consume more and more fresh new music at such rapid speeds, moving on from song, to song, to song, as if music selection were a fast-food order and purchase. It’s as if YouTube, social networking sites and digital download portals have stretched and expanded the horizons of this musical age, like a mighty revolution no one can seem to slow down, not even the artists or the record labels themselves can stop the mighty machine of consumption technology has created. But of course, why would the music industry want to slow down the consumption rate, it is after all a business, and a business wants to make money. Lots of money. And with more record labels and publishing companies coming into existence, more artists gaining the spotlight and more new tracks hitting the market every single day world-wide, there is ultimately more competition that pushes the demand for each group to generate more sales, which means more and more music production. Songs can be sold individually now online for cheaper and that means more and more people can afford to buy more and more music.But really, who is complaining. It seems to be a simple enough equation in which everyone is still benefiting and staying happy.And yet I have to wonder. What ever happened to the kid who was so excited to walk into a music store (yes they still exist) and wait in a line-up to purchase his favorite artist album, who would then go home and savor every picture, every song, every lyrical phrase that band had worked so hard to construct? Is it just me or does it feel like somehow, in some odd way, maybe we used to value individual songs just a tad longer in the past than we do today? Was that mostly because it took artists longer to create full albums back then? Or maybe it took us more time to appreciate them considering the purchasing cost. After all, one would most likely buy the album in stores, not like today where you can purchase a song online for next to nothing (and dare I mention the illegal downloading that is crippling the music industry like a giant).This is not to say that listeners today cannot feel the same satisfaction or value from a song that listeners of my generation did 10 years ago. Or to say that artists do not have the same joy in writing new music to keep up with a craving market as they did years ago when the hype took longer to build and consequently, the legacy longer to soak. Rather, this is all to say, that on the whole, there seems to be a greater demand, greater consumption rate of new music then ever experienced in history before.Is this a bad thing? Depends who you ask.I’ll leave it at that and let you, the reader, consume those thoughts.
- May 07, 12Trance Music, in my opinion, is a lot of like Post-Modern Art - It is always finding new ways to be contemporary and unique, and then to reinvent itself over again.
I once took a University course on Post-Modern Poetry in my final year. I remember asking my Professor at the end of the course, just days before the final exam, "Sir, What exactly DOES the term Post-Modern mean? How does one define it?" With a sudden seriousness of expression, my Professor turned to me and said rather bluntly, "well, that is your answer. There is no definition. If you could define it, if there was an answer, it wouldn't be Post-Modern."
His rather ironic reply stuck with me over the years, and I began to eventually correlate it with the experience of creating Trance Music. Well, Trance Music is an art-form, as all types of musical genres are. The main idea tugging in Post-Modern art is that it cannot be defined or pulled into any one type of 'defining' structure. It's a break-down of convention, it's an attack on what is expected, the 'norm'... it's really all over the map.
Before dipping my imagination into the vast expanse of creativity that the world of Trance Music begs for, I started my songwriting career writing pop songs. You know, the standard 3 minute and 40 second songs that blast our radios every day. The song structure is often the same, rarely straying too far from expectation or convention of the norm, though contemporary times are starting to see some progress. Commercial pop songs almost always secure a catchy introduction, followed by a verse, a pre-chorus, chorus, second verse, chorus, bridge, and finally, a final chorus. There is not a whole lot of variation and you better make sure that every one of those 3 minutes and 40 seconds contains a mix bag of hooks in both melody and lyric. Otherwise, your song might just well be sunk.
Writing commercial pop music can be compared to the sensation of wearing water wings in a big pool of murky dark water - That with a proper song structure in place, no matter how grey, murky and uncertain the music industry can be, at least you can rest assured you will float.
But that safety net for me was all over the day I was introduced to the unpredictable world of Trance Music. I can remember talking with different producers over the direction of some tracks when I was just getting my feet wet in Trance songwriting a few years ago. "What do you mean we might scrap the second verse?" I gasped. That's Crazy, I thought! Who would do that in the pop world, the song would most likely wither and die before even getting started.
In fact, it felt at times that the more I tried to insert some kind of steady, expected structure into a Trance song, the more it was doomed to fail in the Electronic Dance market.
That was when I began to realize the character, the texture and the vision of Trance Music. It is limitless. There are no ceilings to bang your head against, no skylines, no mandatory boundaries sticking like glue over the melodies and lyrics that float along the drums and synths. It is a new world of music that is purely post-modern in nature. It is pure in thought, free in form and rich in imagination. You cannot put a brace of structure around it because it in fact breaks down commercial structure to create something so unique and uncharted.
Writing Trance Music has truly been the most freeing and rewarding experience in my whole artistic career and life (even more so than the time when I was 6 years old and given an abundance of crayons, and told to go nuts colouring).
Now that I have found a beautiful open field to run in, a blank canvas of any shape and size to paint on, and a giant galaxy of stars to swim and sink in, why would anyone want to turn back time and be fenced-in ... ?
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Biography
- ...about the girlNamed after her mother's favourite country music star, Loretta Lynn, Melissa Loretta is a small-town girl from Georgina, Ontario now emerging as one of Canada’s leading EDM (Electronic Dance Music) Singer-Songwriters.
Her first release “Unconditional Love,” with DJ/Producer Amurai, gained enormous international support from world renowned Ferry Corsten, cutting a deal with Flashover Recordings and appearing on his “Once Upon a Night” compilation. Such early success for a break-through artist ultimately propelled her name onto the scene as an emerging vocal and writing talent, creating a sudden buzz over further collaboration demands by top names in the industry.
Just months after “Unconditional Love,” another chart topping hit was born with the signing and release of “Daylight” with Producer Yuri Kane, appearing on Corsten’s “Once Upon a Night Vol. 2.” Success for “Daylight” continued and it was soon voted as #33 of the top 100 Trance tracks of 2010, appearing on Armin van Buuren's "A State of Trance Year Mix 2010" based on popular listener demand.
There was no slowing down for Melissa in barely her first year in the industry as further successful tracks were born and signed to heavy-weight EDM labels. “Still Feel [You Here]” with UK-duo Arcane Science received a personal remix from the notorious The Thrillseekers and was incorporated into both the trailer and film "Lost Journey.” Early 2011 also ushered in “Skyfire” with DJ Shogun, signed to Armin van Buuren's Armada Records and appearing on “A State of Trance 2011” album. “Skyfire” has already taken the EDM world by storm, having exploded on the scene reaching No. 4 of the top 100 songs of 2011.
Now, having achieved so much for such a new artist, Melissa's most recent success comes from her collaborations with ATB and Amurai in their joint tracks “Heartbeat,” “If it’s Love,” and “White Letters.” All three tracks appear on ATB’s latest artist album “Distant Earth,” an already Gold-wining album.
Melissa notes that it is her rural upbringing and musical family that gave her the inspiration to write. “Living in a small town really pushes your creative buttons. You don’t have access to big malls or movie theaters to spend your free time in, and so you make your own world of fun. For me that world was music.”
Melissa spent much of her musical childhood studying piano theory and practice, reaching the grade eight conservatory level by the age of 16 before leaving the classical world to focus on her greater love of songwriting.
Having performed in Poznan, Poland for ATB in Concert V in May 2011 for a crowd of 8,000, Melissa is looking forward to a number of new and exciting music projects to carry her into 2012, including her latest release "Omnia feat. Melissa Loretta - Halo" - already receiving much love from the EDM online community and youtube viewers.
Stay tuned for more big projects to come ...
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Discography
- History of Releases2012:Omnia feat. Melissa Loretta - Halo [Andy Moor's label, AVA Recordings]2011:Shogun - Lotus [Armada Records]Shogun - Skyfire [Armada Records]ATB feat. Melissa Loretta - If it's Love [Kontor Records]ATB feat. Melissa Loretta - White Letters [Kontor Records]ATB with Amurai feat. Melissa Loretta - Heartbeat [Kontor Records]Arcane Science feat. Melissa Loretta - Confession [Adjusted Music]DJ FEEL feat. Melissa Loretta - 4U2C [Spinnin Records]2010:Yuri Kane feat. Melissa Loretta - Daylight [Flashover Recordings]Arcane Science feat. Melissa Loretta - Still Feel (You Here) [Adjusted Music]Amuai feat. Melissa Loretta - Unconditional Love [Flashover Recordings]
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Song Lyrics
- Omnia feat. Melissa Loretta - HaloSo face the dawn inside your soul,when the haze is at your door,just lean your head on my heart.And when the fear has made a home,tries to take you from my arms,I'll stand against the force of midnight...So leave the stars on,I'm a sailor for your soul,and flee the mountains,and I'll be your door,leave the towers, feel the ocean floor,no you don't have to fall,when there's a halo holding on...-Lyrics and melody written by Melissa Loretta-Music and Production by Omnia-Released on Andy Moor's label AVA Recordings 2012[Appeared as Tune of the Week for Armin van Buuren's weekly radio show, ASOT -episode 545]
Arcane Science feat. Melissa Loretta - Confession
Tell what you've been think'n
cause this looks like treason
even the lost can see
That this game you're playing
it holds like a prison
where only a fool would keep
So how do I get out?
Of this make believe, it's so controlling.
Oh, oh woah
And how do I shut down,
on this travesty,
when you're reckless with me
Don't leave the silence to speak out
Don't leave emotions to run out
Don't leave the silence to speak out
Don't leave emotions to run out
So say the things your mind reads
plead a case to keep me
just don't run away,
So drive far from cross roads
try to make a way home
I'll be the one who stays
Cause I know we'll get out,
of this make believe, it's so controlling
Oh, oh, woah
I know we'll shut down
on this travesty
...when you're reckless with me
-Lyrics written by Melissa Loretta
-Melody co-written by Melissa Loretta and Arcane Science
-Music and Production by Arcane Science
-Released on Adjusted Music, 2011
*Remixes by Jonas Hornblad and Cramp Music
ATB feat. Melissa Loretta - If it's Love
So tell me the moment you slip away
and would ya speak out if you don’t believe,
Tell me the secrets you hide in grey
and would ya stand down if you won’t retreat,
oh oh I’m not holding a prison
so you can leave
But if it’s love, then I’ll make sure
you won’t need to search again
and if it’s good, then I’ll conquer
all the doubt that raged within
and if it’s love...
well I’ll fall where we began
and if it’s love...
well I’ll letcha break right in
if it’s love
if it’s love.
So promise to pick up the broken glass
when it’s my heart that you’ve run up against,
And would you be kind to never look back
when it’s my trust that you’ve gambled and spent
oh oh I’m not holding a fixed hand
so you can bet
but if it’s love, then I’ll make sure
you won’t need to search again...
and if it’s good, then I’ll conquer
all the doubt that raged within
and if it’s love...
well I’ll fall where we began
and if it’s love...
well I’ll letcha break right in
if it’s love
and if it’s good
then I’ll conquer all the doubt that raged within
and if it’s love...
well I’ll fall where we began
and if it’s love...
well I’ll letcha break right in,
if it’s love.
-Lyrics and Melody written by Melissa Loretta
-Music and Production by ATB
-Released on Kontor Records, 2011
[Appears on "ATB - Distant Earth" album]
**Remix by Jeziel Quintela, Jquintel & Manufactured Superstars
ATB feat. Melissa Loretta - White Letters
Just stop
na na na na
na na na na
no, no no
Just stop
na na na na
na na na na
woah oh oh
I can see it
like it’s 50 years from now.
So complicated
I got you figured out.
And I’ve predicted
that you will steal my heart...
though it’s overrated, I come apart
When you contain
the corners of my mind
I feel it taking over,
I see the constellations of your white letters
they’ve played the questions I’ve designed
I fear it’s far from over,
I see the constellations of your white letters
na na na na
na na na na
no no no
Just stop
na na na na
na na na na
woah oh oh
And I’ve pretended
that I can shape your world.
You’re so unaffected
and I’ve complied with all your turns.
The feeling’s jaded
I’m on your trail, so long...
yeah I’ll stand a witness, when it comes undone
When you contain
the corners of my mind
I feel it taking over,
I see the constellations of your white letters
they’ve played the questions I’ve designed
I fear it’s far from over,
I see the constellations of your white letters
na na na na
na na na na
no no no
Just stop
na na na na
na na na na
woah oh oh
Just stop...
-Lyrics co-written by Melissa Loretta and Amurai
-Melody co-written by Melissa Loretta and Amurai
-Music and Production by ATB
-Released on Kontor Records, 2011
[Appears on "ATB - Distant Earth" album]
*Remix by DBN
ATB with Amurai feat. Melissa Loretta - Heartbeat
Steady hands
they guide the wheel,
the sun is black
then it’s shades of red.
Seasons change
and moments build
we rise to fall
like dust to wind.
the hourglass has burned through
and I can’t fight...
the hourglass has burned through
and I can’t fight
those final turns...
but your soul is a never-ending road
when your heart beats here
your heart beats.
and your doors are never fully closed
when your heart beats here
you’re always my heartbeat.
So heavy falls the drum
on still lines we can never shape.
And it’s a rhythm etched in time
we fall back
in the artist’s clay
the hourglass has burned through
and I can’t fight...
the hourglass has burned through
and I can’t fight
those final turns...
but your soul is a never-ending road
when your heart beats here,
your heart beats.
and your doors are never fully closed
when your heart beats here
you’re always my heartbeat.
but your soul is a never-ending road
when your heart beats here,
your heart beats.
and your doors are never fully closed
when your heart beats here
you’re always my heartbeat.
So heavy falls the drum
on still lines we can never shape.
And it’s a rhythm etched in time
we fall back
in the artist’s clay.
-Lyrics co-written by Melissa Loretta and Amurai
-Melody co-written by Melissa Loretta and Amurai
-Music and Production by ATB
-Released on Kontor Records, 2011
[Appears on "ATB - Distant Earth" album}
*Remixes by ATB, Laserkraft 3D, MYNC,
**Club Version included in remix album
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Photos
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Tweets
- @LeToyaLuckett Hiii LeToya! I met your mom today in Houston while shopping! She is such a nice lady! :)May 19, 12 from web Reply, Retweet, Favorite
- @taniazygar looks awesome :)
- @natalieperis HAHAHA!!!!
- @natalieperis hehe <3 it!
- @chetitosmedina Germany!!!! :D I hope ;)
- @natalieperis I don't feel like the only girl now watching this game in here! HIGH FIVE Nat!!! <3
- @natalieperis haha!!!! My bf dragged me here :p ...kidding!!! So that was almost a goal! Lol! This is fun we r watching the game 2together!
- @chetitosmedina haha I'm actually watching the big soccer game :p
- @natalieperis haha I am in the SAME situation #Awkward !! You watching the soccer game too??
- @Paige_Duke lol I run into that same problem all the time w packing shoes #girlslife :p
- @atbandre I'm in Houston watching the Germany vs. England soccer game, you watching it too?? ;)
- @IAmELLEAH @saneyarn haha! Sounds awesome guys! What are you both up to next Saturday? I am in Houston still, we r watching the soccer game
- @PeterakaCoxx aw dude I wish I could come! I'm in Texas ATM lol ...have FUN :D
- @IAmELLEAH when???? :D can we get in for free if we say we know you? Hehe
- @IAmELLEAH haha no sadly not, you going?? Take pics!! :D
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Tracks
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Posts
- Melissa Loretta and Shogun's "Skyfire" nominated for a 2012 International Dance Music Award
On Thursday March 22nd, 2012, Melissa Loretta will walk the red carpet and attend the IDMA’s in Miami as her joint track “Skyfire” with producer Shogun is up for an International Dance Music Award - “Best Trance Track.” This nomination, after so many years of hard work in songwriting, singing and recording, is such a dream come true experience in so many ways. Stay tuned to find out if the voters’ choice will make “Skyfire” the Best Trance Track of the year in 2012 ;)
<3
- She inspired some of my songs ... 'Daisy'
RIP my precious doggy “Daisy” - She passed away in April 2011, at only eight years old.
I was struck with so much sadness and grief in November 2010, when my family found out Daisy was very ill and would not live much longer. During that time leading up to her passing and in the time after, the only thing that gave me much comfort was prayer and songwriting. Through her sickness and passing, Daisy inspired the lyrics for a few of my songs, including “Halo.”
She was a precious loving pet, I will always love and miss her very much.
Visit the MELISSALORETTA.COM for song lyrics and more
<3
- You Record Your Vocals WHERE?
Most people I run into often ask me where I record, and they usually have this very false glamorous perception of my world when it comes to stepping into the studio.
“You probably go downtown Toronto or something like that and record in a high-end studio for your vocal work, right?” they often say. I usually smile and giggle a little bit.
“Well, no actually, not quite. I record in, well, my bedroom home studio” I reply. A lot of laughs will soon follow, accompanied by puzzled or unbelieving looks.
- I have to say, that while I record my dry vocals in a home studio set-up, the producers I work with are the ones who do all the magic of producing my voice with the track. Without their amazing talent, well, you would only hear dry vocal work.
The truth is I used to record in a professional studio a long long time ago, until I realized that for the price of studio time I could save up, purchase some recording gear and eventually learn the ropes enough to record my own work.
Once I learned enough about which patch cord plugged into which machine, which buttons to press to make the record button flash, and got past the ‘oops that was so wrong” frustrating moments, I soon found the flexibility for recording and songwriting to be out of this world. There was no time pressure anymore. It was just me, the microphone, the record button and endless freedom to actually enjoy myself in the studio. And when a singer is relaxed, so is her voice.
Was all of this easy to learn? Not really. Did it take a lot of time to learn? Yes it did. Can anyone learn it? YES YOU CAN! - that’s the good news ;) All you need is some determination. With that you can learn almost anything I always believe.
I used to drive a half hour each weekend to a music store and rent a recording console when I was in University back in 2005. I would get the machine on a Friday night, spend all my time with the recording manual well into the night, then plug away recording all of Saturday (and literally I mean ALL OF SATURDAY LOL). Sunday morning I would burn the song onto a CD, then erase all my work on the machine (so that no one would steal my song ideas so I worried haha) hop back in my car, drive a half hour back to the store and return the console. The following weekend I would repeat the whole process again, only to be met with the challenge of sometimes not being able to rent the same machine twice. And so I would have to spend all of Friday night again reading a whole new recording manual. *sigh* lol. It was work, but I loved every moment of it.
This was all before the days I realized recording songs on a computer was so much easier. And before I had high speed internet or high speed anything - I used to write my University papers on a very slow old computer, so the thought of recording my voice onto computer software seemed out of the question at the time haha.
Not only did I have to become a self-taught Sound Engineer back in those days but I also had to become an architect of sorts…I soon discovered I would have to build my own vocal recording booth to work on creating lots of dead air for the best possible result of pure sound to filter through. Was it challenging? Definitely, but through trial and error, I had found a solution…
Take all the shelves out of my closet and build a vocal booth with all sorts of padding inside that space! Did it work? I must say it was hilarious trying to explain to friends and family why I no longer had a proper functioning closet anymore, but it was well worth the sacrifice of having clothes scattered here, there and everywhere in my room - dead air was accomplished!
Would I have it any other way? Definitely not. I feel most at home in that studio space for recording, I feel like myself, which allows for freedom of expression and soul when songwriting and recording.
So now you know the truth, but shhh, it’s just our little secret okay?
I hope that up and coming artists will find this story encouraging. I would never have thought in a million years that my childhood dream of gaining international recognition as a singer-songwriter would ever come true. But when you love something enough, and you work hard and long at it enough, and find people who believe in you and who encourage you, you can be sure you’re always moving forward, no matter how small the steps or the journey may seem at first.
xx,
Melissa Loretta
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Info
- IDMA 2012 Nominee (Shogun Skyfire) | Professional Singer-Songwriter | TeacherEntertainment | Toronto, Canada Area, CAExperience
- 2010 - PresentProfessional Singer-Songwriter / melissaloretta.com
EducationAdditional Information-
Websites:
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Honors:Three hits appearing on a gold-winning album: ATB "Distant Earth" album: ATB feat. Melissa Loretta - If it's Love ATB feat. Melissa Loretta - White Letters ATB with Amurai feat. Melissa Loretta - Heartbeat ------------------------------------ *"Omnia feat. Melissa Loretta - Halo" picked by Armin van Buuren as Tune of the Week on ASOT 545 *Provided vocals and songwriting for the track "Shogun - Skyfire" which was voted No. 4 of the Top 100 of ASOT 2011. "Skyfire" also appears on ASOT YearMix 2011. *"Yuri Kane feat. Melissa Loretta - Daylight", voted as No. 33 of Top 100 of ASOT 2010. "Daylight" also appears on ASOT YearMix 2010. *"Arcane Science feat. Melissa Loretta - Still Feel [You Here]" appears in the movie and trailer "Lost Journey"
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Interests:Songwriting, Singing, Recording, Voice-Overs, Keyboard, Piano, Performing, Sewing, Painting, Post-Modern Poetry
