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Your new album comes out November 8th. When was the last
time you released a studio album?
Meli'sa Morgan-Oh honey
I can't tell you.
I read somewhere 92'.
Meli'sa Morgan-It was in
the early 90's.
What have you been doing in between that time?
Meli'sa Morgan-Working.
Honing my skills. Going through things in life. Getting experience.
Learning how to be a better person a better Meli'sa. Getting
ready as the universe would have it for this CD.
When say working were you performing as a singer or doing something
different?
Meli'sa Morgan-Yes, yes
I've always worked. I will work for the rest of my life thanks
to "Do Me Baby." I'm always getting calls to open up for Keith
Sweat or Kem. Recently they've called me to open for Charlie
Wilson. So I am going to work for the rest of my life
thank God thanks to this song.
Wow! That's inspiring that one song can create a career like
that.
Meli'sa Morgan-Well
it wasn't just one song. There was "Fools Paradise," there were
a slew of songs it's just a lot of people remember "Do Me Baby."
"Fools Paradise" is very popular. "Do You Still Love Me," was
a top five song. It's always requested when I'm performing.
There are other dance songs that I have had out that the audience
is always requesting me to perform.
I know you've probably been asked this question a thousand
times but how did you come to record the song "Do Me Baby."
Meli'sa Morgan-I really
didn't have anything to do with that. When I signed with Capital
Records the vice-president of Capital Records said the next
R&B artist that he signed was going to do that song and I was
the next R&B artist. So I was just as shocked to do that record
as everybody else but when we went to the studio with Paul Lawrence
he put such a wonderful track together that it just made my
voice go to different heights and I'm really glad that I did
it now.
I'm interviewing Freddie on Wednesday so I thought I would ask.
Can you describe your working relationship with Freddie
Jackson?
Meli'sa Morgan-Wonderful.
Wonderful! I call him my musical brother. I enjoy him as a person
and a friend and it was a natural progression for us to work
together this lifetime and I hope we get to do it again.
The new single "Back Together" again with Freddie
Jackson, will that appear on your new album?
Meli'sa Morgan-Yes, it will.
What led you to record a new album?
Meli'sa Morgan-When I heard
that Orpheus
music was back in business. They called me to have a meeting
with them I decided that now was the time because working with
people that believe in you and your artistry is half the battle.
With them wanting to come back and me wanting to come back and
do my music it was the perfect marriage.
What city are you based out of?
Meli'sa Morgan-I'm based
out of Queens.
I looked at your photo gallery on your website. You are always
on the scene.
Meli'sa Morgan-Yeah, I try
to stay out there. Ain't nothing like a good party.
I notice you are always rocking different hairstyles how often
do you change your hair?
Meli'sa Morgan-Sometimes
about once a month. Sometimes even two months but very rarely.
I like new things. I like to look in the mirror and see new
exciting things.
I checked out your website
www.melisamorgan.com. It's a very unique site. Did you have
any input on the concept?
Meli'sa Morgan-Yeah, I wanted
it to be red and gold and I wanted the roses but all the flash
stuff the web designer as he was creating it he was just asking
me if I liked it or didn't like it. It is different. I've gone
on Mariah Carey's and Whitney's and all of their sites and they
don't have Flash like mine. So it makes it more unique and I
do like it. Now we have the DSL and the dial up because the
DSL was too slow for the people who only had dial up. So now
you go to the site and you can go to either one so I actually
have two sites in one.
Do you ever get messages or mail from any of your fans?
Meli'sa Morgan-All the time
and as far as Japan. The wonderful thing about the site is a
girlfriend of mine from Japan who I went to junior high school
with that moved back to Japan me found me. Me and her had been
friends for years and when my site went up she went on the site
and e-mailed me. The site keeps me connected internationally
as well as nationally.
I know a lot of R&B artists are doing the remixes with the
hip-hop artists. Do you have anything in store like that?
Meli'sa Morgan-Well I did
something awhile ago with Jay-Z on a remix for "Can't Knock
The Hustle." If I were to do it it would have to be with him.
He pulled me in at a time I didn't think people were thinking
about me. So if I did something on a remix or something like
that it would have to be with somebody like Jay-Z.
What are some of your greatest memories as far as being an
entertainer in the 80's?
Meli'sa Morgan-It was the
journey of the beginning. That was exciting to me. It was Gerald
Levert, Mikki Howard, Cherelle, myself,
Freddie Jackson, we were all just beginning in our careers.
I think the journey of watching us to go from that to where
we are now that was the most exciting thing for me. It was just
a different time and everybody got together and supported one
another. Now it's more separatism than it was then.
Do you have a tour lined up for the fall?
Meli'sa Morgan-Well there
are presently a lot of things on the table and I know I will
be doing a couple of dates with Freddie Jackson and I look forward
to that. I just wanted to mention that my foundation The Meli'sa
Morgan Foundation is doing backpacks for the Katrina children.
You can go on my website and find out about that. I wanted to
do something for the kids who suffered through the disaster.
I wanted to give them a little something they could call their
own.
Can you tell me more about your foundation?
Meli'sa Morgan-My foundation
is The Meli'sa Morgan Foundation. What we normally do is give
out scholarships to college students during their first or second
year for educational excellence but when I saw what was happening
to the Katrina kids I wanted to do something for them as well.
We had to keep it educational so we included composition books
and markers and stuff they could take to school but we also
included coloring books and socks and crayons and toothbrushes
and toothpaste. I'm on my way now to do a program at a hotel
that is housing Katrina families and five or six kids will be
there. They said it might be ten but we said five or six because
sometimes they don't want to come out or they can't make it
so we are going to do a program with them this afternoon.
Now that you are coming back out are you surprised that you
have so many people anticipating this project since you have
been gone so long?
Meli'sa Morgan-Yes.
Yes. I am completely surprised and happy and scared and I just
feel so blessed at the same time. It's like the whole music
industry and my audience is embracing me. What a wonderful feeling
that's all I can say and it's just a joy and I'm glad to be
back.
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