Melanie Fiona's 'Bang Bang' Video

Sultry Canadian Melanie Fiona is a new songstress on the R&B scene giving us the big bodied soul vocals we love. Her debut album, 'The Bridge,' hits shelves today, November 10, and you've most likely enjoyed her first two singles, 'Give It To Me Right' and 'It Kills Me.' ESSENCE.com chatted with Fiona about where she's from and why Kanye West loves her.

ESSENCE.COM: 
You were born and raised in Toronto, Canada, but your parents are West Indian?
MELANIE FIONA: 

My family is from Guyana. The country is in South America, but it's definitely West Indian culturally. I grew up with a lot of the food and upbringing of the West Indies in my house.



ESSENCE.COM: Were your parents musically inclined?


FIONA: Though not professionally, my mom used to sing and my dad was part of a band so they would rehearse in the house and I grew up listening to a lot of music. Plus, Toronto is such a multi-cultural city with so many different people, that I had my mind opened to a very international world there and I want my music to reflect that.



ESSENCE.COM: How'd you come to sing in the States?


FIONA: I started doing music around Toronto in high school and while working, I met my producer Carmen Murray from my current record company, Title 9 Productions. After getting together, we decided to work with American producers, and in 2007 I started traveling back and forth to Los Angeles, whatever I needed to do to excel. After writing and recording songs, I shopped my demo to the major labels and I met Steve Rifkin, head of SRC Records, and he just got it. He loved my sound and didn't want to change it, so I signed with him.



ESSENCE.COM: How would you describe your sound?


FIONA: I'd say that my music is classic, because it's about real life and that never gets old.



ESSENCE.COM: You opened for the European leg of Kanye West's 'Glow In The Dark' tour last year, any plans to repeat?


FIONA: I would love to tour with Kanye again. I toured with him in 2008, and it was an incredible experience. At the time, I didn't have a single on the radio or a video out and he heard my music and gave me the opportunity to open for him in Europe. It was really an honor to share the stage with Kanye because he's honestly one of my favorite artists, so for him to give me that first look was amazing.

ESSENCE.COM: Are you planning another tour right now?
FIONA: 

I'm currently doing my radio promotional tour, so I'm driving around the U.S., meeting fans in different cities. Later this month, I'm touring with Raphael Saadiq for the west coast leg of his tour. I'm also performing at the  Thanksgiving Day NFL game between the Green Day Packers and the Detroit Lions as part of a Motown Tribute. I'll be singing Michael Jackson's "I'll Be There," which is a big honor for me, and I'm also singing the U.S. national anthem.