Okay, people.  Here’s the culmination of my chat with our vocalist extraordinaire, Melonie Daniels.  If you missed Parts ONE and TWO, click here to catch up on what she’s had to say so far!

In this segment, Melonie shares a bunch of info about her vocal routine, what it takes to be a great background vocalist, her work at NYC’s Village Undergound, her transition from background to foreground as a solo artist, and what’s next for her.  You don’t wanna miss it!

Ladies and gents, enjoy PART THREE:

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EJ:  How do you prepare for a studio session?  Like, how much rest do you get, what foods do you avoid, and all that?

MD:  Well, that’s a biological thing and it’s an individual situation.  There are those of us that are lactose intolerant, or allergic to citric acid, or whatever.  You have to know what your body is capable of handling, what your allergies are…

EJ:  And you don’t mean “allergies” like if you eat it, you have to go to the hospital, right?  You just mean “allergies” in the sense that your body responds negatively in some way?

MD:  Right.  It’s not a blanket thing.  I love the teachings of Lady Tramaine Hawkins, but her routine may not work across the board for everybody.

EJ:  What does she do?

MD:  She’s very protective of her voice.  Wherever she ministers, she has to shut down the air in the entire place, she stays wrapped up.  She can’t handle air conditioning.  And there are several singers that do that.  For me, I’m like “turn down the heat, turn up the COLD.”

EJ:  Really?!

MD:  I chew ice.  I don’t have a problem with dairy products, but I can’t do orange juice because I’m allergic.  So it really is dependent on the individual and knowing what your body can handle.

EJ:  Know your instrument, people!

MD:  Yeah, you have to really study yourself.

EJ:  That’s funny cuz some people take themselves so seriously based on what they’ve heard… like “no, no… I can’t do dairy right now because we’re singing later,” when that may not even affect them in the same way.

MD:  Right.  When I’m ministering and they ask me if I want water, I’m like “yes, ICE COLD.”

EJ:  Are you for real?

MD:  *laughing*  Yeah!  I’m like “you got some ICE?  Crack me up some ice!”  But that’s just me.

EJ:  *laughing* What does it take to be a great background vocalist?

MD:  Be teachable.  Be very studious.  And be quick about it.  Have good intonation, memorization, good pitch… Ear training has a lot to do with it because you have to pick up stuff so quickly sometimes.  And you don’t get a second chance a lot of times.  Rehearsal is the only place where you can fool up and get away with it, but when it comes to performance, you’ve gotta nail it.

And that’s why a lot of background singers are losing jobs– because a lot of people now are keeping Pro Tools nearby and aren’t using background singers.  You’ll never sound like what they have on the record because artists will either hire session singers that don’t travel, or they’ll do the vocals themselves.  So, there’s no way to sound just like that.

Most of my life, I’ve done live stuff.  I don’t sound exactly like the record, but I try to come as close to it as possible– to do the same inflection, the same words, and the same tone quality, if possible.  I have the advantage of being like a mimic, especially from growing up and watching cartoons, because I could mimic the characters’ voices.

EJ:  So, watch your cartoons, folks! *laughing*

MD:  That was my thing.  And even people’s speaking voices.  You have to study those things in order to be effective as a background singer.  And that’s why people keep getting called– they can give the singer certain nuances, they can give the artist something familiar.  You may have a great voice, but if you’re not able to conform VOCALLY to what someone requires of you for that moment…

That’s the hardest part of background singing for a lot of people– conforming vocally.  You have to, though.  They called me at the last minute to do something with Ricky Martin 8 or 9 years ago.  That next morning, I was on a flight and I had to learn five or six songs, three of which were in Spanish.  I took French.

EJ:  *laughing*

MD:  *laughing*  So, I had to take a crash-course in learning how to phonetically pronounce the Spanish lyrics.  And then, you know how some Spanish artists have the mariachi-type, nasal sound?  I had to adapt to that as well.  So, you have to be a chameleon of sorts as a background singer.

You know, the Bible says don’t conform to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind… that’s the only place I conform! *laughs*

EJ:  *laughing*  Right!  I ask most of the background vocalists this when I interview them– can you assemble a dream team of background vocalists for me?

MD:  Ummm… Jerard and Jovaun Woods.  Blanche McAllister-Dykes… ummm… well, that’s a soprano, alto and tenor right there!

EJ:  Aaaaaand you’re DONE! *laughing*

MD:  See, that would be a great session.  Working with people like Donald Lawrence and Richard Smallwood, even with Mariah… I’ve had the opportunity to sing, coast-to-coast, with some great voices.  There’s a girl named Sharlotte Gibson, she’s on American Idol now singing background.  She used to sing with Mariah and she’s incredible, one of the L.A. crew.  Umm… the late Olivia McClurkin was a wonderful person to sing with.

EJ:  I know.

MD:  Oh my God.  Incredible voice.

EJ:  For real!  I miss her.  You know, in these interviews, I like to ask about how lucrative session work can be.  Do background vocalists need a day job or can they be alright?

MD:  They can be alright if they have a certain work ethic.  There’s no job too small, no job too big.  Pride goes out the window.  It can range from doing a demo session for somebody and getting $250 to do it, all the way to doing a performance and getting paid $5,000 to do background with Madonna.

EJ:  For one show?!

MD:  For one show.  It can be very lucrative.

EJ:  Am I on the wrong side of this business?! *laughs*

MD:  *laughing* That’s why I’m sayin’… If Sting, Elton John, Madonna and Cher… if any one of them wanna call me to put me on the road and I get $5,000 a show, guess who’s goin’?

EJ:  *laughing hard*

MD:  Me and my Bible!  *laughing*  But, like I said, there are certain criteria that have to be met before I can do that.

EJ:  Right.  No matter how much.

MD:  Yeah, no matter how much.  I’ve been offered hundreds of thousands of dollars and said “no,” because it didn’t feel right.  It didn’t sound right to my spirit to accept it.

EJ:  I understand that.  I wanna get to your solo artistry in a sec, but talk to me for a minute about the Village Underground in NYC on Sunday nights.  For those who’ve never heard about it, how would you describe what it is?

MD:  Basically, it’s an open mic– anyone that wants to come up and sing can sign the list and sing, accompanied by the band LIVE… no performance tracks.  And it’s just somewhere to let your hair down and enjoy music without being threatened by what you believe or don’t believe.

There was a time that we did, one Sunday a month, a gospel night.  But because we were in what people call a “secular” place (a bar), the owners complained because they were losing money. *laughs*

But there’s a responsibility involved in invoking the presence of God.  We were literally changing the atmosphere.  And they said they were losing money at the bar because we were singing gospel music.  We were forced to discontinue the gospel night, but that doesn’t mean we’ve stopped singing gospel music.  At any time, in that venue, someone may come up and sing a gospel song.  If it’s true to that individual, spirit recognizes spirit, and whoever’s in there will hook into it and we will have a worship moment in there that’s better than what you can find at some churches.

EJ:  Why do you think it’s become so popular?  It’s even been featured on Bobby Jones Next Generation as the place to be in New York.

MD:  It is an outlet for people, especially in this new generation, to be “in the world, but not of the world.”  Because you can be in a place, and not be a part of what’s going on in the place.  But that comes with a level of maturity in your walk with Christ.

I’ve heard people emphatically say “I will NOT” or ”I cannot be caught in a place like that.”  Those were the words that were used.

EJ:  Really?

MD:  Yes.  But on the flip side, Martha Munizzi comes down, Israel comes down, Lisa McClendon has called me to get information, Shari Addison and Crystal Aikin were there a month or so ago.

EJ:  Yeah, I haven’t been in years, but it’s great.  My wife and I are coming soon!

Listen, I wanna chat about your transition from background vocalist to artist.  First, is it hard to do and, if so, why?

MD:  Ummm… a lot of times, it’s an insecurity issue… not feeling adequate to deliver.  Comfort zones– you feel safe in a group, in the back.  I’m speaking all from personal experience.  Not feeling like you have anything to convey to the general audience…

But mostly, it boils down to insecurity.  Everyone has a purpose because God put us here with purpose.  It’s up to the individual, in their walk, to recognize the purpose that God has placed in them and to walk in that purpose.  And that can be difficult.

EJ:  Amen.  But you went for it… a coupla years ago you released your long-awaited solo project.  Talk to me about your album, Live In Concert.

MD:  It started as a conversation with my pastors.  And the church invested in me.  And September of 2006 was the result of that investment– we recorded a CD.  They just sowed into my life.

EJ:  That’s great.

MD:  Yeah, so that’s how the record got done.

EJ:  Who wrote and produced it?

MD:  Stanley Brown produced the music with Nathaniel Townsend III, the drummer.  I got to handpick everyone.

EJ:  How do you describe your style of gospel music?

MD:  The CD’s style is as eclectic as I am.  You can hear “Glory After This,” which is straight churchy, or “My King,” with intricate harmonies and chord structure, kinda gospel-jazz.  I’ve got a song on there called “Kingdom I,” which has a neo-soul kind of vibe.

EJ:  You workin’ on another album?

MD:  Umm… still planning stuff out.  Not actively working on it yet, but just thinking.  There are so many different directions I could go in, because of my musical influences.  I would love to do a “big band” gospel CD… I would love to do a neo-soul set, unplugged… I would love to do alternative-sounding stuff, because I’m a student of music, not just gospel music.  To me, all music is God’s music, honestly.

So, I have so many ideas that I have to narrow them down to get at least the NEXT project out.

EJ:  I was gonna say “we will take all of the above, thank you!”

MD:  *laughing*  That’s enough material for three more projects.  I would even love to do a CD of love songs for gospel folks who are uncomfortable buying Luther [Vandross], or Joe or Anita Baker… or Jill Scott.

But, then again, you have to contend with the critics who say that it doesn’t glorify God…

EJ:  Ewww… well, please contend!  I think that would be great.  Either way, I’m looking forward to it.

MD:  We’ll see.

EJ:  Well, that’s it for me.  I have REALLY enjoyed chatting with you and I appreciate you for taking the time to do this interview.

MD:  Thank you!

EJ:  No doubt.  I’ll talk to you soon.

MD:  Okay, bye.

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And, that’s THAT!  You can learn more about Melonie (and buy her bangin’ album) at her website, http://www.meloniedaniels.com/.

Sooooo… what did you guys think of the interview series???

Oh, and as a parting gift, here’s the Melonie clip for this segment.  It’s an audio clip of a KILLER track from her solo album, entitled “Glory After This”:

She’s one of my favorite singers to EVER walk planet Earth.  And I interviewed her.

Melonie Daniels is revered by many for her incredible range, her unique and distinctive tone, and a precise vocal agility.  She is multi-faceted and has sung with just about everyone– from her long career backing Mariah Carey to BGV’s and guest solo spots with gospel’s greatest artists (if I name them, we’ll be here all day, but for starters: Kim Burrell, Karen Clark-Sheard, Donald Lawrence, Andraé Crouch, Kirk Franklin, Fred Hammond…).  Most recently, you’ve prolly heard her voice in the background on the theme song for BET’s Sunday Best.  And since she stepped out as a solo artist a coupla years ago, she has been gaining even more attention among consumers.

We talked for so long that I’ma have to split the interview into 3 parts.  People, gather round and read PART ONE of my chat with my buddy, the INCOMPARABLE Melonie Daniels…

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EJ:  Hey!

MD:  Hey!  What’s going on?

EJ:  Nothin’, except we’re doing our interview! YAY!!!

MD:  *laughing*

EJ:  I’ve been so excited for this interview.  You’ve been on my list.

MD:  Yeah, I was watching your progress as you interviewed Andrea [Mellini] and Jerard [Woods], and I was like “HEY!  When’s he gonna call me?!” *laughing*

EJ:  Are you kiddin’ me?!  You can ask my wife, ask anyone.  Everyone knows that you’re my fave.  And I kept saying “and ONE day, when I’ve ARRIVED…”

MD:  *laughs*

EJ:  Plus, I had a hard time when I was thinking about you because I wanted you for the “On BGVs” series, but you’re also really pursuing the solo career hard right now, so I didn’t know where to place you.  Same thing with Jerard [Woods] and Candy West.  I thought it would defeat the purpose of what you’re trying to do to feature you on the background vocalist tip.

MD:  Not necessarily.  Being part of a worship team at the church, and as a servant, you’ll always be called back and forth.  A lot of times, a lot of artists forget about the process because they’re busy doing what their goal was.

But one of my ultimate goals WAS to be a background singer.  All the rest is whatever God wants me to do, but I TREASURE that and I love doing it.

EJ:  I’m so excited right now.

MD:  *laughs*

EJ:  Really.  Because I love that we’re gonna get that perspective, and here’s why:  A lot of people– and it’s not a bad thing at all– but a lot of people intended to be solo artists and background work was a stepping stone to that end.  But you’re saying that background singing WAS your goal?

MD:  It was my plan from the time I was 4 years old.

EJ:  Why?!

MD:  Here’s the thing.  I’ve been in the church since conception, went back a month after I got out, and I’ve been in the church ever since.

EJ:  *laughs* I’m mad at “got out.”

MD:  *laughs*  Yeah, when I got out!  Cuz I was there from conception to birth, I waited for about a month, then I went on back to church.

But my mom and dad were both very active in ministry.  They were presidents of different auxiliaries at different times, superintendents of the Sunday School, ushers, pastor’s secretary, trustees, deacons… all that stuff.  So, I was always at church.

And, my parents (around the house) played every kind of music.  I was born and raised Baptist…

EJ:  Are you Baptist??  I thought you were COGIC for some reason.

MD:  What?!  Baptist born, Baptist bred, when I die, I’m goin’ to see Jesus. *laughing*

EJ: *laughs*

MD:  But, my mother tells me that, when I was 3 or 4 months old, she would say “hi,” and I was matching pitch with her.  I’m like “are you crazy?” So, from the time that I could function, cognitively, I was sitting on the bench next to the musicians of the church, listening to them teach parts to the choir.

EJ:  You were BORN to do music.

MD:  I definitely believe I was.

EJ:  Wow.  Ok, so this was the plan.  Talk to me about that, though.  Growing up, if this was the plan, how did you know HOW to do it?  Because there’s no roadmap.  People don’t write books on how to become a background vocalist.

MD:  Right.  And that is one of my desires, to do that, because there is no handbook.  Most of the time, like you said, they fall into it because they have a good voice, they’re teachable and they wanna help.

For me, I grew up listening to cartoon music… The reason I can identify certain pieces of classical music is because of Bugs Bunny.

EJ:  *laughs*  Right.  That’s true.

MD:  Ummm… TV commercials.  I was always intrigued by people who did those things because they weren’t seen.  And it’s like, “who’s DOIN’ that?”  Or TV theme songs.  You never knew who was doing that either.

EJ:  So, you specifically did NOT want the glory of being seen?  Cuz, as a kid… kids often wanna be singers because they think of the spotlight or the solo mic, or the glamour.  At age 4, you didn’t want that?

MD:  Mm-mmm.  My parents are ministers and they’re behind-the-scenes people.  They never exhibited that desire to be in the front– they always wanted to help.  And that was my example growing up.  So, I never wanted to be in the front.  Actually, I was anti-front. *laughs*

EJ:  Why?

MD:  It just didn’t intrigue me.  It didn’t capture my attention.  I was just like “as long as I can be a cog in the wheel, to help it get to the destination, I’m good.”

EJ:  But Mel, you have one of the greatest voices around.  Are you supposed to BE a cog?  Some people would say you’re not a cog-in-the-wheel voice… you’re a spoke-in-the-wheel or something.

MD:  Hmmm… No.

EJ:  You don’t take that?

MD:  No.  Because I think of it as the Body of Christ– everybody’s got a function.  And I don’t think anyone is more important than the other because we all need each part to function, interdependently and independently, in order for the Body of Christ to be effective.

Because if there’s just one person that always wants to be at the top, and they don’t offer anything to the Body, the rest of the Body can become ill.  Or, because of a lack of a function, it can become dormant or cause disruption.  And I don’t want that to be the story.

When I was growing up in my church in Long Island, I was an usher, I taught Sunday School, I worked in the kitchen.  I’ll STILL do it.  When Judy [McAllister] did her recording at [Greater Allen AME Cathedral], I was one of the sopranos.  And one night, we decided we would feed them.  Now, I don’t cook, but I was in the kitchen helping.  Had the hair net on and the plastic apron…

EJ:  Stop it. *laughs*

MD:  *laughing*  You know?!  But I don’t think that’s a take-down… it’s a part of being a servant.  Because, unfortunately, a lot of people reach an area of prominence and… I mean, the word “minister” in Greek, doesn’t that mean “servant”?

EJ:  Right.

MD:  And they forget that.  They think that they are to be served.  No, you are to serve.  That was the whole crux of Christ’s ministry.  So, I find it very very foreign for people to want to be served when they’re in a place in which they’re supposed to be serving.  It’s just strange to me.  And actually, it saddens me and sometimes sickens me when I see people that call themselves Minister, or Elder, or Apostle… Evangelist… and they want to be served instead of serving.

EJ:  This ain’t an interview– this is SERVICE!  *laughs*

MD:  *laughing*

EJ:  Okay, wait… cuz I’m getting sidetracked.  This is about to be my own personal convo.  Can you rattle off a quick list of people you’ve worked with?

MD:  A short list?

EJ:  I dunno how you can, but try. *laughing*

MD:  Okay, I’ll give you three and three.  And I’ll explain why cuz this is another area where people don’t understand why I do what I do.

EJ:  I know what you’re gonna do.  SAY IT!

MD:  Mariah Carey, Kim Burrell, Ricky Martin, Karen Clark-Sheard, Marc Anthony, Donald Lawrence.

EJ:  Perfect set-up for my next question!  Now, you just gave a very diverse list…

MD:  Exactly.  A little Spanish, a little R&B… *laughs*

EJ:  Right!  Respond to those critics, first of all, who say “if you sing gospel, you’re not supposed to be doing R&B.”

MD:  Oh, you’ve not read the comments, huh?  There have been major debates on YouTube– and I don’t even have an account there, other people put that stuff up and I just read the comments.  There’s a video where I’m singing “If Only You Knew,” I’m wearing a Hello Kitty t-shirt.

EJ:  At the Village Underground.  I’ve seen that.

MD:  Yeah.  And this woman was like “it’s amazing… she has a wonderful voice, but I thought she sang gospel.  I hope she did this BEFORE she committed her life to Christ.”

EJ: *laughs*

MD:  And one of my best friends responded and said “obviously, you don’t know who Melonie Daniels is because you would understand that she is very focused, she knows who she belongs to, and that Jesus Christ is her source.  She loves music, and she sings all kinds of music because of that.”

My opinion, and my opinion does not agree with everyone else’s– I believe that God created all music.  What happens is that the deceiver gets in the ear of the gifted, who are supposed to translate that message to glorify God, and perverts it and twists it.  But I believe that the source of every bit of inspiration is from God for music.  So, I love all music.

I have everything in my collection from Yo-Yo Ma to Slum Village.  And everything in between.  Big Band, Rosemary Clooney, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Count Basie… all the way down to Aerosmith, Def Leppard, to Journey, REO Speedwagon.

I just believe that music is made to give God glory.  The gift comes perfect, but the gifted are not perfect.  And I’ve gotten to a place in my walk with God where I can see Him in stuff.

EJ:  So, He’s there in “If Only You Knew”?

MD:  Yeah.  And people have talked to me, expressing their disdain or disappointment with me for the choices I’ve made, career-wise.  And it’s like, why are you mad at me because of the assignment God gave me, just because He couldn’t trust you with it?  God is able to trust me because he knows how far I will go.

EJ:  And how do you draw the line?

MD:  Ummm… there are certain things, like I’ve had rappers approach me like “Yo, Ma, your ‘bleep’-ing voice is incredible.”  And, first of all, I won’t do the cursing thing.  Your song can’t be profane, and it can’t demean women.  And then, you’ve gotta get into the whole hip-hop culture, too– it’s anti-Christ anyhow.

It’s all about getting money, gettin’ paid… women, trying to get respect and have street credibility.  I’m not with that.  My audience is God and I want HIM to be pleased with me.  I couldn’t care less what other people think.

I’ve grown to that point, but it wasn’t that way always.  I was bound for MANY years by what people thought of what I did.  And I had to come to the realization that GOD is the one I need to be pleasing, and nobody else.  And if He trusts me enough to be in these places, to be a light for Him, I have to (with integrity and a good work ethic) just do what I’m supposed to do.

EJ:  I hear that.

MD:  When I was singing with Mariah, she wasn’t singing all that stuff about “Touch My Body,” and all that.  And she knew there was a line that I wouldn’t cross, so there were songs that she wouldn’t even have me on, because of the subject matter.

And, you know, there’s that story in the Bible where there was a king who didn’t believe in God, but had one of the children of Israel in his court.  And when people tried to challenge him for that, he said “no, no… he worships the God of Israel and I respect him for his God and how he carries himself.”  That’s what God did for me in that season of my life.

EJ:  Amen.

MD:  And it was great.  SHE was covering me and the church people that are supposed to have a relationship with God didn’t do the same thing.  But she covered me.

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So, that’s Part One, folks.  What did you think???

I think, for your musical pleasure (and mine), I’ma feature a different musical clip of her at the end of each interview segment.

First up is one that I’ve posted here before, but it REALLY embodies why she’s one of my favorites.  Her range is nuts, she finesses a song cuz she FEELS it, not cuz she’s trying to impress folks.  This clips makes me go wild, thinking about the glory of our God.

This is her singing “Forever” at her church, Greater Allen Cathedral.  It’s a longer clip, but worth EVERY SINGLE MINUTE.  Watch it, PLEASE, and worship the Lord: