Mélissa Laveaux (born 9 January 1985) is an independent Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist of Haitian descent previously signed to No Format!. Her music has been described as a mix of roots, folk, and blues using her signature percussive finger-style guitar stylings and soulful vocals. In 2006, Laveaux released the first full-length album of her own songs, which she co-produced with percussionist Rob Reid (on

tabla A ''tabla'' is a pair of hand drums from the Indian subcontinent. Since the 18th century, it has been the principal percussion instrument in Hindustani classical music, where it may be played solo, as an accompaniment with other instruments a ...

and

cajón A cajón ( ; "box, crate, drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or st ...

) and Lisa Patterson of Imaginit Music Studios. Laveaux has received critical praise from her peers in such magazines as ''ColorLines'' and is a Songs from the Heart recipient from the 2006 Ontario Council of Folk Festivals' conference in the World Music category for penning "Koud'lo". Laveaux has opened for several artists who have inspired her music, including

Meshell Ndegeocello Meshell Ndegeocello ( ; born Michelle Lynn Johnson on August 29, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, poet, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on some of her mid-career work. ...

, Feist and Lura. She has also performed at jazz and popular music festivals around the globe. Although most of her performances have been in France, she regularly performs in Japan and Spain. Festivals that have featured Laveaux include the

Montreal International Jazz Festival The Festival international de Jazz de Montréal is an annual jazz festival held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The Montreal Jazz Fest holds the 2004 Guinness World Record as the world's largest jazz festival. Every year it features roughly 3,000 ar ...

(2007, 2009 and 2010), Cully Jazz, Donostia Jazzaldia, Festival du Bout du Monde (2008),

Les Francofolies de La Rochelle Les Francofolies () is the annual music festival founded in 1985 in La Rochelle, Poitou-Charentes, France as an initiative of Jean-Louis Foulquier. It is usually held annually in July and aims at promoting French-language music. Number of tho ...

(2009), and Sakifo Musik Festival in

La Réunion LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

Island and le

Printemps de Bourges Le Printemps de Bourges is an annual music festival that is held in Bourges, France, over the course of five days. It is now a major event in France and Europe. History The festival was created in 1977 (by , , and ). With its span of 35 years, ...

. She has been a featured guest on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

's local programs ''Ottawa Morning'' and ''All in a Day'' and in the national radio broadcasts ''Bandwidth'', ''Canada Live'', and ''Go!''. Laveaux earned an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Ethics at the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a Official bilingualism in Canada, bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ot ...

in December 2007. In 2009, Laveaux collaborated with producer

MaJiKer Matthew Ker, known by his stage name MaJiKer, is a British songwriter-producer and performer. He resides in London and works internationally, having lived for many years in Paris, France. Music career Collaborations MaJiKer has worked extensive ...

for a track to be released on his B-side EP of Body Piano Machine. In 2018, Laveaux's album ''Radyo Siwel'' was long-listed for the

Polaris Music Prize The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. The award was established in 2006 with a $20,000 cash prize. The prize was inc ...

''Camphor and Copper''

In July 2006, Laveaux released her first album ''Camphor & Copper'' on the independent record label Malleable Records. In 2007, she won the Lagardère Talent foundation's musician

bursary A bursary is a monetary award made by any educational institution or funding authority to individuals or groups. It is usually awarded to enable a student to attend school, university or college when they might not be able to, otherwise. Some awar ...

. The grant was used to record and mix a new version of ''Camphor & Copper'', mixed and mastered by Bénédicte Schmidt and released on No Format!. Five tracks were cut, and five additional tracks were added. Covers are "I wanna be evil" (

Eartha Kitt Eartha Mae Kitt (née Keith; January 17, 1927 – December 25, 2008) was an American singer and actress. She was known for her highly distinctive singing style and her 1953 recordings of "C'est si bon" and the Christmas novelty song "Santa Baby" ...

) and " Needle in the Hay" (

Elliott Smith Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), known as Elliott Smith, was an American musician and singer-songwriter. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, raised primarily in Texas, and lived much of his life in Portland, Oregon, whe ...

), as well as a traditional Creole lullaby "Dodo Titit", originally sung by Martha Jean Claude. Producers who performed on the album include

Majiker Matthew Ker, known by his stage name MaJiKer, is a British songwriter-producer and performer. He resides in London and works internationally, having lived for many years in Paris, France. Music career Collaborations MaJiKer has worked extensive ...

(beatbox) and Lisa Patterson (keys), while additional performers included Morgan Doctor (drums) and Martin Gamet (bass). This version of the album was released in France on 18 November 2008. Other European releases followed: Spain (2009), Italy (2009), Switzerland and Belgium (2009), Portugal (2010), Germany and Austria (2009), followed by a Canadian release in March 2010 with Montreal indie label Spectra. In 2009, Laveaux collaborated with producer

Mocky Dominic Salole (born October 7, 1974), known professionally as Mocky, is a Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. Biography Mocky was born in Saskatchewan, Canada. He later moved to Ottawa and Toront ...

for a cover of

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's "

Crazy in Love "Crazy in Love" is a song by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé featuring guest vocals from American rapper Jay-Z. It was written by Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Rich Harrison, and produced by the last two. "Crazy in Love" is a pop, hip hop, and ...

". This track was included alongside other B sides for the deluxe version of ''Camphor & Copper''. Other tracks included "Les Cendres" and "First Class".

''Dying is a Wild Night''

Her second full-length album was released in February 2013 in Europe, entitled ''Dying Is a Wild Night'', referencing an

Emily Dickinson Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886) was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massac ...

quote: "Dying is a wild night and a new road".

Musicians

* The Jazz Basterds: Ludovic Bruni, Vincent Taeger (from Poni Hoax) and Vincent Taurelle (keyboardist with Air) – guitar, bass, drums, percussions, piano, synths, keys and programming. * Mélissa Laveaux – guitar, lead and backing vocals * Thea Hjelmeland – backing vocals

Production

* Mélissa Laveaux – songwriter * Ludovic Bruni, Vincent Taeger, Vincent Taurelle – producers * Bertrand Fresel – mixing * Adam Ayan – mastering

Discography

Albums (full-length) *''Camphor & Copper'' (Malleable Records, 2006) *''Camphor & Copper'' ( No Format!, 2009) *''Dying Is a Wild Night'' ( No Format!, 2013) *''Radyo Siwel'' (2018) *Mama Forgot Her Name Was Miracle (2022) Demos *''Four Piece Mosaic'' *''Live at Alumni'' *''Warm Milk and Honey'' Compilations *''Hands off Haiti'' (2007) *''Nos Artistes – édition branchée'' (2007) *''SOS Haiti'' (2010)

Gallery

WiKi MelissaLaveaux20110116a.jpg, Concert in Warsaw, Poland - S.O.S. Haiti. WiKi MelissaLaveaux20110116c.jpg, January 2011 in Warsaw, Poland. WiKi MelissaLaveaux20110116b.jpg, Charity performance in Warsaw in support of the victims of the 2010 earthquake.

References

External links

* *
Mondomix page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laveaux, Melissa 1985 births Canadian women singer-songwriters Canadian people of Haitian descent Singers from Montreal Living people 21st-century Black Canadian women singers 21st-century Canadian women singers French-language singers of Canada 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters