Meleni Smith, also known by her stage name Polly A., is an American singer-songwriter from

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

Early life

She was born in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

and raised by a Jamaican mother in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Musical career

Previously signed to

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

, she released the EP 'Meet Me in the Bathroom' on August 2, 2005. She is also credited as a composer alongside

Toby Gad Tobias "Toby" Gad (born 28 March 1968) is a German music producer and songwriter based in Los Angeles. He is known for co-writing songs including John Legend's biggest hit, " All of Me", the fifth-highest certified single in RIAA history, and for ...

for the song 'Happy' from the 2005 film Hitch soundtrack. Meleni Smith is credited as being a composer alongside producer Kerry Brothers, producer/songwriter

and singer

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

for the 2009 song "Love is My Disease". She independently released the album 'My Heart in Focus' in February 2012. She was nominated in the 2013

Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual music awards ceremony which honors the best in African-American culture, music and entertainment. It is produced by the production company of '' Soul Train'', the program from which it takes its name, and ...

for Record of the Year for co-writing the song "

Crooked Smile "Crooked Smile" is a song by American rapper J. Cole from his second studio album, ''Born Sinner'' (2013). Featuring a guest appearance from girl group TLC, the song includes additional vocals from Meleni Smith. It was produced by Cole, with c ...

" by rapper

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born in a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained attention as a rapper following the release of his d ...

. In December 2014, Meleni Smith released an EP titled ''Distorted Fairytales''.''Vibe''
''Premiere: Stream Polly A's Distorted Fairytales and Reevaluate Cuffing Season''. Retrieved December 12, 2014

External links

Official Website

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American women singer-songwriters American rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Musicians from Milwaukee American musicians of Jamaican descent 222 Records artists Singer-songwriters from Wisconsin {{US-singer-songwriter-stub