My name is Melissa Bellm. One of my most distinctive memories of my childhood comes from when I was 6 years old, looking at myself in the bathroom mirror. It was at that moment, with a sense of decisiveness not common to the average child that I declared I was made for the music business and none other. Not in those exact words of course… Now, twelve years later, I’m honouring the decision made by my 6 year old self. At the age of 14, when I started to outgrow my love of singing Britney and Christina karaoke (thank God) I took up the guitar to accommodate my overwhelming need to express myself through the art of songwriting. We all remember what it was like to be young and impressionable, wearing our hearts on our sleeves without the knowledge of a reason not to, only to have things go horribly wrong. This laughably irrational puppy love and the impending heartache of which I speak was my initial motivation to write my first song. I immediately realized that I'd discovered what I would argue to be the most powerful means of self-expression known to humans - the art of songwriting. With that, my single-song repertoire quickly turned into two songs, then three songs, and progressed to the point where I would go looking for trouble just as a means of inspiration. As I’ve grown I’ve realized that besides being a way to express one’s innermost emotions, songs have the power to reach people in a way that makes them feel as if a certain song was written for them. The ability of music to expose the similarities among all of us is one of the reasons that I’ve always found myself so addicted to it. Last year, during my senior year of high school I was faced with a difficult decision; whether or not to trade the safety of a university degree for the uphill battle of trying to make a name for myself in the music industry. My decision came down to the realization I spoke of earlier: I was made to live and bleed music. I'm currently putting the finishing touches on my debut album which should be completed in a couple of weeks! My musical influences range from the Beatles, to Aretha Franklin, to John Mayer, making it difficult to categorize my music into a certain genre. In other words, I like to think that there is a little something for everyone on the record, which varies from funky, R&B influenced tracks, to heartfelt ballads, to some pretty kickass rock. I hope to have more songs from the record on here asap so that you guys can get a preview of what is to come! I would love to hear from you with any feedback or comments you may have because after all, it is the audience's opinion that matters the most. Thanks very much for taking the time to visit my page, and most of all I hope that you enjoy the music I have to offer you. Keep on rockin, Melissa