Blues

man >17

Friday
30 NOVEMBER
2007
thestar.com.my/lifestyle

FOCUS:

Hope for the

HIV positive >24

MUSIC:

Paganini of Indian
classical music >6

Ray of
light
New singer-songwriter
Melissa Indot is pushing her
own brand of eclecticism on to
the pop scene. >2

T2

MUSIC

STARTWO, FRIDAY 30 NOVEMBER 2007

THEATRE

Melissa Indots solo

debut album looks set
to take her career to
greater heights.
By NIKI CHEONG
niki@thestar.com.my

Enter the lamp

Istana Budayas childrens
theatre production, Aladdin,
promises a local twist to the
popular tale. >4

MUSIC

Lend him
your ears
Maestro violinist Dr L.
Subramaniam lets his music
do the talking >6

Man of the blues

Gifted guitarist Paul
Ponnudurai tunes up for a set
at the Penang Island Jazz
festival this weekend. >17

FOCUS

Treatment options
With treatment now available,
those living with HIV can have
a longer and more fruitful life.
>24

LEISURE

World War Hulk

With a trail of destruction
behind him, the Hulks reign
appears to come to an end.
>33

StarTwo

EDITOR: Tan Gim Ean

CONTACT
email: startwo@thestar.com.my
tel: 03-7967 1388
fax: 03-7955 4039
ADVERTISING:
Janet Khaw
janet@thestar.com.my
(03) 7966-8221
Peter Hoe
peterhoe@thestar.com.my
(03) 7966-8236
Jeanie Chiew
jean@thestar.com.my
(03) 7966-8224

HINGS dont always go the way you

expect them to. But if uncertainty has
ever had a negative connotation, dont
expect Melissa Indot to tell you about it. The
sassy singers solo debut album was the product of an almost whimsical decision.
If you had told her four years ago that she
would be spending these next few months promoting Eclecticism, she would probably have
laughed in your face.
About 10 years ago, Melissa was one half of
Confucius Says, a London-based pop duo.
Marchella de Angelus was the other half, and
together, they were signed on to an independent
label. They later signed a contract with Universal
Publishing. Confucius Says released two singles,
two music videos and once performed on the
popular BBC1 National Lottery Show.
Everything was working well, Melissa says,
but the timing wasnt right.
Since then, many years have passed; while
Melissa still enjoyed her music, she never
thought about doing it all over again. In 2004,
she returned to Malaysia, after spending 20
years in London, to travel a bit, spend time with
my family and do things I havent done.
Melissa did all that, and more.
Shortly after her return, her friends persuaded
her to take part in several open-mic gigs, including a competition, in Kuala lumpur. In the competition, Melissa won an invitation to return to
the venue (which she declined to reveal) to perform a 45-minute set. So successful was the night
that she was invited yet again to perform.
But all this wasnt enough to re-ignite the passion, or so she thought. What Melissa did do was
to form a band The Misfits that started getting requests to perform at birthdays, launches
and corporate functions. It would be too much of
a clich for Melissa, but the rest, really, is history.
Fast-forward to now, Eclecticism is the product
of over a year of writing, and nine months of
really hard work.
I was bitten by the writing bug in April last
year, but I was just doing it as a hobby ... then
late last year, when I was on a holiday with my
family, we started talking about possibly cutting an album.
So, Melissa started searching for producers to
work with, and in February, everything started
falling into place. Respected producers Mac
Chew, Audi Mok and Sharon Paul came on
board and selected about a dozen songs for the
album.
Eclecticism features nine songs written by
Melissa. The other two songs
So Beautiful and
Woman in Love
were written
by her former
musical partner,
de Angelus. Both
songs were
translated into
Bahasa Malaysia,
the only Malay
songs on the album.
I wanted to put
these songs in to
remind people that as
much as (Eclecticism)
is an English album, I
am Malaysian, she
explains. I can speak,
and sing, in Bahasa
Malaysia.
Looking at her past
she grew up in London and once led the
Queenswood School Senior Choir (which performed at Britains renowned Royal London
Hall) it seems only natural that Melissa would
cut an English album.
Yet, the songstress is determined to maintain
the Malaysian touch. Im proud to be
Malaysian, and the project is all Malaysianmade.

Dial M
for Melissa

But, of course, Melissa

has plans to broaden her
horizons, which is why,
she explains, that while
her album and forthcoming music videos
will be made in
Malaysia, they will
have with an international look.
A lot of Melissas
personality has
gone
into the album.
Its like a rainbow ... there is
a song for every colour of the rainbow,
she says. This explains the title of the album.
Those who have met Melissa, or seen her in the
social circuit, will know that there are many
facets to her, as is obvious through her dressing.
Sometimes, you will see me in a suit, or
ripped jeans, or a dress ..., she shares, then
jokingly adds, Just dont confuse schizophrenia
with eclecticism.
This, too, is translated into the album.
Listening to it, one feels as if one is on an astral

plane, visiting various dimensions. There is not

merely one feel or type of music; instead,
electro-pop, jazz, bubblegum pop and ballads
are all meshed into one album. The first song,
Paradise, has a Sophie-Ellis Baxtor feel. Little
Girls, the first single, is reminiscent of Gwen
Stefani. Madonna, Kylie Minogue and Jennifer
Lopez come to mind when one listens to China,
Soul Stealer and This Time, respectively.
When I heard the finished songs, all I
thought was Wow, its finished. says Melissa.
But thats not the end. There is much promotion to do, two more planned singles and a performance at CoChine & Bar Savanh Too at Plaza
Mont Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, on Dec 5 at 10pm.
But the day she had been waiting for came
on Tuesday, when she got her hands on a
pressed copy of the CD, complete with the
cover and booklet.
I plan to lock myself in my bedroom, put the
CD on and listen to it from start to end, she
says. (After everything), I want to appreciate it
for what it is, and not dissect it.
Eclecticism is available nationwide from EMI.
To find out more about Melissa Indot, log on to
melissaindot.com.