March 20, 2025 • 58 mins
In this beautiful and expansive conversation, Devi sits in a sacred space with the luminous Melanie Fiona — a woman whose voice and spirit have touched hearts around the world. Together, we dive into a deeply personal exploration of self-discovery, healing, and the creative journey.
Melanie opens her heart and shares how her purpose has evolved —how motherhood, artistry, and divine alignment have shaped who she is becoming. We talk about the joy that music brings, the importance of trusting your inner compass, and how saying “yes” — fully and unapologetically — can be one of the most powerful choices we make on the path to wholeness.
She speaks about her upcoming EP “Say Yes” and the soul that lives in the music: a reflection of her truth, affirmations, and sacred conversations with God. We explore what it means to create from a place of spiritual clarity and how reconnecting with our inner child often leads us back to our most authentic selves.
This episode is a love note to anyone standing at the edge of their own becoming. A reminder that creativity is sacred, healing is ongoing, and saying yes to life can open doors we never imagined.
Connect @DeviBrown @DeeplyWellPod @MelanieFiona
For Tickets and to Learn More About the Music Visit: MelanieFiona.com
Previous Episode: Happy, Healthy, Creative with Melanie Fiona
Pre-Order Devi's New Book, "Living in Wisdom" DeviBrown.com
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Keeps to the planet. I'll go by the name of
Charlamagne Tha God. And guess what, I can't wait to
see y'all at the third annual Black Effect Podcast Festival.
That's right, We're coming back to Atlanta, Georgia, Saturday, April
twenty six at Poeman Yards and it's hosted by none
other than Decisions, Decisions Man, DyB and Weezy. Okay, we
got the R and B Money podcast. We're taking Jay Valentine.
We got the Woman of All Podcasts with Sarah Jake Roberts.
(00:22):
We got Good Mom's Bad Choices. Carrie Champion will be
there with her next sports podcast and the Trap Nerds podcast,
with more to be announced. And of course it's bigger
than podcasts. We're bringing the Black Effect marketplace with black
owned businesses plus the food truck court to keep you
fed while you visit us. All right, listen, you don't
want to miss this. Tap in and grab your tickets
now at Black Effect dot Com Flash Podcast Festival.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Take a deep in through your nose. Holds it now,
release slowly again, deep in haale hold release, repeating internally
(01:33):
to yourself as you connect to my voice. I am
deeply well I am deeply Well. I am deeply Wow.
(02:00):
I'm Debbie Brown and this is the Deeply Well Podcast.
Welcome to Deeply Well, a soft place to land on
your journey. A podcast for those that are curious, creative,
and ready to expand in higher consciousness and self care.
(02:23):
I'm Debbie Brown. This is where we heal, this is
where we come. Thank you for joining me for this
episode Welcome back. We are exploring the intersections of self discovery, healing,
and the many ways we can live with more presence
and intention. We've been exploring this in a few different
(02:44):
ways as a theme really for this season of the
show and beyond, because this space is about the journey,
the evolving practice of coming home to ourselves, deepening our
well of wisdom, and learning how to move through life
with more ease and alignment always. Today's conversation is one
that speaks directly to that evolution. How our voices, our purpose,
(03:09):
and our connection to the world shift over time. We're
diving into creativity, motherhood, healing, and the ever changing landscape
of fame, artistry and self expression in the digital age.
I am so excited to welcome today's guest, someone whose
voice has not only soundtracked pivotal moments for so many
(03:31):
of us, but also carries an undeniable energy of truth, depth,
and soul. Today's special guest is Melanie Fiona. Melanie was
raised in Toronto, Canada and now resides in La She
is a two time Grammy Award winner. She exudes soulful charm, wit,
(03:52):
and a remarkable talent for storytelling. Her distinctive and powerful
voice has captivated countless listeners. Her debut album, The Bridge
was hailed as one of the best R and B
albums by The New York Times, featuring the notable single
it Kills Me My Jam, which topped Billboard's R and
B hip Hop chart for nine weeks. Her second album,
(04:14):
The m F Life reached number one on the Billboard
Top R and B hip Hop Album charts, showcasing her
outstanding versatility as a singer songwriter. Often described as your
favorite artist, Favorite Artist, Melanie's collaborations have spanned genres, from
her Grammy winning work with Celo Green to songs with
John Legend, Common the Roots and reggae superstars Stephen Marley
(04:37):
and rap icon j Cole. Melanie Fiona's powerful live performances
have led to her tour with acclaimed artists like Kanye West,
Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, and DiAngelo. Passionate about the
healing power of music, she often refers to herself as
the singing nurse on stage, creating a unique blend of
(04:57):
live music and wellness at her shows and speaking engagements,
where she serves as a calming, energizing, and inspirational presence.
As a dedicated musician, mother, and creative entrepreneur, Melanie continues
to expand her influence, advocating for inspiration at the intersection
of music, motherhood, and wellness. She co hosts the popular
(05:20):
parenting podcast The Mama's Den and is actively growing her
motherhood and lifestyle brand, Mellie Belly. Excitingly, Melanie Fiona is
set to release her new EP, Say Yes, on April fourth,
and she is going on tour. Melanie, she is welcome
to show.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Thank you for having me. Wow, that was a whole interest.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
I'm going to tell my kids this is how we
wake up every day. Introduce me this way, kids.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Oh my gosh, So I am so happy to have
you here. And we actually if you guys haven't caught
it yet, go back and Archives. We did an episode
during the pandemic, and I was thinking about that episode
so much, and I re listened this week, and I
remember both of us at that time like we were
just deeply understanding it was time to serve. And I
(06:17):
remember we were talking so much then, especially about your
vocal gift and about the healing power of music and
sound and just the depth and tenderness that really, like
the vibrations of a voice can create in another person.
So so much has happened since that episode.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
So much. I had another child's whole nother life. We
survived a pandemic, you know. Re Emerging into this new
sense of self has been quite a journey for me,
emancipating myself creatively, professionally, spiritually, just being being free to
(06:58):
become what I am supposed to become in this life.
And it's been it's been beautiful. I'm so happy to
be back here with you because the conversations we get
to have I don't get to have with many and
so I'm so grateful to be in your space and
to be a part of this platform and to and
to share with you again because it's just so easy
(07:20):
to share with you.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
So thank you so thanks, thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
You know, I'm so curious, Melanie, like, from the pandemic
to now, right it has been five I think here,
I don't even know what day or time it is anymore,
what planet are we on? But you know, something that
was so strong about the way you were connecting with
the world and with your audience, like it was service.
(07:45):
And I remember we talked about you being the singing
nurse and really that kind of undercurrent of purpose transformation,
right like you've always been tapped in. You have always
known yourself as a healer, even when we didn't have
that language. And now in the last really those five
years of just like active healing in the world, but
(08:07):
then also growing and changing and integrating into the weight
of that role. Tell me how that experience has been
over the last five years.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Oh my gosh, five years. How long do we have today?
You know, it's ongoing, It's really ongoing. I think, you know,
having a second child really brought me back deeper into
purpose and into self. I'm having a daughter really allowed
(08:41):
for me to see parts of myself that still needed
more work, still needed more healing. I have a three
year old. We were talking off camera about how spicy
she is.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
She's so spicy.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I love her to death. She's just she's amazing. She's
everything I wish I could be in this life. She's fearless,
she's unapologetic, she's strong willed, she is certain of herself,
all the things that I want to be when I
grow up completely and seeing that. Really, I think having
having a child brought me back into the focus. I
(09:15):
think of the all encompassing work that I'm supposed to
do in this life, which brought me back to a
space of healing, in the motherhood space. And so even
before having her earthside, I felt like I was being
called through that. In the pandemic, we were isolated, we
were mothers, we were women. We were feeling like, what
(09:37):
is happening? You know, things that we didn't imagine could
happen were happening. And at that time I connected with
three other women, Cody, Felicia, and Ashley, and we decided
we wanted to start a conversation about motherhood and we
started a podcast called The Mama's Den. And we didn't
(09:57):
really know what was going to become of that. We
just knew we needed a space to kind of share
and speak and connect because we were like, are you
struggling because we've been in the house with these kids
and we don't know what's happening. Yeah, with life and
like what's going on? And so, you know, motherhood has
I think, become a deep anchor for me in purpose
(10:20):
and healing. And so we got together during the pandemic,
testing ourselves every Friday to make sure we were good
to record before. You know, it was really a wild time.
But in that time I ended up getting pregnant. And
I did not expect to get pregnant. I thought that
I was one child and done child and that was it.
And so here I found myself being called back into
(10:42):
this journey I didn't think I would experience again, but
this time feeling more supported, more connected, more present, more
present in what was happening. And so I feel like
the energy that I was surrounded by these women, by
these conversations really allowed spirit to bring this child into
(11:04):
my life and said you're gonna do this again. And
so in that regard it then became it brought me
back into like a deeper purpose of where I was like, Okay,
I have to start building what I want to create,
and I always bring this back to my voice. I
think for a long time in my career as music,
and you listed, it's interesting whenever I hear people read
(11:24):
my bio because I was like, oh, yeah, that did happen,
and that happened, and it feels like lifetimes ago and
like different versions of myself, you know. But the thing
that I always bring attention back to and knowing what
is my gifting and my purpose comes always back to
my voice and how can I use my voice in
different ways to bring healing, awareness, community, closeness, safety. And
(11:45):
so that's where in that time, music was kind of
this uncertain thing because nobody was performing. I had just
recently transitioned out of a situation that I was in
legally out of all of my old previous contracts and
was transitioning into an independent space. So then here comes
(12:06):
this child, and now I feel like my life is
being called to what do you want to do? What
do you want to do? Where are you going to go?
Because this feels like an act too of life for you,
you know, here comes this second child. You're getting a
chance to revisit music. Should you want to do that again?
Now from a different perspective, from a different place, how
(12:27):
do you want to use your voice? What do you
want to write about? What do you want to sing about?
How do you want to make people feel? And all
of these things involved examining who I once was and
then allowing myself to not feel necessarily beholden to meeting
or matching those expectations of who that version was, and
(12:47):
allowing myself to say, who do you want to become?
What do you want Act two to look like? And
so now two children, a husband, creative freedom and independence
to make music again. It was a journey of self
discovery again, balance what does that look like now? You know? Okay?
Not being afraid to say I'm multifaceted. I think previous
(13:11):
to motherhood I felt one. I felt like I could
only be one thing. I was only going to be
received for one thing. You didn't want to overwhelm people
with all of your gifts and the things that you
were capable of. It was, you know, you're a singer, sing,
you know. But I had so much more that I
wanted to do. I had so much more that I
wanted to show and share and showcase, and it just
(13:35):
I never I never gave myself permission to do that.
And so from the pandemic in the last five years.
That's what this has been. It's allowing myself permission to explore,
to expand, to rise, to fall, to try, to fail,
to try again, to not get it right, to trust more,
(13:58):
and to honor the spirit and the soul of who I.
Like you said, before I had the language, knew that
I think I always was, and to be happy doing it. Yeah,
and to be happy doing it it's a journey on.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Wow, I said a lot there.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
I mean, there's so many directions I want to take
this out. Yeah. So one of the things that you
said was that you know, you mentioned like the funness
of it and everything you just spoke to. I mean,
this is like like when you first hit the scene,
you were a young woman, right, still a girl in
so many ways, and now it's like you're a mother,
(14:38):
you're a healer, you are a wife, you are an
established woman in the world with so many life experiences.
So one of the things that I thought of when
I first started listening to the new music, I was like, God,
I wonder what her creative process was like. Because you're
meeting something you know that you're already an expert in
as a new person, How did that process feel for you?
(15:02):
And does the fun feel different? Like when you look
back at how you created earlier in your career and
how you're creating now, what feels different about the process,
what feels different about you about the end result.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
So it's interesting because you brought up the word fun.
I want to have fun creating this music now, and
I did have a lot of fun creating this music now.
When I first started, it felt very high pressure. You know,
you're breaking into the music industry. You're trying to make
a name for yourself. You're trying to achieve some version
(15:39):
of success that has been planted on you that you
think you have to achieve. And you know there's a
bar that's been said and it's not successful if it
doesn't look or sound or feel or meet this XYZ.
And so there's a lot of strategy and formula, and
you know, and you go to work with the person
that has the best song and the best that has
(16:01):
the hit right now because you want to get from
them too.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
And you're like, what I'm hearing is like you have
to be connected to the zeitgeist. It has to be
about whatever has been established and is on trend. Yeah. Correct.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
So this time it was about fun for me. It
was about creating with people that I feel wanted to
be there, that wanted to be involved, that reached out
and were like, hey, what do you need? How can
I help call me? I'm down like creating from a
place of fun and and just the space to be.
(16:34):
It doesn't have to be what I've already created. The
It Kills Me a song that changed my entire life
and Coregendar, I still sing this song. You're fifteen years later,
you know, so we still we're still got to this song.
They got me not there no more, but we stuck
(16:55):
right into it, you know. So it's like it's a
it's a very interesting thing to you know, for people
to put that on you, to feel like, well, it's
no it kills me. No, because we already did it
kills me. That's okay. I don't need to do another
kills me because I did it kills me. Now I'm
(17:15):
saying yes, now I'm making I choose you. Now, I'm
making songs that reflect where I am and the journey
of what healed and like healthy love looks like on
me and in this iteration and season in my life,
and so it's it's but also I'll say this, it
was also very challenging for me too because it had
(17:36):
been such a while since I had released something to
the public. And regardless of whatever we want to say
and think, it's I I if it was just for me,
I would play my own music in my room and
I wouldn't play it for anyone else. But I am
putting something out into the world, and I do want
it to reach people who like it, and I do
want people to like it, and I do want people
(17:57):
to feel what I'm feeling when I create it. And
so there was a bit of imposter syndrome for me
where I had almost forgotten the amount of hours and
years and days that I had put in when I
was in zeitgeis world that I just forgot is almost
a it was experiences muscle memory, you know, and because
(18:19):
I had been felt out of it for so long
between the challenges I had had to go through in
my professional you know, changes to the pandemic, to motherhood,
to all of that, and then trying to step back
into the space. I even said it just now, trying
to step back into the said no, stepping back into
the space this is not my first rodeo, right, So
(18:41):
I even remember when I was shooting the first two
visuals for Say Yes and I Choose You. We did
it in one day, and I remember feeling like I
had to have certain people on set with me to
help guide and be my eyes. And when I got
there and I was it was time to be on
the camera without those people there, I was like looking
(19:01):
back at the footage leaving the shoot that day, being like, you,
you know what to do. You know this trust You
don't need to rely on anybody else. And I think
that in the beginning of my career it was very
heavily relying on the opinions and the guidance and the
expertise of other people because granted I hadn't developed it
(19:24):
for myself. So this is now, this version is fun,
it's freeing. It's as I said earlier, it's trusting my
own voice. It's allowing for the work that's been done
to show itself, to prove itself. You know that it's
(19:44):
nice to feel like I've I've become an expert of
such in myself, right, not even in an industry because
the industry is always changing, but becoming an expert in
myself is really the goal, and understanding myself and understanding
what feels good and not betraying my intuition and not
(20:05):
listening to the voice that says, just you got it,
don't overthink it, go with what you feel. If you
feel that this is right, trust that you can say
yes to yourself. And so that's been this recipe, this mantra,
these words of affirmation that I have been holding onto
in this season of my life. The songs are about it,
(20:26):
the EP is about it, and more important than the music,
it's what I want people to understand about life. And
I think that again using my voice as a vessel
is sure. We could listen to this music, but I
also want the things that I say and the messages
that I say to reach people in a way that
they feel connected to get that they can apply in
(20:50):
their lives and then also love the music at the
same time for it. So yes, it's a season of
fun right now. Season of fun.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
I mean, thank you for walking us down that road,
because there's so many things that I think are so
significantly important that you said out loud for everybody listening,
like so many things, and most especially it's the self
trust right, It's like you are prepared. It's trusting yourself
(21:22):
to do what God wants you to do and do it,
you know, like there's no further preparation needed. It is
the surrendering and the allowing.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I have been speaking to God more than I ever have.
And that also is attributed to having children, because I
want them to have a relationship and a connection to
the voice of God at a very young age. And
I want them to see me having that connection as well.
(21:53):
And that can look different for everybody. Yeah, please say
more about how that looks for you, guys.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
For us, we.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
Talk to God every night, we do, and we express
our gratitude for the things that we have. We ask
for the blessings for the people who don't have. We
ask for the prayer of for me. When I pray
over my children, I want them to hear me say,
may they always know the love and the light that
(22:20):
is inside of them. May they always trust that, May
they always know that they are guided and protected and
divinely covered. I want them to hear these words because
to your point of saying, how we trust ourselves, we
come to this place we trust ourselves. My children are
going to go out into the world, and I'm going
to need them to trust themselves. I'm going to need
(22:41):
them to make good choices based off of the voice
that they've been connected to inside, that we've been talking to,
that we've been nurturing and pouring into, and that is
absolutely connected to God directly. So you know, it's not
even it's not about religion per se. It's about spirituality.
It is about knowing the God that exists within us
(23:04):
and always knowing that that is something that we can
rely on. And we should absolutely be encouraged to not
be shamed to talk about or to share or to
be that way. And I every time I go somewhere
before I go, Now, even yesterday I had to go somewherehere,
I had to sing, and I talk to God the
whole way to my while I was driving. May I
(23:25):
show up in my fullest self. May you, May you
work through me in this space that whatever I say,
whatever I speak, whatever I sing today reaches those who
need it, reaches those who need it, reaches those who
feel it and want it and are looking for it.
May I say something that comes channeled from You to
these people. And so that's again when I think about microphones.
(23:50):
When I think about platforms, people listening, watching, it comes
with great responsibility. We're human and we don't have to
be perfect. But I think it is important that I
always try my best to know that I'm operating from
intention and from source. And so again with my children,
I see their light for who they are. I mentioned
(24:13):
my daughter. You know, we were talking off camera about
my son. His spirit so pure, so divinely connected, so intuitive,
very much my child, and I want to encourage and
protect that and nurture that, and so I have to
lead with that in my life. And so even these songs,
(24:34):
these songs that I'm creating, when I think about what
I want to say. You know, when I was younger
and I was inspired by vulnerable love songs that Whitney
Houston would sing or Lauren Hill would sing, and even
if I wasn't living or experiencing it, I felt it
and I wanted to sing those songs too. And now
that I am a wife, a woman, a mother, I
(24:57):
think about what it is that I want to say,
even in the truth of how difficult it can be.
On the project, I have a song called Mona Lisa
Smile and Mona Lisa's smile is about the sometimes the
conflict that you can feel in a relationship, in a situation,
(25:18):
but the fact that you have to carry on because
if I let one tear fall, they will turn into
an ocean. And so that's a conversation of vulnerability too
that I think, especially women of color, black women, that
we carry that we have to be strong, this crown
(25:38):
of strength that we are. We're so strong, we're so
strong that we have the capable of But I also
am fragile inside, you know, and I want to be
seen as such, you know. I want to be celebrated
for both. And so that's where Mona Lisa's smile comes
from in that regard. So when I'm thinking about leading
by example, I'm thinking about what are the words? What
are the songs? My children are singing? These songs my
(26:00):
children were present when I was singing songs like it
Kills Me in.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Four Am and Longside of a Love Song that was
my heartbreak, devastation and certified lover girl. Oh my heart
is broken, Let me sing a song about it. My
heart isn't broken now, you know, my heart isn't broken down.
My heart is hold and expanded and growing and expanding
every day, and so what do I want to say?
What do I want to see my children sing with
(26:24):
me about? What do I want them to know about
their mother in her journey, on her journey? And so, yeah,
it's been it's been really important to be mindful for
me about everything that I do now, how what I consume,
how I consume it, Who do I engage with, Where
(26:44):
do I socialize? How do I socialize? Where is my
energy best served? Can I quiet the voice down that
says you have to be in it, you have to
do it, you have to keep going.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Do I right? Or can I take the time I
need because it's mine to take. So that's yeah, that's
what I keep telling everybody, Like whenever I speak to
other artists or creatives, I'm always like, take your time,
it's yours to take. When I think about the break
between my projects, my last project, full length project, came
(27:14):
out in twenty twelve, twenty twelve, it's been thirteen years
in the space of what they've told us about what
makes longevity or what people amount success to or you
got to be in it. If people will forget about you,
or you'll be washed out, you'll be washed up, you'll
(27:35):
be forgotten, damaged goods. I'm still here with more to
say and more to give and more to offer, and
that is nothing short of God and just being obedient
and protecting and doing the work along the way. Because
if I wasn't doing the work along the way, I
might be in it. I might be on a different path.
(27:57):
I might not have the peace that I have that
I saw and fought so hard for, certainly, you know.
So I'm grateful that I learned some very valuable lessons
in what I always call my awakening year, which is
twenty twelve, twenty thirteen, and that really put me on
I think the trajectory to have longevity and sustainability, to
(28:20):
be here again, to still be healthy and to have energy.
And I keep saying, gas in the tank, gas in
the tank, because it's a journey, so you.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Know, I.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Yeah, it's exciting, it's exciting, so.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Exciting and so deep and so exactly what this is,
you know, like this is what purpose is. This is
what devotion to your gifts into the way you're meant
to serve is, you know, and it's meant to be
so many things, you know, it's meant to change form
(28:59):
in so many ways. And it's like every every decade,
every five year cycle, every ten year cycle, like we
should be looking and doing things that are different, yes,
but still settled into the truth of who we are,
what our gifts are, what our skills have been Like
this is it?
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Yeah, And I have to say too, just everything that
you spoke to in regards to how you talk to God,
how you connect with God with your children, I see
I relate to, I deeply connect to in so many ways,
(29:41):
and that kind of living prayer, there is nothing more
powerful in the world, Like I've just found the way
that kind of living your prayer and being in constant
dialogue about every piece, every piece, like down to everything.
Just like like one of the things that I just
am always saying throughout the day is like, teach me God,
(30:04):
show me, show me God, teach me, Surprise me.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
God, surprise me God.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Yeah, that's so powerful. And thank you for sharing the
process because I think so many people are going to
be able to bring more of that because nothing else matters.
Like if we can be clear and honest, nothing else matters.
If you weren't doing all of this for God, what
is the point.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
I think people get so embarrassed sometimes at the idea
of hearing themselves say certain things out loud. They feel
like it has to be this quiet thing. And that's
fine if that's what you feel is needed. But I
truly believe that sometimes people are afraid to say no,
(30:50):
I talked to God out loud, or to walk around
and say it out loud in your house to yourself.
Surprise me, God, surprise me God. God loves direct communication
just like every other healthy relationship, right like we ask
for it in our marriages and our relationships and our
friendships and our professional relationships. God absolutely so that God
(31:15):
can be direct with you. Because I think that that's
also the thing is that I've in recent in the
last year, specifically, there's been a couple of situations so
I've been like, God, if this is not meant for me,
if this person is not meant to be here, show
me remove it. And sure enough that person is like,
I'm so sorry, I can no longer be here. Great,
(31:36):
thank you, no no problem, you know, And I listening
to that, it's been, it's it's it's it's been so
important for me, I think to have space to listen
to the voice of God when I when I ask
for it, and remember that I ask for it, for it,
for it.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Deeply. Well, first of all, this new EP Yes four Yes,
it will be birthed into the world Say Yes. Say
the power of that statement alone. Talk to me about
how this creation began to take form and most especially
(32:20):
the title.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
So the song itself, say Yes on the project was
kind of the anchor for me. This is my heartful
in the word, hard capital art piece. I love this
song so much because it came from such divine magic
(32:43):
in this room. This song was created a complete live
jam session, Wow Yes, with some of the most incredible
producers and musicians that we know. I'm going to say
their names because they are so magical. Andre Harris, then Undercat,
Charlie Burrell, Chris Dave, some of the most just incredible
(33:05):
artists and musicians all came together in one room and
we were in the room one night and they just
started playing and the music that came out was this song.
There was no conversation, there was no direction. Wow, it
was a it was a full channel just working through
(33:28):
everybody in the room. I co wrote this song with
Sir another incredible R and B artist, and even that
was such a very sacred time because he hadn't even
arrived at who he would become as well. He was
still more behind the scenes at that time, and so
it was just magical. And I knew that this song
(33:49):
was magical, and I knew that it was very important.
It would have a life in my career, and I
didn't know how or when, because I was going through
some changes that I didn't know how things were going
to land on where it was going to be or
when these songs were going to come out. And so
when the time arrived that I started revisiting putting out
new music, say Yes was there and I was like, Okay,
(34:11):
this is it. I know that this is this is
the piece that I've been carrying and the magic of
what this song represents, the live instrumentation, the soulfulness of it.
The story. The story is about me and my now
husband of what we had to what we had to
do to arrive at this life. We had to say yes,
(34:33):
to overcome the fear, to put the doubt away, to
put the traumas away, what we've been through, and say
yes to one another and move forth and to be
vulnerable and that messaging alone again like I said earlier,
outside of the music is what I want people to know.
I want people to know that everything remarkable that I
(34:55):
personally have ever done has come from saying yes. Absolutely,
everything that I've ever achieved, every new height that I've
ever risen to, has come from saying yes. And so
I want people to feel that. I want people to
So many people say, oh, I love your love, I
love seeing you and your husband, and we know our
(35:16):
story of what it took to get there, But listening
to these songs, you'll have a deeper understanding of what
it really did take. And how can you apply that
mantra to your life, whether it be for your love,
your professional endeavors, whether it be for the way that
you want to see yourself honor yourself. What do you
want to say yes to yourself for? And so that
(35:41):
is that's where this title and just the affirmative of
the power of the words. When people say, oh, you
have a new ep say yes, they're putting more energy
into the into the saying, into the saying say yes,
say yes yes, plant the seeds. Have somebody say have
you heard Melanie's new EPCE Say yes, Oh, say yes yes,
(36:01):
say yes yes, I have heard it just more affirmative language,
you know, And that's I didn't arrive here without affirmations.
I didn't arrive here without affirming and believing that I could.
I didn't arrive at this life and this love and
this these blessings without allowing God to be present and
(36:25):
to work and to say yes to it all.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
You know.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
So overcoming fear was a big part of this, big
part of all of it, to welcome love into my life,
to take the step of uncertainty and unknowing how things
could or could not turn out, but to continue to walk,
(36:48):
to continue to journey. And so yeah, it's about It's
about the affirmation. But then the music I'm so proud of.
I'm just so proud of these. I think they feel
really good. They feel really good.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
You know.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
I worked with incredible people on this project. James Fauntleroy,
an incredible songwriter, producer, one of my longest friends in
the music industry, both of us knowing each other before
anyone knew our names, and to create with him on
this project was It's very special to me because I
just admired his work so much. D Mile incredible live musicians,
(37:28):
just so much talent that showed up for me on
this project, and then these stories of just love and
how I celebrate my love and love in general in
this season of life. Six songs easily digestible, press play,
let it run, say yes. On the project, I brought
(37:50):
back at the end of the project for a full
seven minutes. It's a seven minute song, and so that
was intentional. It's getting lost in the music house.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
Yes, I was like, that was the seventies. Yes, Oh
my god, these beautifully long, long with long intros and
outros to lead you.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
In and take you out and ah, and that is
I'm so excited for people to hear that. Yeah, because
it's a vibe. Dance to it, make love to it,
smoke to it, whatever you do, ritual to it. I
don't care. But the music is so beautiful and knowing
I want people to understand that. Again, the way this
(38:31):
song was created, there was no conversation. These transitions when
you hear the music and you think it's about to
end and then it goes into another groove was just
just magic happening in the room. And I was sitting
there like, what am I whim saying? It's a memory
etched in my mind, and so I want people to
experience what that feels like. And so yeah, and then
(38:52):
this project is I think the platform and the door
opener for me for for completion, because I know what
it took to get here. I know the times where
I wasn't sure if I was going to arrive back here.
I know the times when I didn't know if there
was more gas in the tank and if I could
(39:14):
heal beyond what I had been through to arrive back
at this place. And so to me, success is releasing
it on April fourth, not the expectation of how successful
and who and that I've done it for myself, that
I've fulfilled this calling to continue to use my voice
(39:35):
the way I know I am intended to the way
I was gifted to the way I was put here to.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
And so.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
It's a marker of success for me personally to cross
that finish line with this project so amazing and then
be open to what God has in store for me
after right.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
So amazing and creation for creation's sake, you know, creation,
because you are built to create, and God says, so
you know, It's like, I think what you're describing to
is something I think about a lot where it's like
people that are true creatives, people that are really here
with gifts and need to serve. It's like taking the
(40:19):
ego out of it, right, And it's so hard to
do because we are so conditioned by society, but especially
coming from the industry. It's like it's themn near impossible today, right,
But it's like it just speaks to such deeper layers
of surrender and trust and again purpose and alignment. Because
(40:41):
when you're a great, when you're someone that has something
to really offer and deliver, it is for all time, right,
Like it is not just for this year or this
award cycle. It is for all time. Yes, And your
fans are heavy, so of course they're gonna love this project.
And and someone in a couple hundred years might find
(41:02):
it and be brought to life in a different kind
of way and it could mean something entirely different or
more to the people of that time. Like none of
that matters. Creation is what matters.
Speaker 3 (41:15):
Absolutely. Oh my gosh. It's like we, like I said,
it's very difficult, I think, especially in a space of
social media, right, Like we feel triggered and challenged all
the same time when we see people just doing the
thing and doing the thing, and people are like, oh
my gosh, it's too much. But it's like is it
too much or are you afraid to do it? And
(41:37):
that's why it feels a little triggering. Create the thing,
put the thing out, Create more, create more create. So
that's why for me, I think not allowing myself to
get caught up in is this better than the work
that I've already created. No, it's the best work you've
created right now, cause you did it, you know, And
(41:58):
so I'm so glad you said that, because it is
about creation. Everything has come from creation. We have been created,
and so that is really important. I'm excited about what
I do at sixty five, right right, I'm not concerned
about getting older.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
What a blessing to be able to do it.
Speaker 4 (42:19):
Please God let me get older, right please God, let
me get a privilege.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
Aging is a privilg But how you do it and
what you want to do with it is up to you.
So I'm excited about what I can create and continue
to create.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
This just made me think of this mantra from the
designer Norma Kamali. So she has a beautiful book that
I don't know if this was her intention. But this
is what I relate to it as as like a
book of aging, where it's every chapter is broken down
by the decade of her life. And she's in her
seventies now. But one of the things she shared was
this affirmation I think she starts saying in her forties,
(42:59):
which is I will age with grace, beauty, power, and influence.
And I was just like, that is so powerful, and
none of none of them those words individually need to
be defined right there. There's not really an expectation of
how that word quantifies, right, but to say that as
(43:19):
the intention. So I've started saying that every day since
I read the book, and I'm like, I just I
love that so deeply because there are so many things
to be created with the privilege of aging and with
the perspective and with the additional gifts and attunements, and
it's just it should never end.
Speaker 3 (43:40):
It should never end. Yeah, it should never end. I
look forward. I look forward to it. I look forward
to whatever days I have ahead and the space to create,
because it's just it's it's like we said with God,
it's like it's all possible. It's just all possible. Anything
(44:02):
is possible.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
And me think any think deeply. Well, Okay, you have
to finish telling me this story, because when we were
off camera, you told me the first parts of the
story about say Yes, and you were like, I think
something about Instagram.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
You had said something about say yes on Instagram on Instagram,
and I remember, I'm going to go back and find
it in our in our messages, okay, because I was like,
we have to talk about this, and I hope we
can recall it. Okay, I hope we can recall We're
gonna find it because I knew when this happened when
you said that, I was like, I'm going to sit
(44:46):
down and talk with Devi and it's going to be
about this project. It's going to be about this and
it it just when those words came up, when you
said them, I was like, oh, it's perfect. I'm going
to go talk with her, and here we are, and.
Speaker 2 (45:00):
It's just it's so like I've just really loved hearing
your relationship with God. You know, It's been such a
privilege and a pleasure to hear you share about this
because that like that is the prayer, right, It's just
yes once you learn okay, it's not yes if you're
a people pleaser. It's not yes if your current battle
and spiritual curriculum is standing up for yourself and having boundaries.
(45:23):
I don't want you to weaponize that or use what
we're saying as a way to subjugate yourself. But I
will say you'll know when it's time to learn how
to say yes again. And at the juncture of the
journey you arrive at after a lot of that crevice
work after are a lot of those shadowy parts. It
is trusting yourself to say yes again. It's empowering yourself
(45:46):
and your connection with God to say yes again. And
it's like, that's that's the prayer, just yes God, Yes, Yes.
The answer is always yes God.
Speaker 3 (45:56):
Ah, Oh my gosh, that was perfect. That is so
perfect what you just said, exactly because I think a
lot of people we have said this before. We focus
so much on saying no, you know nos, and it's
a full sentence of course. Yeah, it is, of course.
And I've said a lot of no's, and I've earned
(46:20):
the right to say yes. I've done the work to
say yes. I've done the work to know that if
I say yes to something, it's fine. Yeah, it's fine
because I'm saying it from a place of faith, of intuition,
of experience and trust. And so it is that. It
is that because I'm so glad you said the people
(46:41):
pleaser thing. Because that doesn't mean you just go and
say yes to everybody. No, you have to arrive at
the place to say yes, shadowy no good And.
Speaker 2 (46:49):
Well you know if this message is for you in
your life right now, yes or not yet? Yeah yet,
or you're walking up the hill to it absolutely yes, yeah.
Before I invite you to share some soul work with
the audience, I would love to hear a little bit
more about your creative process. How do you invoke the muse?
(47:10):
How do you invoke the spirit when you know it's
time to create again?
Speaker 3 (47:16):
I create space for myself. I will especially say this
in motherhood. I have a very hard time, or I've
had a very hard time in balancing the guilt of
needing to be other places right, and how I don't
think about dinner when I'm supposed to be writing a song, right.
Speaker 2 (47:39):
And so.
Speaker 3 (47:43):
I have learned the art of compartmentalizing these roles in
my life and also communicating with my children and getting
their blessing for it. When I leave the house and
when I have to do things, mommy has to go,
I'll be back. I'll show you what bake my kid.
What are you going to do today?
Speaker 1 (48:04):
You know?
Speaker 3 (48:05):
And so what it looks like, I think in the
space for me is I always walk with my incense.
I'm always walking with my Polo sanso. I'm always walking
with crystals. I wear my crystals, and I set intentions
when I'm going into a space. Creativity for me is
like a faucet, and it's one that sometimes takes a
little little loosening up before it starts to flow. And
(48:28):
so for me, the practice is showing up with consistency.
It's showing up with the spirit of allow what is
to come out to come out, and if it doesn't,
try again tomorrow, try again tomorrow. So and also it
comes from being in spaces with people that are of
the same vibration in frequency. I cannot work with anyone
(48:53):
anymore that I don't feel like I can be my
authentic self, like I can share these things out loud,
say these things out loud, that I feel that we
can have a conversation and our words flow and intertwine together.
If I'm writing with you or if I'm creating with music,
whatever it is, it has to be on the same frequency.
(49:15):
I can't and so when certain things come up, if
it doesn't feel aligned, I just no, thank you, no
thank you. I say yes to spirit and no thank
you to that and so and so.
Speaker 1 (49:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
So the creative process for me is just you know,
I would love in an ideal world, I would love
to just go away into a very small place on
an island and shut out the world and get quiet
and pick up a guitar and play and isolate myself
for three to six months. And maybe I will. Maybe
(49:49):
I will one day. Yeah, but my kids need me
right now. It's not that season of my life. But
I would love to at some point. And maybe that's
what lays Liza ahead of me, you know, maybe that's
the space that I need to find the next level
of my voice, and that I feel is something that
I would would like to explore one day. But for
(50:12):
right now, it's conversations, intention setting and being in spaces
with people that want to create the same way I
want to create and want to impact people the same way.
Speaker 2 (50:27):
Yeah, beautiful, powerful, thank you, Yeah wow. I would like
to invite you at the end of every episode, our
guest gets to share a piece of soul work, which
is an opportunity for everyone listening to integrate what they've
heard or what they may be experiencing inside with a
(50:47):
practice of any kind. So that can be a favorite
ritual of yours. It can be a prompt for journaling
or self inquiry, a favorite quote, or an actual type
of physical or even mental practice.
Speaker 3 (51:05):
So many come to mind. Right now, what would I
like to share? I'll take a moment to ask God
right now what it is that I am supposed to share.
The thing that comes back to me is my younger self,
(51:29):
My four year old self said that I wanted to
be a singing nurse when I grew up. And when
I was younger, it didn't necessarily make the most sense
to everybody. It was cute, it was laughable. Oh it's
singing nurse. Who would think to say something like that.
(51:49):
The thing that I'd like to share is I will
ask everybody to think back to the youngest version of
themselves that they can remember, the most joyful, the most free,
the most sure of self version of yourself as a
young child. And I want you to think it could
(52:10):
be at any age, whatever that is for you minus
four years old, And I want you to think about
what makes that version happy, what lights or used to
light up that version of yourself. And I want you
to think about your journey through life as a tether
(52:31):
back to that four year old, six year old, three
year old, seven year old, nine year old self, whatever age.
And I want you to imagine yourself walking the line
of your life, but understanding that it's curved and you
go off track sometimes and you come back, and I
want you to always find the points in which you
(52:52):
feel connected back to that version of yourself and know
that that is the alignment that you are always seeking
in your life. For what success really feels like when
you are living in your purpose before the world came
and told you what it needed to be, who you
needed to be, how it needed to look. That version
(53:14):
of yourself, that younger version of yourself, knows who you
are at the core. Holding on to that version is
so important to the happiness that you are seeking in
your life, to the joy that you are wanting to
feel in your life. And you will know those moments
(53:35):
when they are aligned, and so don't let them pass
you by flippantly or as just moments going, oh that
was no take a moment to acknowledge that your youngest
self is so happy, is so proud of you, is
with you every day, and it's our job to remind
(53:57):
ourselves to be and remain connected to that. That has
been something for me.
Speaker 2 (54:04):
That I.
Speaker 3 (54:07):
I know when happens now, I can clearly identify and
I hold onto that and make I make mental notes,
don't don't don't forget that you're on the right track.
Keep going. You're on the right track. Keep going. It's
confirmation for me. So I don't know if that was
(54:30):
I don't know if I lost anyone there, but I
hope that who needed it and who understands what I'm
saying is feeling that because it's been a huge That's
what I That's what I have as a marker of
success for me. When four year old Melanie is like, yeah,
we're so happy. I'm so proud of you.
Speaker 2 (54:48):
Look at you.
Speaker 3 (54:48):
Good job, good job. I know who she is. I
know who she is.
Speaker 2 (54:57):
So beautiful.
Speaker 3 (54:58):
Thank you, thank you for asking me to share.
Speaker 2 (55:01):
That was so beautiful. This beautiful body of work. Say
Yes is available April fourth, twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (55:11):
Live with it, live with it, live with it, pray
with it, pray with it, dance to it, love to it,
and come see it live on tour. Yes She will
be on tour this Yes Spray. I'm going on tour
at the end, starting with the end of April, and
I'll be performing the catalog songs, the new songs. And
this experience that I want to create is one that
(55:34):
I want people to walk away feeling like they have
embodied what it means to say yes. And so that's
my that's my hope for every stage that I touch
on this tour, every person that's ever been with me
on this journey, that has come to see me, that
is coming to see me for the first time. I
want to make a deeper connection beyond the music. I
(55:58):
want everyone to feel like they can and say yes
when they leave that room. So come to the tour,
listen to the music, say yes.
Speaker 2 (56:06):
Yes, Yeah. I'm like I already I wanted to say
right away yes. So everyone scrolled down in the show
notes of this episode, whether that is on YouTube and
you can see me right now, hello, or you are listening,
scroll into the show notes. Few things you can link
to the project. You can check out Melanie's websites. You
(56:27):
can get all the tour dates, and you can connect
with her on Instagram, so you can figure out all
of the things, all these things. Yeah, thank you so
much for joining us. Thanks you.
Speaker 3 (56:38):
This was a breath of fresh air for me in
a murriad of conversations and promotional appearances and singing. This
was a true gift. So thank you for having me.
Thank you for creating this space to have conversations like this.
(56:59):
I really appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (57:00):
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Melli Belly,
let it anchor in let it integrate and really climb
into your heart with this one. Who are you being
called to become right now this moment. Thank you for
listening now, mis Stay, the content presented on Deeply Well
(57:28):
serves solely for educational and informational purposes. It should not
be considered a replacement for personalized medical or mental health
guidance and does not constitute a provider patient relationship. As always,
it is advisable to consult with your healthcare provider or
health team for any specific concerns or questions that you
(57:49):
may have. Connect with me on social at Debbie Brown,
that's Twitter and Instagram. Or you can go to my
website Debbie Brown dot com. And if you're listening to
the show on Apple Podcasts, don't forget, Please rate, review,
and subscribe and send this episode to a friend. Deeply
Well is a production of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect Network.
(58:10):
It's produced by Jacquess Thomas, Samantha Timmins, and me Debbie Brown.
The Beautiful Soundbath You heard That's by Jarrelyn Glass from
Crystal Cadence. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Keeps to the planet. I'll go by the name of
Charlamagne Tha God. And guess what, I can't wait to
see y'all at the third annual Black Effect Podcast Festival.
That's right, We're coming back to Atlanta, Georgia, Saturday, April
twenty six at Poeman Yards and it's hosted by none
other than Decisions, Decisions Man, DyB and Weezy. Okay, we
got the R and B Money podcast. We're taking Jay Valentine.
We got the Woman of All Podcasts with Sarah Jake Roberts.
(00:22):
We got Good Mom's Bad Choices. Carrie Champion will be
there with her next sports podcast and the Trap Nerds podcast,
with more to be announced. And of course it's bigger
than podcasts. We're bringing the Black Effect marketplace with black
owned businesses plus the food truck court to keep you
fed while you visit us. All right, listen, you don't
want to miss this. Tap in and grab your tickets
now at Black Effect dot Com Flash Podcast Festival.
Speaker 2 (00:58):
Take a deep in through your nose. Holds it now,
release slowly again, deep in haale hold release, repeating internally
(01:33):
to yourself as you connect to my voice. I am
deeply well I am deeply Well. I am deeply Wow.
(02:00):
I'm Debbie Brown and this is the Deeply Well Podcast.
Welcome to Deeply Well, a soft place to land on
your journey. A podcast for those that are curious, creative,
and ready to expand in higher consciousness and self care.
(02:23):
I'm Debbie Brown. This is where we heal, this is
where we come. Thank you for joining me for this
episode Welcome back. We are exploring the intersections of self discovery, healing,
and the many ways we can live with more presence
and intention. We've been exploring this in a few different
(02:44):
ways as a theme really for this season of the
show and beyond, because this space is about the journey,
the evolving practice of coming home to ourselves, deepening our
well of wisdom, and learning how to move through life
with more ease and alignment always. Today's conversation is one
that speaks directly to that evolution. How our voices, our purpose,
(03:09):
and our connection to the world shift over time. We're
diving into creativity, motherhood, healing, and the ever changing landscape
of fame, artistry and self expression in the digital age.
I am so excited to welcome today's guest, someone whose
voice has not only soundtracked pivotal moments for so many
(03:31):
of us, but also carries an undeniable energy of truth, depth,
and soul. Today's special guest is Melanie Fiona. Melanie was
raised in Toronto, Canada and now resides in La She
is a two time Grammy Award winner. She exudes soulful charm, wit,
(03:52):
and a remarkable talent for storytelling. Her distinctive and powerful
voice has captivated countless listeners. Her debut album, The Bridge
was hailed as one of the best R and B
albums by The New York Times, featuring the notable single
it Kills Me My Jam, which topped Billboard's R and
B hip Hop chart for nine weeks. Her second album,
(04:14):
The m F Life reached number one on the Billboard
Top R and B hip Hop Album charts, showcasing her
outstanding versatility as a singer songwriter. Often described as your
favorite artist, Favorite Artist, Melanie's collaborations have spanned genres, from
her Grammy winning work with Celo Green to songs with
John Legend, Common the Roots and reggae superstars Stephen Marley
(04:37):
and rap icon j Cole. Melanie Fiona's powerful live performances
have led to her tour with acclaimed artists like Kanye West,
Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige, and DiAngelo. Passionate about the
healing power of music, she often refers to herself as
the singing nurse on stage, creating a unique blend of
(04:57):
live music and wellness at her shows and speaking engagements,
where she serves as a calming, energizing, and inspirational presence.
As a dedicated musician, mother, and creative entrepreneur, Melanie continues
to expand her influence, advocating for inspiration at the intersection
of music, motherhood, and wellness. She co hosts the popular
(05:20):
parenting podcast The Mama's Den and is actively growing her
motherhood and lifestyle brand, Mellie Belly. Excitingly, Melanie Fiona is
set to release her new EP, Say Yes, on April fourth,
and she is going on tour. Melanie, she is welcome
to show.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Thank you for having me. Wow, that was a whole interest.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
I love it.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
I'm going to tell my kids this is how we
wake up every day. Introduce me this way, kids.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Oh my gosh, So I am so happy to have
you here. And we actually if you guys haven't caught
it yet, go back and Archives. We did an episode
during the pandemic, and I was thinking about that episode
so much, and I re listened this week, and I
remember both of us at that time like we were
just deeply understanding it was time to serve. And I
(06:17):
remember we were talking so much then, especially about your
vocal gift and about the healing power of music and
sound and just the depth and tenderness that really, like
the vibrations of a voice can create in another person.
So so much has happened since that episode.
Speaker 3 (06:38):
So much. I had another child's whole nother life. We
survived a pandemic, you know. Re Emerging into this new
sense of self has been quite a journey for me,
emancipating myself creatively, professionally, spiritually, just being being free to
(06:58):
become what I am supposed to become in this life.
And it's been it's been beautiful. I'm so happy to
be back here with you because the conversations we get
to have I don't get to have with many and
so I'm so grateful to be in your space and
to be a part of this platform and to and
to share with you again because it's just so easy
(07:20):
to share with you.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
So thank you so thanks, thank you.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
You know, I'm so curious, Melanie, like, from the pandemic
to now, right it has been five I think here,
I don't even know what day or time it is anymore,
what planet are we on? But you know, something that
was so strong about the way you were connecting with
the world and with your audience, like it was service.
(07:45):
And I remember we talked about you being the singing
nurse and really that kind of undercurrent of purpose transformation,
right like you've always been tapped in. You have always
known yourself as a healer, even when we didn't have
that language. And now in the last really those five
years of just like active healing in the world, but
(08:07):
then also growing and changing and integrating into the weight
of that role. Tell me how that experience has been
over the last five years.
Speaker 3 (08:19):
Oh my gosh, five years. How long do we have today?
You know, it's ongoing, It's really ongoing. I think, you know,
having a second child really brought me back deeper into
purpose and into self. I'm having a daughter really allowed
(08:41):
for me to see parts of myself that still needed
more work, still needed more healing. I have a three
year old. We were talking off camera about how spicy
she is.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
She's so spicy.
Speaker 3 (08:54):
I love her to death. She's just she's amazing. She's
everything I wish I could be in this life. She's fearless,
she's unapologetic, she's strong willed, she is certain of herself,
all the things that I want to be when I
grow up completely and seeing that. Really, I think having
having a child brought me back into the focus. I
(09:15):
think of the all encompassing work that I'm supposed to
do in this life, which brought me back to a
space of healing, in the motherhood space. And so even
before having her earthside, I felt like I was being
called through that. In the pandemic, we were isolated, we
were mothers, we were women. We were feeling like, what
(09:37):
is happening? You know, things that we didn't imagine could
happen were happening. And at that time I connected with
three other women, Cody, Felicia, and Ashley, and we decided
we wanted to start a conversation about motherhood and we
started a podcast called The Mama's Den. And we didn't
(09:57):
really know what was going to become of that. We
just knew we needed a space to kind of share
and speak and connect because we were like, are you
struggling because we've been in the house with these kids
and we don't know what's happening. Yeah, with life and
like what's going on? And so, you know, motherhood has
I think, become a deep anchor for me in purpose
(10:20):
and healing. And so we got together during the pandemic,
testing ourselves every Friday to make sure we were good
to record before. You know, it was really a wild time.
But in that time I ended up getting pregnant. And
I did not expect to get pregnant. I thought that
I was one child and done child and that was it.
And so here I found myself being called back into
(10:42):
this journey I didn't think I would experience again, but
this time feeling more supported, more connected, more present, more
present in what was happening. And so I feel like
the energy that I was surrounded by these women, by
these conversations really allowed spirit to bring this child into
(11:04):
my life and said you're gonna do this again. And
so in that regard it then became it brought me
back into like a deeper purpose of where I was like, Okay,
I have to start building what I want to create,
and I always bring this back to my voice. I
think for a long time in my career as music,
and you listed, it's interesting whenever I hear people read
(11:24):
my bio because I was like, oh, yeah, that did happen,
and that happened, and it feels like lifetimes ago and
like different versions of myself, you know. But the thing
that I always bring attention back to and knowing what
is my gifting and my purpose comes always back to
my voice and how can I use my voice in
different ways to bring healing, awareness, community, closeness, safety. And
(11:45):
so that's where in that time, music was kind of
this uncertain thing because nobody was performing. I had just
recently transitioned out of a situation that I was in
legally out of all of my old previous contracts and
was transitioning into an independent space. So then here comes
(12:06):
this child, and now I feel like my life is
being called to what do you want to do? What
do you want to do? Where are you going to go?
Because this feels like an act too of life for you,
you know, here comes this second child. You're getting a
chance to revisit music. Should you want to do that again?
Now from a different perspective, from a different place, how
(12:27):
do you want to use your voice? What do you
want to write about? What do you want to sing about?
How do you want to make people feel? And all
of these things involved examining who I once was and
then allowing myself to not feel necessarily beholden to meeting
or matching those expectations of who that version was, and
(12:47):
allowing myself to say, who do you want to become?
What do you want Act two to look like? And
so now two children, a husband, creative freedom and independence
to make music again. It was a journey of self
discovery again, balance what does that look like now? You know? Okay?
Not being afraid to say I'm multifaceted. I think previous
(13:11):
to motherhood I felt one. I felt like I could
only be one thing. I was only going to be
received for one thing. You didn't want to overwhelm people
with all of your gifts and the things that you
were capable of. It was, you know, you're a singer, sing,
you know. But I had so much more that I
wanted to do. I had so much more that I
wanted to show and share and showcase, and it just
(13:35):
I never I never gave myself permission to do that.
And so from the pandemic in the last five years.
That's what this has been. It's allowing myself permission to explore,
to expand, to rise, to fall, to try, to fail,
to try again, to not get it right, to trust more,
(13:58):
and to honor the spirit and the soul of who I.
Like you said, before I had the language, knew that
I think I always was, and to be happy doing it. Yeah,
and to be happy doing it it's a journey on.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (14:15):
Wow, I said a lot there.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
I mean, there's so many directions I want to take
this out. Yeah. So one of the things that you
said was that you know, you mentioned like the funness
of it and everything you just spoke to. I mean,
this is like like when you first hit the scene,
you were a young woman, right, still a girl in
so many ways, and now it's like you're a mother,
(14:38):
you're a healer, you are a wife, you are an
established woman in the world with so many life experiences.
So one of the things that I thought of when
I first started listening to the new music, I was like, God,
I wonder what her creative process was like. Because you're
meeting something you know that you're already an expert in
as a new person, How did that process feel for you?
(15:02):
And does the fun feel different? Like when you look
back at how you created earlier in your career and
how you're creating now, what feels different about the process,
what feels different about you about the end result.
Speaker 3 (15:17):
So it's interesting because you brought up the word fun.
I want to have fun creating this music now, and
I did have a lot of fun creating this music now.
When I first started, it felt very high pressure. You know,
you're breaking into the music industry. You're trying to make
a name for yourself. You're trying to achieve some version
(15:39):
of success that has been planted on you that you
think you have to achieve. And you know there's a
bar that's been said and it's not successful if it
doesn't look or sound or feel or meet this XYZ.
And so there's a lot of strategy and formula, and
you know, and you go to work with the person
that has the best song and the best that has
(16:01):
the hit right now because you want to get from
them too.
Speaker 2 (16:03):
And you're like, what I'm hearing is like you have
to be connected to the zeitgeist. It has to be
about whatever has been established and is on trend. Yeah. Correct.
Speaker 3 (16:13):
So this time it was about fun for me. It
was about creating with people that I feel wanted to
be there, that wanted to be involved, that reached out
and were like, hey, what do you need? How can
I help call me? I'm down like creating from a
place of fun and and just the space to be.
(16:34):
It doesn't have to be what I've already created. The
It Kills Me a song that changed my entire life
and Coregendar, I still sing this song. You're fifteen years later,
you know, so we still we're still got to this song.
They got me not there no more, but we stuck
(16:55):
right into it, you know. So it's like it's a
it's a very interesting thing to you know, for people
to put that on you, to feel like, well, it's
no it kills me. No, because we already did it
kills me. That's okay. I don't need to do another
kills me because I did it kills me. Now I'm
(17:15):
saying yes, now I'm making I choose you. Now, I'm
making songs that reflect where I am and the journey
of what healed and like healthy love looks like on
me and in this iteration and season in my life,
and so it's it's but also I'll say this, it
was also very challenging for me too because it had
(17:36):
been such a while since I had released something to
the public. And regardless of whatever we want to say
and think, it's I I if it was just for me,
I would play my own music in my room and
I wouldn't play it for anyone else. But I am
putting something out into the world, and I do want
it to reach people who like it, and I do
want people to like it, and I do want people
(17:57):
to feel what I'm feeling when I create it. And
so there was a bit of imposter syndrome for me
where I had almost forgotten the amount of hours and
years and days that I had put in when I
was in zeitgeis world that I just forgot is almost
a it was experiences muscle memory, you know, and because
(18:19):
I had been felt out of it for so long
between the challenges I had had to go through in
my professional you know, changes to the pandemic, to motherhood,
to all of that, and then trying to step back
into the space. I even said it just now, trying
to step back into the said no, stepping back into
the space this is not my first rodeo, right, So
(18:41):
I even remember when I was shooting the first two
visuals for Say Yes and I Choose You. We did
it in one day, and I remember feeling like I
had to have certain people on set with me to
help guide and be my eyes. And when I got
there and I was it was time to be on
the camera without those people there, I was like looking
(19:01):
back at the footage leaving the shoot that day, being like, you,
you know what to do. You know this trust You
don't need to rely on anybody else. And I think
that in the beginning of my career it was very
heavily relying on the opinions and the guidance and the
expertise of other people because granted I hadn't developed it
(19:24):
for myself. So this is now, this version is fun,
it's freeing. It's as I said earlier, it's trusting my
own voice. It's allowing for the work that's been done
to show itself, to prove itself. You know that it's
(19:44):
nice to feel like I've I've become an expert of
such in myself, right, not even in an industry because
the industry is always changing, but becoming an expert in
myself is really the goal, and understanding myself and understanding
what feels good and not betraying my intuition and not
(20:05):
listening to the voice that says, just you got it,
don't overthink it, go with what you feel. If you
feel that this is right, trust that you can say
yes to yourself. And so that's been this recipe, this mantra,
these words of affirmation that I have been holding onto
in this season of my life. The songs are about it,
(20:26):
the EP is about it, and more important than the music,
it's what I want people to understand about life. And
I think that again using my voice as a vessel
is sure. We could listen to this music, but I
also want the things that I say and the messages
that I say to reach people in a way that
they feel connected to get that they can apply in
(20:50):
their lives and then also love the music at the
same time for it. So yes, it's a season of
fun right now. Season of fun.
Speaker 2 (21:00):
I mean, thank you for walking us down that road,
because there's so many things that I think are so
significantly important that you said out loud for everybody listening,
like so many things, and most especially it's the self
trust right, It's like you are prepared. It's trusting yourself
(21:22):
to do what God wants you to do and do it,
you know, like there's no further preparation needed. It is
the surrendering and the allowing.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
I have been speaking to God more than I ever have.
And that also is attributed to having children, because I
want them to have a relationship and a connection to
the voice of God at a very young age. And
I want them to see me having that connection as well.
(21:53):
And that can look different for everybody. Yeah, please say
more about how that looks for you, guys.
Speaker 2 (21:57):
For us, we.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
Talk to God every night, we do, and we express
our gratitude for the things that we have. We ask
for the blessings for the people who don't have. We
ask for the prayer of for me. When I pray
over my children, I want them to hear me say,
may they always know the love and the light that
(22:20):
is inside of them. May they always trust that, May
they always know that they are guided and protected and
divinely covered. I want them to hear these words because
to your point of saying, how we trust ourselves, we
come to this place we trust ourselves. My children are
going to go out into the world, and I'm going
to need them to trust themselves. I'm going to need
(22:41):
them to make good choices based off of the voice
that they've been connected to inside, that we've been talking to,
that we've been nurturing and pouring into, and that is
absolutely connected to God directly. So you know, it's not
even it's not about religion per se. It's about spirituality.
It is about knowing the God that exists within us
(23:04):
and always knowing that that is something that we can
rely on. And we should absolutely be encouraged to not
be shamed to talk about or to share or to
be that way. And I every time I go somewhere
before I go, Now, even yesterday I had to go somewherehere,
I had to sing, and I talk to God the
whole way to my while I was driving. May I
(23:25):
show up in my fullest self. May you, May you
work through me in this space that whatever I say,
whatever I speak, whatever I sing today reaches those who
need it, reaches those who need it, reaches those who
feel it and want it and are looking for it.
May I say something that comes channeled from You to
these people. And so that's again when I think about microphones.
(23:50):
When I think about platforms, people listening, watching, it comes
with great responsibility. We're human and we don't have to
be perfect. But I think it is important that I
always try my best to know that I'm operating from
intention and from source. And so again with my children,
I see their light for who they are. I mentioned
(24:13):
my daughter. You know, we were talking off camera about
my son. His spirit so pure, so divinely connected, so intuitive,
very much my child, and I want to encourage and
protect that and nurture that, and so I have to
lead with that in my life. And so even these songs,
(24:34):
these songs that I'm creating, when I think about what
I want to say. You know, when I was younger
and I was inspired by vulnerable love songs that Whitney
Houston would sing or Lauren Hill would sing, and even
if I wasn't living or experiencing it, I felt it
and I wanted to sing those songs too. And now
that I am a wife, a woman, a mother, I
(24:57):
think about what it is that I want to say,
even in the truth of how difficult it can be.
On the project, I have a song called Mona Lisa
Smile and Mona Lisa's smile is about the sometimes the
conflict that you can feel in a relationship, in a situation,
(25:18):
but the fact that you have to carry on because
if I let one tear fall, they will turn into
an ocean. And so that's a conversation of vulnerability too
that I think, especially women of color, black women, that
we carry that we have to be strong, this crown
(25:38):
of strength that we are. We're so strong, we're so
strong that we have the capable of But I also
am fragile inside, you know, and I want to be
seen as such, you know. I want to be celebrated
for both. And so that's where Mona Lisa's smile comes
from in that regard. So when I'm thinking about leading
by example, I'm thinking about what are the words? What
are the songs? My children are singing? These songs my
(26:00):
children were present when I was singing songs like it
Kills Me in.
Speaker 4 (26:03):
Four Am and Longside of a Love Song that was
my heartbreak, devastation and certified lover girl. Oh my heart
is broken, Let me sing a song about it. My
heart isn't broken now, you know, my heart isn't broken down.
My heart is hold and expanded and growing and expanding
every day, and so what do I want to say?
What do I want to see my children sing with
(26:24):
me about? What do I want them to know about
their mother in her journey, on her journey? And so, yeah,
it's been it's been really important to be mindful for
me about everything that I do now, how what I consume,
how I consume it, Who do I engage with, Where
(26:44):
do I socialize? How do I socialize? Where is my
energy best served? Can I quiet the voice down that
says you have to be in it, you have to
do it, you have to keep going.
Speaker 3 (26:54):
Do I right? Or can I take the time I
need because it's mine to take. So that's yeah, that's
what I keep telling everybody, Like whenever I speak to
other artists or creatives, I'm always like, take your time,
it's yours to take. When I think about the break
between my projects, my last project, full length project, came
(27:14):
out in twenty twelve, twenty twelve, it's been thirteen years
in the space of what they've told us about what
makes longevity or what people amount success to or you
got to be in it. If people will forget about you,
or you'll be washed out, you'll be washed up, you'll
(27:35):
be forgotten, damaged goods. I'm still here with more to
say and more to give and more to offer, and
that is nothing short of God and just being obedient
and protecting and doing the work along the way. Because
if I wasn't doing the work along the way, I
might be in it. I might be on a different path.
(27:57):
I might not have the peace that I have that
I saw and fought so hard for, certainly, you know.
So I'm grateful that I learned some very valuable lessons
in what I always call my awakening year, which is
twenty twelve, twenty thirteen, and that really put me on
I think the trajectory to have longevity and sustainability, to
(28:20):
be here again, to still be healthy and to have energy.
And I keep saying, gas in the tank, gas in
the tank, because it's a journey, so you.
Speaker 1 (28:30):
Know, I.
Speaker 3 (28:32):
Yeah, it's exciting, it's exciting, so.
Speaker 2 (28:36):
Exciting and so deep and so exactly what this is,
you know, like this is what purpose is. This is
what devotion to your gifts into the way you're meant
to serve is, you know, and it's meant to be
so many things, you know, it's meant to change form
(28:59):
in so many ways. And it's like every every decade,
every five year cycle, every ten year cycle, like we
should be looking and doing things that are different, yes,
but still settled into the truth of who we are,
what our gifts are, what our skills have been Like
this is it?
Speaker 3 (29:19):
Yes?
Speaker 2 (29:20):
Yeah, And I have to say too, just everything that
you spoke to in regards to how you talk to God,
how you connect with God with your children, I see
I relate to, I deeply connect to in so many ways,
(29:41):
and that kind of living prayer, there is nothing more
powerful in the world, Like I've just found the way
that kind of living your prayer and being in constant
dialogue about every piece, every piece, like down to everything.
Just like like one of the things that I just
am always saying throughout the day is like, teach me God,
(30:04):
show me, show me God, teach me, Surprise me.
Speaker 3 (30:07):
God, surprise me God.
Speaker 2 (30:09):
Yeah, that's so powerful. And thank you for sharing the
process because I think so many people are going to
be able to bring more of that because nothing else matters.
Like if we can be clear and honest, nothing else matters.
If you weren't doing all of this for God, what
is the point.
Speaker 3 (30:29):
I think people get so embarrassed sometimes at the idea
of hearing themselves say certain things out loud. They feel
like it has to be this quiet thing. And that's
fine if that's what you feel is needed. But I
truly believe that sometimes people are afraid to say no,
(30:50):
I talked to God out loud, or to walk around
and say it out loud in your house to yourself.
Surprise me, God, surprise me God. God loves direct communication
just like every other healthy relationship, right like we ask
for it in our marriages and our relationships and our
friendships and our professional relationships. God absolutely so that God
(31:15):
can be direct with you. Because I think that that's
also the thing is that I've in recent in the
last year, specifically, there's been a couple of situations so
I've been like, God, if this is not meant for me,
if this person is not meant to be here, show
me remove it. And sure enough that person is like,
I'm so sorry, I can no longer be here. Great,
(31:36):
thank you, no no problem, you know, And I listening
to that, it's been, it's it's it's it's been so
important for me, I think to have space to listen
to the voice of God when I when I ask
for it, and remember that I ask for it, for it,
for it.
Speaker 2 (31:57):
Deeply. Well, first of all, this new EP Yes four Yes,
it will be birthed into the world Say Yes. Say
the power of that statement alone. Talk to me about
how this creation began to take form and most especially
(32:20):
the title.
Speaker 3 (32:22):
So the song itself, say Yes on the project was
kind of the anchor for me. This is my heartful
in the word, hard capital art piece. I love this
song so much because it came from such divine magic
(32:43):
in this room. This song was created a complete live
jam session, Wow Yes, with some of the most incredible
producers and musicians that we know. I'm going to say
their names because they are so magical. Andre Harris, then Undercat,
Charlie Burrell, Chris Dave, some of the most just incredible
(33:05):
artists and musicians all came together in one room and
we were in the room one night and they just
started playing and the music that came out was this song.
There was no conversation, there was no direction. Wow, it
was a it was a full channel just working through
(33:28):
everybody in the room. I co wrote this song with
Sir another incredible R and B artist, and even that
was such a very sacred time because he hadn't even
arrived at who he would become as well. He was
still more behind the scenes at that time, and so
it was just magical. And I knew that this song
(33:49):
was magical, and I knew that it was very important.
It would have a life in my career, and I
didn't know how or when, because I was going through
some changes that I didn't know how things were going
to land on where it was going to be or
when these songs were going to come out. And so
when the time arrived that I started revisiting putting out
new music, say Yes was there and I was like, Okay,
(34:11):
this is it. I know that this is this is
the piece that I've been carrying and the magic of
what this song represents, the live instrumentation, the soulfulness of it.
The story. The story is about me and my now
husband of what we had to what we had to
do to arrive at this life. We had to say yes,
(34:33):
to overcome the fear, to put the doubt away, to
put the traumas away, what we've been through, and say
yes to one another and move forth and to be
vulnerable and that messaging alone again like I said earlier,
outside of the music is what I want people to know.
I want people to know that everything remarkable that I
(34:55):
personally have ever done has come from saying yes. Absolutely,
everything that I've ever achieved, every new height that I've
ever risen to, has come from saying yes. And so
I want people to feel that. I want people to
So many people say, oh, I love your love, I
love seeing you and your husband, and we know our
(35:16):
story of what it took to get there, But listening
to these songs, you'll have a deeper understanding of what
it really did take. And how can you apply that
mantra to your life, whether it be for your love,
your professional endeavors, whether it be for the way that
you want to see yourself honor yourself. What do you
want to say yes to yourself for? And so that
(35:41):
is that's where this title and just the affirmative of
the power of the words. When people say, oh, you
have a new ep say yes, they're putting more energy
into the into the saying, into the saying say yes,
say yes yes, plant the seeds. Have somebody say have
you heard Melanie's new EPCE Say yes, Oh, say yes yes,
(36:01):
say yes yes, I have heard it just more affirmative language,
you know, And that's I didn't arrive here without affirmations.
I didn't arrive here without affirming and believing that I could.
I didn't arrive at this life and this love and
this these blessings without allowing God to be present and
(36:25):
to work and to say yes to it all.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
You know.
Speaker 3 (36:27):
So overcoming fear was a big part of this, big
part of all of it, to welcome love into my life,
to take the step of uncertainty and unknowing how things
could or could not turn out, but to continue to walk,
(36:48):
to continue to journey. And so yeah, it's about It's
about the affirmation. But then the music I'm so proud of.
I'm just so proud of these. I think they feel
really good. They feel really good.
Speaker 1 (37:05):
You know.
Speaker 3 (37:06):
I worked with incredible people on this project. James Fauntleroy,
an incredible songwriter, producer, one of my longest friends in
the music industry, both of us knowing each other before
anyone knew our names, and to create with him on
this project was It's very special to me because I
just admired his work so much. D Mile incredible live musicians,
(37:28):
just so much talent that showed up for me on
this project, and then these stories of just love and
how I celebrate my love and love in general in
this season of life. Six songs easily digestible, press play,
let it run, say yes. On the project, I brought
(37:50):
back at the end of the project for a full
seven minutes. It's a seven minute song, and so that
was intentional. It's getting lost in the music house.
Speaker 2 (38:01):
Yes, I was like, that was the seventies. Yes, Oh
my god, these beautifully long, long with long intros and
outros to lead you.
Speaker 3 (38:10):
In and take you out and ah, and that is
I'm so excited for people to hear that. Yeah, because
it's a vibe. Dance to it, make love to it,
smoke to it, whatever you do, ritual to it. I
don't care. But the music is so beautiful and knowing
I want people to understand that. Again, the way this
(38:31):
song was created, there was no conversation. These transitions when
you hear the music and you think it's about to
end and then it goes into another groove was just
just magic happening in the room. And I was sitting
there like, what am I whim saying? It's a memory
etched in my mind, and so I want people to
experience what that feels like. And so yeah, and then
(38:52):
this project is I think the platform and the door
opener for me for for completion, because I know what
it took to get here. I know the times where
I wasn't sure if I was going to arrive back here.
I know the times when I didn't know if there
was more gas in the tank and if I could
(39:14):
heal beyond what I had been through to arrive back
at this place. And so to me, success is releasing
it on April fourth, not the expectation of how successful
and who and that I've done it for myself, that
I've fulfilled this calling to continue to use my voice
(39:35):
the way I know I am intended to the way
I was gifted to the way I was put here to.
Speaker 2 (39:40):
And so.
Speaker 3 (39:42):
It's a marker of success for me personally to cross
that finish line with this project so amazing and then
be open to what God has in store for me
after right.
Speaker 2 (39:55):
So amazing and creation for creation's sake, you know, creation,
because you are built to create, and God says, so
you know, It's like, I think what you're describing to
is something I think about a lot where it's like
people that are true creatives, people that are really here
with gifts and need to serve. It's like taking the
(40:19):
ego out of it, right, And it's so hard to
do because we are so conditioned by society, but especially
coming from the industry. It's like it's themn near impossible today, right,
But it's like it just speaks to such deeper layers
of surrender and trust and again purpose and alignment. Because
(40:41):
when you're a great, when you're someone that has something
to really offer and deliver, it is for all time, right,
Like it is not just for this year or this
award cycle. It is for all time. Yes, And your
fans are heavy, so of course they're gonna love this project.
And and someone in a couple hundred years might find
(41:02):
it and be brought to life in a different kind
of way and it could mean something entirely different or
more to the people of that time. Like none of
that matters. Creation is what matters.
Speaker 3 (41:15):
Absolutely. Oh my gosh. It's like we, like I said,
it's very difficult, I think, especially in a space of
social media, right, Like we feel triggered and challenged all
the same time when we see people just doing the
thing and doing the thing, and people are like, oh
my gosh, it's too much. But it's like is it
too much or are you afraid to do it? And
(41:37):
that's why it feels a little triggering. Create the thing,
put the thing out, Create more, create more create. So
that's why for me, I think not allowing myself to
get caught up in is this better than the work
that I've already created. No, it's the best work you've
created right now, cause you did it, you know, And
(41:58):
so I'm so glad you said that, because it is
about creation. Everything has come from creation. We have been created,
and so that is really important. I'm excited about what
I do at sixty five, right right, I'm not concerned
about getting older.
Speaker 2 (42:17):
What a blessing to be able to do it.
Speaker 4 (42:19):
Please God let me get older, right please God, let
me get a privilege.
Speaker 3 (42:23):
Aging is a privilg But how you do it and
what you want to do with it is up to you.
So I'm excited about what I can create and continue
to create.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
This just made me think of this mantra from the
designer Norma Kamali. So she has a beautiful book that
I don't know if this was her intention. But this
is what I relate to it as as like a
book of aging, where it's every chapter is broken down
by the decade of her life. And she's in her
seventies now. But one of the things she shared was
this affirmation I think she starts saying in her forties,
(42:59):
which is I will age with grace, beauty, power, and influence.
And I was just like, that is so powerful, and
none of none of them those words individually need to
be defined right there. There's not really an expectation of
how that word quantifies, right, but to say that as
(43:19):
the intention. So I've started saying that every day since
I read the book, and I'm like, I just I
love that so deeply because there are so many things
to be created with the privilege of aging and with
the perspective and with the additional gifts and attunements, and
it's just it should never end.
Speaker 3 (43:40):
It should never end. Yeah, it should never end. I
look forward. I look forward to it. I look forward
to whatever days I have ahead and the space to create,
because it's just it's it's like we said with God,
it's like it's all possible. It's just all possible. Anything
(44:02):
is possible.
Speaker 2 (44:04):
And me think any think deeply. Well, Okay, you have
to finish telling me this story, because when we were
off camera, you told me the first parts of the
story about say Yes, and you were like, I think
something about Instagram.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
You had said something about say yes on Instagram on Instagram,
and I remember, I'm going to go back and find
it in our in our messages, okay, because I was like,
we have to talk about this, and I hope we
can recall it. Okay, I hope we can recall We're
gonna find it because I knew when this happened when
you said that, I was like, I'm going to sit
(44:46):
down and talk with Devi and it's going to be
about this project. It's going to be about this and
it it just when those words came up, when you
said them, I was like, oh, it's perfect. I'm going
to go talk with her, and here we are, and.
Speaker 2 (45:00):
It's just it's so like I've just really loved hearing
your relationship with God. You know, It's been such a
privilege and a pleasure to hear you share about this
because that like that is the prayer, right, It's just
yes once you learn okay, it's not yes if you're
a people pleaser. It's not yes if your current battle
and spiritual curriculum is standing up for yourself and having boundaries.
(45:23):
I don't want you to weaponize that or use what
we're saying as a way to subjugate yourself. But I
will say you'll know when it's time to learn how
to say yes again. And at the juncture of the
journey you arrive at after a lot of that crevice
work after are a lot of those shadowy parts. It
is trusting yourself to say yes again. It's empowering yourself
(45:46):
and your connection with God to say yes again. And
it's like, that's that's the prayer, just yes God, Yes, Yes.
The answer is always yes God.
Speaker 3 (45:56):
Ah, Oh my gosh, that was perfect. That is so
perfect what you just said, exactly because I think a
lot of people we have said this before. We focus
so much on saying no, you know nos, and it's
a full sentence of course. Yeah, it is, of course.
And I've said a lot of no's, and I've earned
(46:20):
the right to say yes. I've done the work to
say yes. I've done the work to know that if
I say yes to something, it's fine. Yeah, it's fine
because I'm saying it from a place of faith, of intuition,
of experience and trust. And so it is that. It
is that because I'm so glad you said the people
(46:41):
pleaser thing. Because that doesn't mean you just go and
say yes to everybody. No, you have to arrive at
the place to say yes, shadowy no good And.
Speaker 2 (46:49):
Well you know if this message is for you in
your life right now, yes or not yet? Yeah yet,
or you're walking up the hill to it absolutely yes, yeah.
Before I invite you to share some soul work with
the audience, I would love to hear a little bit
more about your creative process. How do you invoke the muse?
(47:10):
How do you invoke the spirit when you know it's
time to create again?
Speaker 3 (47:16):
I create space for myself. I will especially say this
in motherhood. I have a very hard time, or I've
had a very hard time in balancing the guilt of
needing to be other places right, and how I don't
think about dinner when I'm supposed to be writing a song, right.
Speaker 2 (47:39):
And so.
Speaker 3 (47:43):
I have learned the art of compartmentalizing these roles in
my life and also communicating with my children and getting
their blessing for it. When I leave the house and
when I have to do things, mommy has to go,
I'll be back. I'll show you what bake my kid.
What are you going to do today?
Speaker 1 (48:04):
You know?
Speaker 3 (48:05):
And so what it looks like, I think in the
space for me is I always walk with my incense.
I'm always walking with my Polo sanso. I'm always walking
with crystals. I wear my crystals, and I set intentions
when I'm going into a space. Creativity for me is
like a faucet, and it's one that sometimes takes a
little little loosening up before it starts to flow. And
(48:28):
so for me, the practice is showing up with consistency.
It's showing up with the spirit of allow what is
to come out to come out, and if it doesn't,
try again tomorrow, try again tomorrow. So and also it
comes from being in spaces with people that are of
the same vibration in frequency. I cannot work with anyone
(48:53):
anymore that I don't feel like I can be my
authentic self, like I can share these things out loud,
say these things out loud, that I feel that we
can have a conversation and our words flow and intertwine together.
If I'm writing with you or if I'm creating with music,
whatever it is, it has to be on the same frequency.
(49:15):
I can't and so when certain things come up, if
it doesn't feel aligned, I just no, thank you, no
thank you. I say yes to spirit and no thank
you to that and so and so.
Speaker 1 (49:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (49:29):
So the creative process for me is just you know,
I would love in an ideal world, I would love
to just go away into a very small place on
an island and shut out the world and get quiet
and pick up a guitar and play and isolate myself
for three to six months. And maybe I will. Maybe
(49:49):
I will one day. Yeah, but my kids need me
right now. It's not that season of my life. But
I would love to at some point. And maybe that's
what lays Liza ahead of me, you know, maybe that's
the space that I need to find the next level
of my voice, and that I feel is something that
I would would like to explore one day. But for
(50:12):
right now, it's conversations, intention setting and being in spaces
with people that want to create the same way I
want to create and want to impact people the same way.
Speaker 2 (50:27):
Yeah, beautiful, powerful, thank you, Yeah wow. I would like
to invite you at the end of every episode, our
guest gets to share a piece of soul work, which
is an opportunity for everyone listening to integrate what they've
heard or what they may be experiencing inside with a
(50:47):
practice of any kind. So that can be a favorite
ritual of yours. It can be a prompt for journaling
or self inquiry, a favorite quote, or an actual type
of physical or even mental practice.
Speaker 3 (51:05):
So many come to mind. Right now, what would I
like to share? I'll take a moment to ask God
right now what it is that I am supposed to share.
The thing that comes back to me is my younger self,
(51:29):
My four year old self said that I wanted to
be a singing nurse when I grew up. And when
I was younger, it didn't necessarily make the most sense
to everybody. It was cute, it was laughable. Oh it's
singing nurse. Who would think to say something like that.
(51:49):
The thing that I'd like to share is I will
ask everybody to think back to the youngest version of
themselves that they can remember, the most joyful, the most free,
the most sure of self version of yourself as a
young child. And I want you to think it could
(52:10):
be at any age, whatever that is for you minus
four years old, And I want you to think about
what makes that version happy, what lights or used to
light up that version of yourself. And I want you
to think about your journey through life as a tether
(52:31):
back to that four year old, six year old, three
year old, seven year old, nine year old self, whatever age.
And I want you to imagine yourself walking the line
of your life, but understanding that it's curved and you
go off track sometimes and you come back, and I
want you to always find the points in which you
(52:52):
feel connected back to that version of yourself and know
that that is the alignment that you are always seeking
in your life. For what success really feels like when
you are living in your purpose before the world came
and told you what it needed to be, who you
needed to be, how it needed to look. That version
(53:14):
of yourself, that younger version of yourself, knows who you
are at the core. Holding on to that version is
so important to the happiness that you are seeking in
your life, to the joy that you are wanting to
feel in your life. And you will know those moments
(53:35):
when they are aligned, and so don't let them pass
you by flippantly or as just moments going, oh that
was no take a moment to acknowledge that your youngest
self is so happy, is so proud of you, is
with you every day, and it's our job to remind
(53:57):
ourselves to be and remain connected to that. That has
been something for me.
Speaker 2 (54:04):
That I.
Speaker 3 (54:07):
I know when happens now, I can clearly identify and
I hold onto that and make I make mental notes,
don't don't don't forget that you're on the right track.
Keep going. You're on the right track. Keep going. It's
confirmation for me. So I don't know if that was
(54:30):
I don't know if I lost anyone there, but I
hope that who needed it and who understands what I'm
saying is feeling that because it's been a huge That's
what I That's what I have as a marker of
success for me. When four year old Melanie is like, yeah,
we're so happy. I'm so proud of you.
Speaker 2 (54:48):
Look at you.
Speaker 3 (54:48):
Good job, good job. I know who she is. I
know who she is.
Speaker 2 (54:57):
So beautiful.
Speaker 3 (54:58):
Thank you, thank you for asking me to share.
Speaker 2 (55:01):
That was so beautiful. This beautiful body of work. Say
Yes is available April fourth, twenty twenty five.
Speaker 3 (55:11):
Live with it, live with it, live with it, pray
with it, pray with it, dance to it, love to it,
and come see it live on tour. Yes She will
be on tour this Yes Spray. I'm going on tour
at the end, starting with the end of April, and
I'll be performing the catalog songs, the new songs. And
this experience that I want to create is one that
(55:34):
I want people to walk away feeling like they have
embodied what it means to say yes. And so that's
my that's my hope for every stage that I touch
on this tour, every person that's ever been with me
on this journey, that has come to see me, that
is coming to see me for the first time. I
want to make a deeper connection beyond the music. I
(55:58):
want everyone to feel like they can and say yes
when they leave that room. So come to the tour,
listen to the music, say yes.
Speaker 2 (56:06):
Yes, Yeah. I'm like I already I wanted to say
right away yes. So everyone scrolled down in the show
notes of this episode, whether that is on YouTube and
you can see me right now, hello, or you are listening,
scroll into the show notes. Few things you can link
to the project. You can check out Melanie's websites. You
(56:27):
can get all the tour dates, and you can connect
with her on Instagram, so you can figure out all
of the things, all these things. Yeah, thank you so
much for joining us. Thanks you.
Speaker 3 (56:38):
This was a breath of fresh air for me in
a murriad of conversations and promotional appearances and singing. This
was a true gift. So thank you for having me.
Thank you for creating this space to have conversations like this.
(56:59):
I really appreciate you.
Speaker 2 (57:00):
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. Melli Belly,
let it anchor in let it integrate and really climb
into your heart with this one. Who are you being
called to become right now this moment. Thank you for
listening now, mis Stay, the content presented on Deeply Well
(57:28):
serves solely for educational and informational purposes. It should not
be considered a replacement for personalized medical or mental health
guidance and does not constitute a provider patient relationship. As always,
it is advisable to consult with your healthcare provider or
health team for any specific concerns or questions that you
(57:49):
may have. Connect with me on social at Debbie Brown,
that's Twitter and Instagram. Or you can go to my
website Debbie Brown dot com. And if you're listening to
the show on Apple Podcasts, don't forget, Please rate, review,
and subscribe and send this episode to a friend. Deeply
Well is a production of iHeartRadio and The Black Effect Network.
(58:10):
It's produced by Jacquess Thomas, Samantha Timmins, and me Debbie Brown.
The Beautiful Soundbath You heard That's by Jarrelyn Glass from
Crystal Cadence. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio
app or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Host
Devi Brown
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