We were lucky to catch up with Melissa V Neal recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Melissa V thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Do you wish you had started sooner?
So first I believe that life is all about timing. I feel like right now I’m in a great space to actually be prepared to receive all of the amazing things that have been coming! Now I wont lie, I lost a lot of ground by taking time off and also not giving my all when I first started. When I first started music and fitness I really just seen it as a hobby, and never thought much of making a career out of it. I just knew I loved to sing and exercise, but I played around a lot with my craft/gift. Starting sooner, I would have traveled more away from the area to really explore my talents at a young age, but sometimes when I think about it I wouldn’t have been ready. So sometimes I have regrets but then I remember my season is now.
Melissa V , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
My name is Melissa V Neal, I am a singer, fitness instructor and model. By the age of five years old, I was already singing in my church choir. I have been told I’m a
merger of a driven melody & passion. My sound is compared to a
soulful lullaby no matter the genre. I love ballads but don’t let
that fool you I know how to move the crowd and turn things up.
The Godfather of soul James Brown is my main inspiration and a major
influence, as well as Tina Turner, Whitney Houston and Prince.
As an artist I live to give my all on and off the stage. My mission
with my music is to bring real soul music back by creating and performing
music that shakes your soul and give you heart quakes. When I was younger I got a chance to do choir background for Al Green, Jennifer Hudson,
Patti Labelle, Rita Ora, Bruno Mars and so many great others under the direction of Joyce Garrett.
As far as my fitness business my goal is to help as many people overcome depression through fitness, by making better choices and channeling their pain into something positive. I was very proud to start my own fitness class and to help others in many states outside of mine achieve there goals with online workouts.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
As far as my fitness business, I lost my father from heart disease back in 2010. From that moment forward I wanted to help people get into better health. In 2017 I started to battle postpartum depression after having my son, and that was a moment that changed my life for ever. I started to use fitness as a way to cope and along the way I realized that there were so many others that were battling depression that I could help. So life journey so far has been amazing, I have learned that you really find yourself during your struggle that is when you become You. The Real You!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
You all are going to laugh at this one! I had to learn how to say No! Yep little ole Me. I had an issue with saying No, it backfired when I was overbooked and ended up being hoarse that week. By the time my main gig came, I had to cancel the one show I was really looking forward to doing. So I learned that the worst thing to do is to just be busy doing nothing. If you know what I mean. Sometimes we think being over booked and busy is a good thing, but we could be burned out, underpaid, feeling exhausted, unhealthy, no sleep. All to say were booked and busy. I had to learn not everything deserves a yes. That it was actually a great feeling saying No to somethings.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Melissa V Neal
- Facebook: Melissa V Neal
- Twitter: Melissa V Neal
- Youtube: Melissa V Neal
Image Credits
@Lenelensphotography Sharlene White Tesia Taylor Visual Director