Melanie Fiona Talks : New Album, Heart Break & Why She’s Swearing Off Men

On what fans should expect on “The MF Life”:

“Fans should expect and can expect a really, really strong, really well produced album. You know, I really really do think I worked with the best of the best personally. I think that every producer and artist I got featured on this album really brings something special to this album that I don’t think anyone else has on their album, and it’s a power, it’s a strength, it’s an energy; it’s a very strong body of work I believe. I believe that the songs people have heard and the things that have been released, when they get the album, they’ll be pleasantly surprised.”

On whether or not her two Grammy wins made her feel more validated as an artist:

“Hell yeah, absolutely. I don’t put too much pressure or weight on myself for the win, for the nomination, but it’s a great feeling. It truly is an amazing feeling to know you have the respect of the Academy and your peers in this community of artist and industry. It’s a real boost of confidence for me because I don’t really let it get to my head. When I started The MF Life, I had a real low in my confidence level because I came off such a high on the first album, and it was such a new experience. I realized people were checking for me, they were looking for me, and I really had to boost my own confidence in writing and getting in the studio and getting creative because I almost felt like I couldn’t do it again. What if I’m not as good the second time as I was the first time? And to know I’ve achieved these kinds of things in such a short career is really a great thing, so now when I know people are checking for me, they’re gonna see [the Grammy awards] and that means something. It’s such a huge validation for me to say I’ve been a part of Grammy music history and to be on a collaboration with such a cool ass dude like Cee-Lo Green. It’s a great feeling for me, and it really does give me the inspiration to continue to really outdo myself.”

On heartbreak:

“You know, my heart has broken and healed and mended for the last 10 years of my life. I feel like there’s nothing that heals a broken heart except for time really. And your heart breaks all the time. People tend to only associate hearts breaking with someone but things happen all the time. Disappointment can break your heart all the time–disappointment in yourself, your friends or family and like things around you all the time. I definitely think there’s a point when it shifts your energy, and for me, I just know that even when I’m in love, I still write about heartbreak and that’s an emotion that I draw on and I know people need to hear about that. I think that there’s strength in owning that [hurt] and sharing that and saying like, ‘Yeah this is who I am and this is where I’m at.’ And I think that’s why people love the music. I will always do my best to keep that truth in my music, whether it’s the happy things people are going through, the sad things people need to hear about, the sexy things people need to hear about.”

On the rings she always wears:

“I actually acquired all three of the rings I was wearing – one as a birthday gift, one of them was my grandmother’s ring and the other one was my mom’s. I just love them, and they’re dainty and they’re small and they all just kinda fit my style as to where I’m at right now. But for sentimental value, they are my everything; they’re my love, they’re my legacy and they’re my family. When I was on the Alicia Keys tour in 2010, I was in Ireland and my grandmother actually passed away. It was a hard blow for me to take because I was very close to my grandmother, very close to my family, and I couldn’t get [home]. There were no flights that would get me out and get me back in time to do the next show, and I had to miss my grandmother’s funeral. I had to miss being with my family,  just had to be grieving on the road and it was really difficult. You know, my grandmother was a very simple woman. She was all about her family, her children and her grandchildren, so when I came back, I had missed everything but my aunt gave [this ring] to me, and I was really moved by it.”

On swearing off men:

“I’m on a Melcation [Laughs]. I am like all about me right now. What am I going to do with my life, and what are the things that are gonna make me happy and fulfilled? There are some guys that can be around that, and be like, ‘Yo, I totally love you and I support you’ and then there are other guys who are like,‘Ugh, you want too much! You’re too independent.’ And it’s like no, no, no, that’s definitely not it. It’s just the right guy who’s gonna fit perfectly into what it is that I’m doing; it’s just a balance. But no, I’m not swearing off men. I just don’t want men around for the sake of having men around. Too often, we make that mistake of keeping men around for the comfort, you know, just that dependency. I think is where the problem lies. And when you get away from that and just really be like, I’m cool, you can get a man in your life on a random Thursday or a random Saturday and it just adds something to your week rather than being dependent on it.”

Read the full interview here.

–@Stunn_ing