Melissa Forbes:
    Blackheart Blues

Australian-based singer/songwriter Melissa Forbes has officially closed the book on her former career as a commercial lawyer with the release of her 2005 debut album “No More Mondays”. Released on her own label Kitten Kong Records, "No More Mondays" primarily focuses on Melissa’s original material but also covers artists as diverse as D'Angelo, Metallica and Michael Jackson.

Melissa describes her music as "jazzy blue-eyed soul" and cites Prince, Diana Krall, Sade, Joni Mitchell, Chaka Khan, Teena Marie and Jill Scott as mainstay influences.

So how does a commercial lawyer come to make a full-length album of vintage-sounding soul-jazz? “I called the album ‘No More Mondays’ because it’s been a huge transition for me to move from the rigours of a 9-to-5 job to working in the music industry."

"Not only has it been a change of career but a change of attitude – I’m going to follow my heart from now on,” explains Melissa. “I’ve long dreamed of making an album but this wasn’t going to happen while I was working full-time as a lawyer. I ended up going to the Queensland Conservatorium of Music for four years where I studied jazz and contemporary voice while I continued to do legal work part-time. That got me on the right track.”

In 2004, Melissa finally resigned from her legal job to concentrate on putting an album together. She and husband Jim then set up their own independent record label (Kitten Kong Records).

“The learning curve was incredibly steep. As an independent artist, I had to get my head around all aspects of making the album – from booking players, rehearsing, arranging, producing, recording in the studio and mixing, to dealing with copyright matters, artwork and promotion. It’s been a great but challenging experience.”

Website http://www.melissaforbes.com