A life built around music.

A classical foundation

Piano came first.

Melina started playing piano at age 4 and began writing songs at age 11. In 2000, she became a national winner of the Hal Jackson Talented Teens Competition. She joined the cabaret-style troupe Les Belluscious Girls in 2003 and made her first music recordings with producer Override in 2004.

Her formal training continued with a Double DEC in Music & Science from Marianopolis College in 2005, a Bachelor of Music from McGill University in 2008 and a Performer’s Diploma from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto in 2010.

• Piano at age 4
• Songwriting at age 11
• BMus, McGill University
• RCM Performer’s Diploma

Performer and recording artist

A repertoire shaped in the room.

Melina Soochan is no stranger to the stage and to pouring her heart out in front of audiences. With over 15 years of experience in the live music scene of Montreal, particularly in the jazz and lounge world, Melina broke out as a mature and sophisticated singer-songwriter, infusing her original compositions with heartfelt lyrics against a backdrop of jazz and RnB-inspired piano linguistics. Pairing up with co-writer and producer, Juno award-winning Albert Chambers from Basebin Studios, the team came together to create her most ambitious and personal body of work to date, Dark Fairytales. In 2022, its first three singles were released: Predictable, accompanied by a visually striking music video, followed by Waiting and Drowning with their visualizers.

Dark Fairytales marked Melina’s fourth and most authentic album project, developed after she found her “real voice” and “something worthwhile to say.” Inspired by the moody and enigmatic tones of The Weeknd, Drake, Jhene Aiko, Alicia Keys, Sza, H.E.R. and other emerging artists, Melina wrote from her heart and life experience. “Life is not a fairytale. There is no Happy-Ever-After. There is only the here and now, and you and me.” The project speaks on dark topics including abuse, betrayal, the covid pandemic and the passing of a friend, set against deep bass, ambient sounds and layers of emotional vocals. The songs move from RnB to singer-songwriter folk and the dark side of pop, coining the term #DarkPop.

International performance history

From Montreal to stages around the world.

Melina loves performing live and making any crowd, big or small, feel something authentic. A graduate with a Bachelor’s degree from McGill University’s world-renowned music program (2008), and holding a Performer’s Diploma (2010) from the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, Melina often performs by herself on piano and voice, or with various other musicians in duo, trio or full band formats. Her vast repertoire includes jazz standards, touching ballads, re-imagined pop songs, funky soul, Motown and RnB, and electric dance and Top 40 hits. She manages to find something beautiful in every genre. When she is alone on piano, she is often compared to international stars like Alicia Keys, Norah Jones and Diana Krall.

Throughout her career, Melina has garnered a diverse and extensive amount of show experience and has traveled the world through music, performing across Canada, the United States, Europe, the Caribbean and Mexico. Her performances are tailored to match settings ranging from international festivals and intimate jazz rooms to resorts, hotels, cruise ships, casinos, weddings and corporate gatherings.

Festivals

Montreal International Jazz Festival and Canadian Music Week

Resorts

Club Med in the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, Florida and Mexico

Jazz venues

House of Jazz and Upstairs Jazz Bar and Grill in Montreal

Hotels

Fairmont Queen Elizabeth, Fairmont Mont-Tremblant and Park Hyatt Busan

International

The World, with travel through Alaska, Russia, Japan, Greece, Croatia, Italy, France and Spain

Events

Weddings and corporate gatherings

Casinos

Casino de Montréal and Mont-Tremblant Casino

Bands and ensembles

Les Belluscious Girls, KiX Party Band, The Messengers Singing Telegrams and Annakin Slayd

Creating opportunities through music

Community has always mattered.

Between 2009 and 2012, Melina ran Acoustic Nights Montreal, which gave exposure to emerging singer-songwriters from across Quebec and Ontario who were seeking to expand their recognition and try out new songs. Through a bi-monthly series of showcases hosted by Melina herself, the initiative was her way of giving back to the Montreal music community. Proceeds from each showcase were distributed equally among the performers.

As the series evolved, it gave birth to the annual Acoustic Nights Montreal Teen Songwriting Competition, which gave young composers the opportunity to showcase their material to a panel of judges and a live audience. The competition offered studio time, music lessons, gear, workshops and networking with high-profile Montreal musicians. It gained significant attention across Montreal and culminated in a feature on Canadian national television station CTV News during its two-year run.

Inspired by the impact of Acoustic Nights Montreal, Melina wanted to provide musicians with sustainable, long-term support. She undertook MBA studies from 2013 to 2015 at the John Molson School of Business, where she developed the skills, connections and partnerships to build the live music booking agency Scène Prestige Productions. She ran the agency from 2014 to 2018, providing live music for weddings and corporate gatherings, helping organizers understand the value and elegance live music brings to events and negotiating fair contracts for musicians.

In 2019 and again in 2020, Melina joined forces with the youth arts community non-profit Overture With The Arts and revived the Teen Songwriting Competition. Open to local teens aged 13 to 18, the OWTA Teen Songwriting Competition offered prizes and opportunities to perform original songs on large platforms, including the Strangers in the Night gala. Many young artists used the initiative to jump-start their own creative paths.