Brian Melo

Brian Melo

Brian Melo performing in Winona, Ontario in 2007.
Background information
Birth name Brian Melo
Born August 15, 1982 (1982-08-15) (age 29)
Origin Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Genres Pop/Rock
Occupations Singer
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano
Years active 2007–Present
Labels Sony (2007-2009)
Rat Pack (2010-present)
Fontana North (2010-present)
Universal (2010-present)
Associated acts Ryan Malcolm, Kalan Porter, Melissa O'Neil, Eva Avila, Theo Tams, Faber Drive
Website Brian Melo

Brian Melo (born August 15, 1982) is a Canadian singer-songwriter from Hamilton, Ontario who was the winner of the fifth season of Canadian Idol in 2007. His first studio album, Livin' It, achieved Gold Status in Canada. His second album, The Truth, was released October 2010.

Contents

Biography

Early life

Brian Melo was born in the East End of Hamilton, Ontario to Maria and Augusto Melo, immigrants from São Miguel, Portugal. He is a graduate of Cathedral High School.[1] He professionally trained vocals at the Royans School for the Musical Performing Arts, which also featured Our Lady Peace frontman Raine Maida.[2] In 1997, Melo sang back-up for Shania Twain as part of a choir and from 2003 he was the lead singer for Hamilton, Ontario alternative/indie band Stoked with guitarist Joe Cacioppo, bassist Rick Fazendeiro, and drummer Paul Fontes.

Canadian Idol 2007

At the time of his Idol audition, Melo was still living in Hamilton and working as a construction worker. He had auditioned for previous seasons of Canadian Idol but had never made it past the judges. In early 2007, he was encouraged by both his best friend Kevin Craig and his brothers Larry and Dave Melo to try again in Toronto. His audition was the first one shown in the television broadcast.

During the finals of the competition, the judges all praised Melo for his emotional performances and his command of the stage. After his performance of "Karma Police" by Radiohead in the Top 5 episode, the audience and judges gave him a standing ovation, with Jake Gold remarking, "I just hope the people at home understand what they just saw. One of the most magic [sic] moments ever on this show." Zack Werner added, "Mr. and Mrs. Melo, your son very well may be the next Canadian Idol. You [Brian] give credibility to the whole damn franchise."[3]

Many of the special guest judges spoke very highly of Brian Melo during the show: - Brian May of Queen was very impressed with up and coming star. “Brian Melo is the real deal”, he commented live on the show. - Grammy Winning Vocalist Enrique Iglesias said “It feels as if Brian Melo already has millions of fans out there.” - Kelly Clarkson was overheard saying she "loved the raspiness in his vocals."

On September 11, 2007, Melo won Canadian Idol, despite having been considered the "dark horse" at the start of the competition, and having landed in the "Bottom Two" twice. He beat Jaydee Bixby for the title, who had never been in the bottom three throughout the entire series.[4]

The finale was viewed by more than 2 million Canadians, and approximately 5 million votes were cast, the most in Canadian Idol history. Brian won by a landslide, with a CTV official stating about the vote difference, "With respect to Brian and Jaydee, the margin is significant enough that out of respect for Jaydee we will not release it."

His first single, "All I Ever Wanted", was released at 12:00 AM on September 13, 2007. The song is also featured on his debut album, Livin' It, which was released on November 27, 2007.

Canadian Idol Performances

Week Song Artist Status
Top 22 "Stereo" The Watchmen Advanced
Top 18 "Angels" Robbie Williams Bottom 4
Top 14 "Drive" Incubus Advanced
Top 10 "If You Could Only See" Tonic Safe
Top 9 "Bold As Love" Jimi Hendrix Bottom 2
Top 8 "She Talks to Angels" The Black Crowes Safe
Top 7 "Too Much Love Will Kill You" Queen Bottom 2
Top 6 "The Dolphin's Cry" Live Safe
Top 5 "Karma Police" Radiohead Safe
Top 4 "Mack the Knife"
"Feeling Good"
Bobby Darin
Michael Bublé
Safe
Top 3 "Whiter Shade of Pale"
"Lightning Crashes"
Procol Harum
Live
Safe
Finale "This Ain't a Love Song"
"All I Ever Wanted"
"Hallelujah"
Bon Jovi
Brian Melo (Winner's Single)
k.d. lang & Leonard Cohen
WINNER

Post-Idol Career

2007-2008: Livin' It

2008-2009

2009-2010: The Truth

Notable Accomplishments

Community Work

Discography

Brian Melo discography
Releases
Studio albums 2
Singles 6
Music videos 4
Miscellaneous 1
Collaborations 1
Tours 2

The following is a complete discography of every album and single released by Canadian pop rock singer-songwriter Brian Melo.

Albums

Year Album details Peak Certifications
(sales threshold)
CA
2007 Livin' It 14
  • CA: Gold
  • CA sales: 52,000+[6]
2010 The Truth
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year Single Peak Album
CAN CAN
Rock[9]
Much
2007 "All I Ever Wanted" 11 Livin' It
2008 "Shine" 69
"Summertime"
"Back to Me"
2010 "Soundproof" 23 4 The Truth
2011 "Anywhere But Here"
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

See also

References

External links