Oftentimes, you don’t know what to expect when meeting a celebrity in person. Since I’ve been hearing so much about Melanie Fiona, for a good year now I had some ideas of what to expect. The Canadian songstress was definitely going to be at least 5’8″ since she seems to tower over her audiences on stage. Her voice would shake the walls of any room, since her amazing vibrato puts power into any tune. And of course, she’d have a bit of an entourage. What else would you expect from a diva in the making?

Unfortunately or fortunately, I met a completely different person.

Honestly, when she walked through the glass doors of  Roc Nation’s midtown Manhattan office, I mistook her for another staff member. Wearing distressed jean shorts, a bright tank with an exposed bra and a few pieces of jewelry she literally looked like the girl next door… If your door is in Brooklyn.

We spent the first few moments of the conversation gabbing about thrift-shopping and great finds in the city. This powerhouse of a singer who adapts to the stage like a modern Billie Holiday, was just a regular “cool homegirl!”

Watch my interview with her below, to hear about her experience touring with Alicia Keys & Kanye West, the anticipation of the BET Awards (she is nominated for four awards) and her relationship with fellow Canadian artist, Drake.