Sourcce: Instagram

On Tuesday night, Lauryn Hill held an impromptu concert at the Williamsburg Hall of Music in Brooklyn to introduce her new single, “Neurotic Society Compulsory Mix.” Reaction to the news was mixed, considering everyone knows the singer is headed to prison in a month to serve a three-month sentence for tax evasion. But one person who thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to see her idol live was Melanie Fiona.

The Canadian singer took to Instagram to post a pic of her with Lauryn and express her feelings about seeing such an icon in person. She wrote:

I have had many blessed, spiritual, and unforgettable moments in my life… But none more inspiring and life altering than last night. For those of you have ever listened to my music as a full body of work, heard any of my interviews, or have been to any of my live shows… Knows, that Lauryn Hill is a driving force of inspiration in everything I do. There would be no first audition for me if couldn’t sing her version of “his eye is on the sparrow”… There wouldn’t be “Felony Miona” …. There wouldn’t be the artist you see today who isn’t afraid to bare her soul about life and love. And last night, I got to tell her that.

After seeing her murder the stage…I personally got to express my teary eyed gratitude. A REAL dream come true for me. Lauryn Hill is the true essence of artistry that I aspire to represent… One who can break barriers, colour lines, industry standards, and ignorant minds… All while making amazing heartfelt educated music. My life will never be the same… It will be better… For what I received last night in energy and inspiration will most definitely make me a better artist and woman in this industry. You will feel it. Thank You #LaurynHill… You are singlehandedly, hands down, the greatest to ever do it ALL… Triple Threat… And to inspire a musical generation so starved that we still anticipate any and everything that you will do in the future. With Love, Respect, Support and Gratitude, MF xo

Have any of you had a chance to see Lauryn Hill in concert? Can you identify with what Melanie Fiona felt?

Ah, you thought this was going to be a shade-throwing, Beyonce/Beyhive-bashing free-for-all, huh? No. It’s been done before; probably a million times alone since “Bow Down” dropped. But this is not that. That’s boring and really very non-progressive.

The lyrics that H-Town Stomped their way down my Twitter and Facebook timelines were enough. I didn’t need to hear the song. I got the gist. Shock value. Getting the rumor mill spinning. Debates about feminism. Press. Media coverage as far as the eye can see. Buzz got stirring in the belly of the Beyhive. Mission accomplished.

What all the media attention steered my little old truth-seeking self toward is the world of down-to-earth artists who’ve proven themselves in an equally effective yet totally counterintuitive way: a baseline of truth-telling and humility. Many of them have not secured as vocal a cult following as some contemporary artists, but all things considered, does that even matter? I can sit at an Amel Larrieux show at the Blue Note and listen to an entire set that will speak to any number of situations going on in my life, a millionairess’s life, a poor girl in India’s life. I can tweet her and see her respond, genuinely. How dope is that? I can watch Melanie Fiona’s “Creating of the MF Life” Youtube videos and understand exactly what she puts into her music from her own lips. Not a pre-packaged explanation, but a heartfelt narrative about each song and the process. No gimmicks. Just truth.

I can peruse an Erykah Badu interview and see her respond, “I don’t know. I’ve got to think about that.”  Badu, who has TIME IN with music and success in the industry doesn’t try to sugarcoat her way to a “good” answer, but instead offers honesty. Consistently. That’s just her way and music fans respect that. Though the person must evolve, their transparency is what fans vibe with more than anything else. It never fails. The artists who have already and will continue to secure the most meaningful kind of longevity (may not be the most visible or lucrative) are the ones who don’t strive to be untouchable. They just want to make music that is truthful and evolving and says, “Yo, I been there/am there too.”

We often try to weld together the ideas of true artistry and entertainment. And while the two can come together to create a transcendent experience, they aren’t one in the same. Just as processed foods satisfy us for the moment – natural, healthful food vibes with our body chemistry much more because it sustains, it cures, it invites us to be better, to live. There is no difference in music. The processed kind is cool and fun in moderation, but what stands the test of time and elevates us as individuals is in the $40 -ticket, smoky, dimly lit blues club set. It’s a simple “Thank you so much” to a fan’s praise. It’s the “I’m human too” interviews that make us understand that these folks are just on a journey like the rest of us. They’re not untouchable, they’re relatable.

The Behind The Musics and E! True Hollywood Stories and Unsungs show people who were/are so deeply in love with music but pushed to create everything/anything other than what feels real to them. Sell units. Sell out tours. Win Grammys. Be the best. Then, artistry and truth-telling suffers at the hands of being on top and staying on top when Lauryn Hill told us years ago that EVERYone has seasons of “learning and mastership.” No one is going to be on top forever. So what then are most fans going to crave for the long-term? The memory of one crazy hyped show, which was off the chain but cost them a car note? OR album after album of authenticity with track after track that speaks directly to any and every situation they face?

I salute consistent authenticity. Humility. Transparency. That takes courage and I can vibe with that. We vibe with those who come from where we’re from and refuse to pretend that they are larger than life. They leave their not-so-glamorous photos floating around on the Internet because, hey, they’re human too. They show us their scars and let us show them ours too. What they create may not be everyone’s cup of tea but it is their own and you can’t help but to dig that.

So, quite frankly, no, I won’t bow down to any entertainer, but I will stand tall and salute my sistren who are consistently affirming themselves and others, evolving, living honestly and giving me good music to last a lifetime.

La Truly  is just encouraging thought, discussion and change among young women through her writing. Check her out on Twitter: @AshleyLaTruly and AboutMe www.about.me/latruly.

As you know, Melanie Fiona is one of our favorites here at Madame Noire, so we were delighted when she recently decided to release the visuals to her track, “Wrong Side of a Love Song,” which is our JAM! Directed by the multi-talented and fine Larenz Tate, Fiona does split-screen storytelling, with one side showing the happier times of her for-camera relationship with the very delicious Omari Hardwick. On the good side, which is the left, the two dance together, he cooks for her, and they even have an intimate moment (damn her, she’s lucky!), while on the other side, we see more rocky times, with the two arguing, him texting other women, and eventually walking out on her, leaving Fiona alone in the apartment to sing sadly (but she looks fabulous in the process).

I think the visuals for this song are a perfect match. Every good and bad moment occurs inside of the four walls of their apartment, and while it’s a simple video, it gets the point across without too much extra drama or unnecessary plot points. But I must admit that I bust out laughing at the random advertisement opportunity for Motions hair products during the song’s big breakdown. But hey, get that money Mel. Check out the video for yourself below and let us know if it’s a pass or play for you and if you’re loving the song as well. Even if you’re not, wouldn’t these two make a fab couple? Just saying…

Getty

Did you check out Vh1 Divas last night? If you didn’t, that’s okay, because we know the lineup of performers weren’t all that exciting at first glance, but there were definitely some interesting and mad entertaining performances! No worries, we’ve got the clips here for you if you’re wondering how everybody did.

Out of all the people who put on a show on the main stage, the most interesting performances, in my opinion, came from Ciara, Kelly Rowland/Keri Hilson/Adam Lambert, and Jordin Sparks/Melanie Fiona/Ledisi. For some reason, the show about divas took the time out to show some love to Michael Jackson, and to do so, they asked Ciara to put on her best moves to imitate MJ’s classic “Billie Jean” performance from the “Motown 25″ special from 1983. Definitely some HUGE shoes to fill, but I can’t hate, Ciara actually did the damn “thang.”

She opened up with the moon walk and reinterpreted some of Michael’s classic moves in a feminine way, but she knew JUST the right moment to quit, as she broke out into a performance of her single, “Got Me Good” soon after. Loved it! Plus, as usual, her body was looking especially fit, which I know was inspiring some ladies watching last night. And on a positive note, she finally left the “matrix” move of yesteryear at home. Say what you want about the girl, but with her long limbs and especially great dance moves, she can definitely put on a show.

If that wasn’t enough for you, there was also a performance done as a tribute to the late, great Donna Summer. With Kelly Rowland singing “Bad Girls,” Keri Hilson doing “She Works Hard For The Money,” Adam Lambert (yes, the host of the night and former “American Idol” star performed multiple times actually) doing “Hot Stuff,” and the trio doing “Last Dance,” it was a VERY interesting performance to say the least. From Keri’s voice sounding like she was whining, to Kelly squealing and making some random noises and Adam almost falling down when his part began, it was all a bit all over the place. However, they pulled it all back together for “Last Dance,” where they were all hitting some good high notes and stopped being so cheesy. But the first few minutes? Yeah, probably could have gone without it…*Kanye shrug*

Last but not least of course, Jordin Sparks, Melanie Fiona and Ledisi paid tribute to Whitney Houston with performances of “I’m Every Woman” by Sparks, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” and “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay” done by Fiona, and Ledisi doing “How Will I Know.” Out of the three, I was actually pleasantly surprised that I was grooving the most to Ledisi, as she proved once again that homegirl can SANG! Plus, her dance moves weren’t too bad either. Sparks wasn’t bad of course (and she looked fab), and though she was moving around a bit too much instead of really singing, I was digging Fiona’s performance of “It’s Not Right, But It’s Okay,” probably because it’s one of my most favorite songs ever. Kudos to the ladies for trying some very difficult jams, but delivering. And shout out to Brandy for introducing them and looking gorgeous!

All in all, the show was all right. There were times when it seemed they just called anybody to come and get on stage. They’d shout a name and you would think, “Who!?” Plus, some of the twists they put on classic songs like “Bad Girls” wasn’t really my cup of tea (let’s keep it simple next time). Definitely wasn’t like the Divas programs that folks like Mary J. Blige and Whitney Houston used to kill, but it was fun enough. What did you think of the show though? If you haven’t seen the whole thing, check out these clips and let us know what you thought way down below!

Another week, but a lot more fashionistas with fly and forgettable fashions for you to see and pick apart. From Halle rocking velveteen in Berlin to Melanie Fiona looking retro in a lace minidress in Vegas, these ladies were very colorful and stylish this week. But whose look do you love and which do you loathe? Let’s go through and see…

WENN

Halle Berry

The stunning 46-year-old showed up to the Berlin premiere of her movie, Cloud Atlas, looking half her age in this velveteen dress with a side split, intricate draping and two different arms (one capped, one strapless). To accessorize, Halle wore strappy gray heels with silver cuffs and bangles, a large cocktail ring, as well as drop earrings with a fish bone design. The hair was in her signature pixie and the eyes were darkened to make her look pop.

Halle does it again! This look is very alluring yet sophisticated, and with that body and that hair, she’s killing the game. Steal!

WENN

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Style to Steal or Girl, Stop Fridays! Well, even if it’s not for you, we love ogling the fashion choices of some of our favorite sistahs. This week we saw an uptick in booties, and fall shades and colors were popping up all over the red carpets and sidewalks. Don’t believe me? Check out these ensembles and stars and let us know whose look you would steal and which ones you would stop.

Hey hey now! While you were somewhere at work focusing on your assignments or reading Madame Noire (*winks*), Vivica A. Fox was making her way to “Good Morning America” yesterday in NYC. She stepped on the concrete in a knee-length red Escada dress, a large black croc-embossed clutch and printed, peep-toe Louboutins. She even had her diva glasses on upon entrance, and kept the jewelry icy with long diamond earrings and a diamond ring. The Escada dress was a long-sleeved number with a wrap neckline and a slit above the chest. All in all, especially with this longer and darker wig, this is the best I think I’ve seen Viv look in a while. Plus, the outfit is just simply cute and would look good on anybody. Fresh faced and elegant in this look. Steal!

Source: centrictv.com

So last Friday, I was at the Liberation Tour featuring Mary J. Blige and D’Angelo–by myself. Yeah I know, it sounds pretty ambitious to go to a concert by yourself. However, Groupon was offering tickets to the show at a deeply discounted rate and this isn’t the first time, or even the second time, I have went alone to a concert, so I said why the heck not? And, once you get over the initial “Oh my God, I’m here jamming by myself,” it’s not so bad. Plus, little bottles of tequila that you ingeniously snuck in through one of the many zippers on your purse helps to settle nerves you may have too. But that’s a story for another time.

So I’m sipping on some tequila, passing the time until the show started, when the announcer told us to put our hands together for Melanie Fiona. The crowd let out a half-hearted clap – all except two older ladies, sitting three rows before me, who were hooting and screaming from excitement just a little too much to be believable. I suspect that they too had been indulging in too many well-hidden spirits.

Anyway, I’ve seen Fiona perform before – in Miami during this party for the American Black Film Festival, which I attended. And yet, I didn’t remember if I liked her or not. In fact, I was drawing a blank as to what songs she actually sung – or even what she looked like. But I think I liked her – I think. Back to this concert, Fiona hit the stage with blonde hair in an all black getup with a long black train. She did the whole, “how you doing Philly” introduction thing before the band started playing. Her first song was something I kind of knew and thought I heard before, but didn’t know (but later found out that the name of the song was “Wrong Side of Love“), which received small applause and attention from the audience, who were either still making their way to their seats – you know – CP time and all – or milling around too much to really pay attention. Undeterred, Fiona led into her second song, “It Kills Me,” and I swear to God, I heard a collective “Ooooh” like everyone had the same epitome about her identity at the same time. Now hands were swaying in the air and the folks who were still making their way to their seats put a little extra bop in their step. She followed that song with “Give it to Me Right” and then proceeded right into “4AM.” Now folks were standing, doing a little two step, talking about “that’s my song,” and mumbling through the lyrics that they didn’t know before busting out in full ensemble of the chorus, which they did know.

Man that girl can really sing. I mean her voice is on point and sounds just as it does on the radio. Not to mention her great stage presence and the undeniable catchiness of her songs. In fact, most of the songs she belted out at the concert receive great radio rotations. So why isn’t Fiona a bigger star than what she is?

This is a question that has always bewildered me. It seems that some singers like a Rihanna or a Beyoncé become household names while others like a Fiona or a Heather Hedley or even a Tamia, as demonstrated by this article, simply can’t break the ceiling of stardom – no matter how many number ones they have under their belts. Heck even Keri Hilson has more name recognition than Fiona and we all know that Hilson can’t sing her way out of a shower with great acoustics.

Hello Noires and Noirettes!

Madame Noire is giving away three pairs of tickets to see the lovely songstress Melanie Fiona live and direct in your city. If you live in the following markets,  you can easily win a pair of tickets.

All you gotta do is email us at editors_at_madamenoire.com (please replace _at_ with @) ; put Melanie Fiona Giveaway in the subject line and mention your favorite Melanie Fiona song and which concert you’d be able to attend. Winners will be selected randomly. Here’s the catch though, you must already be following us on Facebook or Twitter to be eligible so if you haven’t done so, please link up with us on social media.

We will be accepting emails between now and 11:59pm midnight so hurry in and enter! We will announce three winners tomorrow!

Eligible Cities

8/18/12: Virginia Beach – Farm Bureau Live

8/21/12: Boston, MA.- Bank of America Pavilion

8/23/12: Holmdel, NJ – PNC

8/24/12: Philadelphia, PA – Mann Music Center

8/26/12: Washington DC – Verizon Center

8/28/12: Atlanta, GA – Chastain Park

8/30/12: Miami, FL-American Airlines Arena’

9/2/12: Houston, TX – Toyota Center

9/7/12: Las Vegas – Planet Hollywood

9/8/12: Concord, CA – Sleep Train Pavilion

9/13/12: Chicago,IL. – United Center

9/14/12: Detroit – DTE Energy Center

Source: styleblazer.com

From styleblazer.com

By Jada Gomez-Lacayo

Do blondes really have fun? Well, Melanie Fiona, one of our superstar StyleBlazers, is about to find out! She debuted platinum blonde layers over her usual dark brown locks via Instagram. She rocked her new ‘do at The Darby in NYC last night, when she hit the streets for Estelle‘s live show. Mel has always flirted with edgy style, and her new hairstyle is freshly unexpected.

Check out more pics at styleblazer.com

More on Madame Noire!

• Are They Related? 10 Sets of Celebrities Who Look Way Too Much Alike
• Woo Woo Woo: 8 Celebs Who Really Need A Hug
• Ask a Very Smart Brotha Live: When Should I Introduce Him to My Son?
• Yeezy and His “Perfect B****” Are a Perfect Match: The Importance of Dating Someone With The Same Values
• LOL! The Funniest “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” Parody Ever In Life
• Somebody Lied to You And Your Lacefront: 9 Celebs Who Need a Lacefront Wig Intervention
• Lolo Jones and Her Pretty Girl Problem
  –

ADCOLOR live 2012, Antonio Neves – Industry expert, award-winning business journalist, author and CEO/Founder of THINQACTION, Inc, Christena J. Pyle – Interactive Producer, Wieden + Kennedy, Tiffany R. Warren – President of ADCOLOR and Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer for Omnicom Group, Melanie Fiona, Doug Melville – Chief Diversity Officer of TBWA\Chiat.

It was indeed a colorful night for ADCOLOR! The ADCOLOR Industry Coalition teamed up with Time Warner and Red Carpet Runway in NYC last night to announce the 2012 ADCOLOR Awards honorees, preview the 2012 ADCOLOR Awards Print & PSA Campaign by TBWA, showcase the first ADCOLOR app and more.

Tiffany R. Warren, President of ADCOLOR and Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer for Omnicom Group, Antonio Neves, journalist and CEO/Founder of THINQACTION, Inc., Doug Melville, Chief Diversity Officer of TBWA/Chia and Christena J. Pyle, Interactive Producer for Widen + Kennedy, were all on hand to speak on behalf of the event and to mix and mingle. If that wasn’t enough power in one room, recording artist Melanie Fiona got in the mix and attended, as you can see above. ADCOLOR continues to help support business professionals of color to make a big impact and clearly are doing a great job of celebrating all the great work these influential people do.

More on Madame Noire!

• Somebody Lied to You And Your Lacefront: 9 Celebs Who Need a Lacefront Wig Intervention
• An Open Letter To Boob Sweat
• Why Are There So Many Daycare Facilities in the ‘Hood?
• Keep It Movin’: Why You Need To Resist The Temptation of Relationship Relapse
• LOL! The Funniest “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta” Parody Ever In Life
• Rest In Peace…Or Not: 9 Posthumous Albums We Loved, And Some We Could Have Lived Without
• Bet You Didn’t Know: Secrets Behind the Making of Juice