"No room for fear in the life I chose..."

With lyrics as fearless and passionate as her personality, songwriter and artist, Melissa Brett is not afraid to take charge of her destiny.

Determined to chisel out a unique place for herself in the music world, Melissa has released her debut album, Exposed.  Produced and written by the artist, the record is packed with emotion driven songs about love and loss that are both intensely personal and compelling.  Songs with diligent purpose - to express and connect.  In the collection are feisty, alternative rock tunes like "Fade"; which delivers old school, sexy funk with a contemporary twist, as well as sparse, intimate piano ballads like "Undercover Heart".  Even the lighter tracks retain her legitimate and soulful style such as "Unconditional"; a catchy song with a laid back groove and lyrics about desperate need and longing.  With moving vocal delivery and personal contribution to every detail, Exposed is a relentlessly strong portrait of Melissa's artistry.

And it's an artistry that is well established.  Melissa has traveled many roads, lived in many different parts of the country and all along the way, music has been in the passenger seat with her.  In recent years, she has earned her graduate degree in music at the University of Tennessee and has taught music at the college level.  She has also worked professionally in musical theater including jobs at Six Flags in Houston, Texas.  But music has been a central part of her life from the beginning.  Melissa was born in Woodbury, New Jersey but didn't stay long.  The daughter of a successful businessman, she and her family relocated often while she was growing up, forcing her to experience and adapt to a variety of situations.  Enduring some very lonely times as a child and teen, she credits music in getting her through those times.  These experiences also provided the songwriter with plenty of material and motivation to start writing and performing her own songs.  "I love all types of music, but I guess it's popular music that I have always gravitated towards.  There's just something about the way an electric guitar can burn right through you, or the way an acoustic guitar feels like home.  With raw, gut-spilling lyrics about everyday struggles and victories of the heart - it's what I connect with the most."

Confidently settling into her musical skin as a songwriter and recording artist, Melissa moved to Nashville in 2000. There she continues to develop her craft; attending writers nights, taking guitar lessons, and recording demos while working for the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in downtown Nashville.  Since moving to Music City, Melissa has been given many opportunities to perform her music.  She regularly participates in songwriter rounds and performances in local venues and has opened for well-known entertainers such as Montgomery Gentry and Marvin Hamlisch.

"It's just a matter of seeing the life you want and doing everything within your power to have it.  You don't get everything, every time, but that's secondary.  What's important is that you give your whole heart, mind and energy to it."   And with all the heart, passion and talent that Melissa has to give, there is certainly plenty for whatever life she chooses.

Press Clips

"The title tune to Brett's disc debut showcases a sultry, soulful vocalist who begins in a husky alto then soars upward into a fiery crescendo.  Outstanding, throbbing electric guitar and a sizzling rhythm section are hallmarks of the track.  The hooky songwriting, expert production and dynamite singing mark this gal as a triple threat pop/rocker.  She works as a demo singer on Music Row.  This set argues that she is capable of much, much more."
-Robert K. Oermann, Music Row Magazine

"Though Brett doesn't shy away from opening up her mouth wide to let out a great, quivering note, each of the 12 songs on her album reveal a host of insecurities, worries and heartbreaks. Penning each of the ballad-y, heartfelt songs herself, she also plays piano and acoustic guitar on the album - to be expected, we suppose, from a woman who was named after the sweetest of Allman Brothers songs."  
- Paige M. Travis, Knoxville Metro Pulse

"The pick of the bunch are "Pretty Caroline", a particularly beautiful effort, although it does takes time to grow on you, and "Exposed" which perfectly highlights Melissa's blend of pop sounding Americana.  If Melissa has any more material of the caliber displayed in this album up her sleeve, then she should shake it out immediately and get back to the recording studio."
-Reviewer, The BluesBunny

"Emerging from the heart of the country music capital, Brett produces emotionally charged, harmonious tales of love, lust and loss, hope and life’s realism.  She brings to her music a sense of trueness.  Her songs tell a story that has meaning, which in turn gives her a real voice separate from the shallow, at times, contrived push other aspiring talent produces."
- Brandon Wilson, The Verde Independent 

Press Photos

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