Raised in a musical home – her father was a music teacher – Doane mastered many instruments, including the piano, bass, mandolin and violin, at a young age. In 1993, she recorded an EP titled HARVEST TRAIN and released it independently. The songs made their way to executives at Sony Music Canada, and soon after Doane signed to Sony and began working on her debut album, SHAKESPEAREAN FISH. While the album received critical praise and garnered a loyal following, it wasn’t until the release of Melanie’s sophomore album that her music made a mainstream impact. ADAM’S RIB (her second album with Sony), was released in Canada in 1998. The title track and first single, a rocking anthem about a rib wanting to have its own independence from a man, displayed Doane’s vocal, violin, and songwriting talents. The song was a success at radio stations nationwide, and Doane earned a spot on the Lilith Fair concert tour. The following year, she walked away with the 1999 Juno Award for Best New Solo Artist. Subsequent singles “Waiting For The Tide”, “Goliath” and “Happy Homemaker” each charted Top 40. In August of 1999, the album was released in the United States under the Columbia Records label. Following promotion and touring for ADAM’S RIB, Doane took a break from recording to have a baby and work on other projects, including writing for other artists and acting in the independent film Black Swan. She also released a live album, MELVIN LIVE, featuring Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies in 2001. In 2003, Doane announced that she had parted ways with Sony and signed with Actorboy Records, an independent label created by her husband, theatre director and actor, Ted Dykstra, and actor, Gary Sinise. Her latest album, YOU ARE WHAT YOU LOVE, was released that year by Warner Music Canada. The music video for lead single “Still Desire You” featured clips from her role in Black Swan. The video reached #1 on the MuchMoreMusic Top 10 countdown, and the song reached #5 on the national radio charts. During touring and promotion for YOU ARE WHAT YOU LOVE, Melanie became pregnant with her second child. In 2008, Melanie returned with the critically acclaimed album A THOUSAND NIGHTS, inspired by Melanie’s experiences with motherhood. The album features a lush assortment of original songs and cover tunes, including beloved tracks by Fleetwood Mac, The Everly Brothers, Tom Waits, and Leonard Cohen. Tracks “Every Little Thing” and “Chopin Ballad” were later featured in hit TV shows “Being Erica” and “Flashpoint”. On June 16, 2009, Melanie released her new single “Back To L.A.” on her independent label Prairie Ocean, distributed by Conveyor/Universal. | |
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