You could trace the dream back to the Muppets; seeing them at the age of four was the first time Melissa Marquais felt the call of the stage, a call she hearkens to as often as possible, delivering charm, class, and personality in ample doses for her audiences. From her youth in Long Island, New York, she grew up with music, hearing the stories of her grandfather Ernest Schweikert’s travails and triumphs in the music business. A songwriter for Billie Holliday and Sammy Davis Jr. and a friend of the legendary Burt Bacharach and Hal David, Schweikert died when Melissa was only three, though the lessons he learned are a source of guidance, shaping her to this day.

Keeping ahead of the grasp of poverty and tragedy while evolving her focused and devoted work ethic, Melissa’s teens seemed a case of running to stand still. Beset by financial and emotional catastrophe, still she sang at any venue which would let her. Weddings, restaurants, street fairs, and bars were the playing field, and Melissa gave her all, meticulously building a reputation for herself as a dynamic and versatile performer. Producer Mike Sapone provided a crucial opportunity, asking Melissa to record some songs for the children’s program Zebbie Zoo, and from there, the road kept spiraling up.

After a dynamite performance on Amateur Night At The Apollo, she performed on Queen Latifah’s nationally-broadcast show, then returned to the Apollo in triumph (with a remarkable total of six wins on that program). Upon meeting songwriters Peter Columbo and Steven Farella, Melissa began collaborating with them on original material, and the end results included her signature song “I Sleep Alone” and five other works. Her performance of “I Sleep Alone” at the 2002 Winter Music Conference was the first time an artist had ever performed a ballad at that venerable dance music institution, and she won the crowd over completely.

Since then, Melissa has been introduced by Joe Piscopo to a screaming crowd of thousands during the halftime show at a New Jersey Nets game at the Meadowlands arena, hosted The Making of A Record Label for cable television, been featured in the UPN show Classmates, recorded with the infamous Marleys, and acted in the independent feature film Back to Manhattan. Having already recorded five new songs with legendary producer/songwriter Charlie Craig, Melissa has relocated to Nashville to work on new songs and record new material. Craig has worked with Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Randy Travis, Alan Jackson and Aaron Tippin, and his eye and ear for talent makes his work with Melissa seem somehow inevitable. Melissa is also collaborating writing efforts with the likes of Shane Keister, Greg Perkins and Bruce Burch. Burch is best known for writing Reba McEntire’s, “Rumor has it.”

It has been a difficult road for Melissa Marquais, but one which has yielded incalculable rewards to the vivacious and charming young woman. "At this point,” she says, “I want to share my experiences through songwriting. I want the whole world singing my songs!”  When legendary performer Billy Joel met Melissa, he gave her two very important pieces of advice; never to take no for an answer, and that she had it in her to be a songwriter if she truly believed in herself. Persistence and drive are a huge part of making it in the music business, as are holding on to one’s dreams and maintaining a healthy sense of reality. For Melissa Marquais, reality is getting closer and closer to the dream every day.