On the surface Melissa Livingstone may seem like any other west coast Canadian teenager. Having recently graduated high school, she spends much of her time snowboarding and surfing with friends while calling Kelowna BC her home. However, if you dig a little deeper you’ll find that the life of this Vancouver born songstress has been anything but conventional. Ever since her father – retired Coast Guard – passed away in 2007, Melissa has travelled the world in search of inspiration and purpose, and has learned many of life’s hard lessons earlier than most. Yet through thick and thin – from Paris to Rio de Janeiro – her one constant friend, enemy and confidant has been her music. Melissa’s musical journey began as early as she can remember. Her mother enrolled her in music lessons at a very young age, and Melissa recalls a moment at the age of 5 when she declared “I’m going to be a singer!”. “No one believed me”, laughs the lighthearted 19 year old. “I just kept singing.” Years later at the age of 14 she wrote and performed her first song for friends, family, and the townspeople of her then-home of Ucluelet. Soon after, as her life took a tragic twist, Melissa began to process her thoughts and feelings through her music and was struck with wanderlust. “I’m so inspired by nature, and by people.” She admits. “I just wanted to travel and discover new experiences.” Between extended trips abroad, Melissa found a gig singing backups with a travelling bluegrass band, reaffirming her love of the stage. “I remember one show, at a large outdoor festival,” she recalls. “I got up on stage and played one of my own songs for a big crowd for the first time. Seeing the smiles on people faces, it was an amazing feeling.” While following her restless spirit, Melissa continued to work at finishing her high school diploma through correspondence. As her graduation approached she returned home, unaware that she was about to write the song that would define the following years of her life. Having turned her focus from exploring the globe to the very thing that had driven her to leave, Melissa penned the song “I Miss You”, written for her late father. “That song is so special to me.” she admits, a hint of emotional unease beneath her relaxed exterior. “I decided to perform it at my graduation, and that’s when things began to move so fast.” Her performance was captured on video, uploaded to YouTube, and soon caught the eye of Vancouver-based producer Matt Roach. “You could tell that she had something special.” Admits Roach, “Not only her voice, but the honesty she put into that song.” Shortly after, Roach contacted Melissa, and so began the making of her debut album Simple Girl. “Making this album was such an incredible experience.” Beams Livingstone. “It was my first time recording in a big studio. It was like a dream.” Simple Girl was recorded at legendary Greenhouse Studios with a live band, featuring the guitar talents of Vancouver alumni Shawn Verreault (Wide Mouth Mason). Once you know Melissa’s story, the emotional depth of Simple Girl begins to come into focus. The songs range from sentimental to playful, from sad to hopeful, each embodying the vision of the young singer. Typically these descriptions would escape a 19 year old songwriter on her first album, but Melissa’s experience and compassion are undeniable. Simple Girl is the sound of love, loss, heartbreak, and adventure, as seen through the lens of a promising young artist. One listen, and it’s plain to see that Melissa Livingstone is a singer and songwriter with talent beyond her years.