Melanie Amaro can’t recall the first time she sang. But, according to the 20-year-old singer, her mother remembers the moment almost to the very day. Debra Amaro recalls that when Melanie was just six-months-old, her put her to bed in her crib only to come in shortly afterwards to see her baby standing up in her crib singing away.
“At six months a baby’s spine isn’t aligned yet to sit up straight on your own,” says Melanie. “But I was sitting up on the crib, sitting up on my own and just singing. She said she didn’t have a clue what I was singing, but it sounded so pretty and she said it was music. She said right after I finished singing I would just lay my head back down and fall asleep.”
Needless to say, music has been a major influence from that time until now for Melanie, who most will recognize as the winner of the first season of TV’s The X Factor in 2011. For much of her young life, the Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native has used music to escape the pain of being separated from her family while living with her grandparents in Tortola, Virgin Islands.
“Being away from my parents for the long time, I had to find something to lean on, so I looked to God and I looked to my music,” says Melanie. “I just kept my mind from something else other than just being away from my parents.”
Church music brought her the most comfort, as did R&B, soul, and pop. Artists who influenced her the most include Whitney Houston, Mary J. Blige, and Mariah Carey.
Melanie says it was her mother who encouraged her to try out for The X Factor, a competition that resulted in her securing a $5 million—reportedly the largest guaranteed prize in television history—and a recording contract with Syco Music and Epic Records. “My mother was really pushing me. She was like,’ Melanie, God gave you this gift and He wants the whole world to hear.’”
In addition to winning the contract, Melanie also appeared in a Pepsi commercial alongside Sir Elton John, which aired during Super Bowl XLVI. She still lives in Fort Lauderdale, and is a member of The Faith Center Ministries in Sunrise, Florida.