Melissa Bell (singer)
| Melissa Bell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Melissa Cecelia Ewen Bell |
| Born | 5 March 1964 |
| Origin | London, England, United Kingdom |
| Genres | R&B, Dance, club, soul |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | piano |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Labels | Anditone Records |
| Associated acts | Soul II Soul, Dazz |
Melissa Cecelia Ewen Bell (born 5 March 1964) is an English singer. The former lead singer of Grammy winning R&B act Soul II Soul, and currently fronts the group Soul Explosion, which started in 1999. She has also worked with Liza Minnelli, Whitney Houston, and Stevie Wonder.
A native of London, Bell is of African, and East Indian descent through her Jamaican-born parents. She is a graduate of Southwark College in London Borough of Southwark. She later began working in customer service for Marks and Spencer in 1982 until 1991.
In 1987, she was featured on Bobby E and the Midi City Crew's single "Walk on the Wild Side". In 1991, she appeared on the song "The Dancer" from the Bingoboys' album The Best of Bingoboys. She released her debut single "Reconsider" in 1992, which received major radio play.
In 1993, Bell joined British musical group Soul II Soul after Jazzie B heard her single "Reconsider" and asked her to join the group. She recorded a single called "Wish", which was released on their greatest hits album Volume IV The Classic Singles 88–93 in 1993. The single peaked at number 24 on the UK Singles Chart. The success of the song invited her to perform the song on Top of the Pops. She continued to record and tour with the group as one of their featured singers. In 1995, she performed lead vocals on the song "Be a Man" on their fourth studio album Volume V: Believe. In the same year, she departed from the group to continue her solo career.
In 1997, Bell released four singles "Rumbled Sex", "Surrender", "Mixed Up", and "Nothing Gonna Stop Me Now"; which featured Potential Bad Boy. In 1999, she formed a new soul band called Soul Explosion. In 2000, she released two singles "Into My World" and "Love's in Need of Love Today" with a group called Dazz. In 2002, she released another single "(No More) Searching".
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