[EXCLUSIVE] Melanie Fiona Talks Upcoming Album, Growth & Being Vulnerable, Giving Back, More; Plus Performance

Grammy-winning R&B artist Melanie Fiona has strayed away from the spotlight since the release of her 2012 album, The MF Life. Although she dropped a few songs during her hiatus ("Cold Piece" and the collaborations "Natural" and "Fight Through It"), the soulful and sassy songstress has been using the time to grow and experience more as a person.

"I'm so happy; I'm in such a great place right now, personally, professionally," a glowing Melanie tells Singersroom's DJ Jus Music. "It's been a while since people have seen me… I've been enjoying my life, living, growing, experiencing, being inspired to make great music… I've just been choosing happiness."

I hung out with Melanie during her debut appearance as a Hyundai Hope On Wheels Celebrity Hope Ambassador during the 2015 national grant program announcement at the Jacob Javits Center. During the heartfelt event, she performed several songs (videos below), and she also received an award for her dedication and commitment to the great cause. As Ambassador, Melanie will get involved in multiple activities on various platforms to bring awareness to pediatric cancer, including meeting with pediatric cancer survivors in the New York City area.

During our pow wow, Melanie also spoke a bit about the process surrounding her upcoming third studio album.

"I've been working on the forward thinking artist; the stronger, independent, more creative version of myself," she says. "I think it's all about bringing something new and fresh, not just in music, but in the approach in the way people think about music… I've always aimed to kind of break boundaries… I call myself and my team the little engines that could."

She also adds: "I feel like I've gotten even more comfortable with being vulnerable. I feel like I'm much more open to revealing what I think people need to hear, especially in a time like now. I've loved, I've lost, I've been humbled, I've learned patience. One of the greatest things I've learned is letting go of the things you cannot control…Your health and your happiness and your creativity, for me, is the only thing that's really important to maintain."

As far as her upcoming opus, Melanie says this is one of her best body of works to date.

"This album is the best pieces of work that I've done from each album… It's classic, it's soulful, it's diverse, it's me, it's all of the things that I think soulful music embodies… it just feels good," she says.

Without giving too much away, Melanie says of the project, "I gotta have a little Caribbean in there, little hip-hop, rock & soul; my diversity has never changed, but the growth has changed."

The highly anticipated project will arrive later this year. "It's gonna be so soon, so you don't have to wait much longer."

Watch Melanie Fiona perform at the Hyundai Hope on Wheels event below:

Melanie Fiona Performs "Ayo"