Juno and Grammy Award-winning singer Melanie Fiona honoured with Allan Slaight Award from Canada’s Walk of Fame.
The award recognizes young, inspirational Canadians.
(Toronto, Ontario) August 14, 2012 – Canada’s Walk of Fame, in partnership with RBC, announced today that Juno and Grammy Award-winning R&B artist Melanie Fiona is the recipient of this year’s Allan Slaight Award. In its third year, the Allan Slaight Award is presented to a young Canadian making a positive impact in the fields of music, film, literature, visual or performing arts, sports, innovation or philanthropy. The award is accompanied by a $10,000 honourarium and will be presented during the Canada’s Walk of Fame Awards on Global and Slice™ (date TBC).
“This award is a true honour and I am so appreciative to Canada’s Walk of Fame and The Slaight Family Foundation for this opportunity. Everywhere I travel, I hold Canada on my sleeve and in my heart. I am grateful to be acknowledged in my country,” said Fiona.
“Melanie Fiona has shown exemplary talent, commitment and passion for music. Her recent success, perseverance and rise to the top are an inspiration for our youth to follow, and we are pleased to recognize her as a young Canadian making a remarkable impact,” said Peter Soumalias, President and Founding Director, Canada’s Walk of Fame.
“My father launched the careers of many emerging Canadian artists, and this award honours his legacy. Melanie Fiona’s powerful voice and sheer talent guarantee her a promising future,e and we are thrilled to acknowledge her this year. Our two previous recipients, Drake and Nikki Yanofsky, are both international successes, and Melanie Fiona is no exception. Clearly, the sky is the limit for her,” said Gary Slaight, President and CEO, Slaight Communications.
Melanie’s sophomore album, The MF Life, was released in February 2012 on the heels of her two Grammy Award wins for Best R&B Song and Best Traditional R&B Performance for her collaboration with Cee Lo Green on “Fool For You.”
The album hit #1 on the Billboard Hip Hop & R&B Chart, garnering rave reviews across the board, receiving an “A-” rating from Entertainment Weekly while the LA Times stated, “Fiona’s voice is fantastic throughout.” Even Maxim and Marie Claire declared “She’s back,” and Billboard Magazine remarked, “ Fiona is singing up a storm, delivering a welcomed big voice to perhaps fill in the void of recent departures like Whitney Houston and Amy Winehouse.”
Since Fiona’s debut album The Bridge debuted in 2009, this Toronto-native and Universal Music recording artist has emerged as one of this country’s finest new breakout stars, known for her emotional storytelling and commanding voice. The ballad “It Kills Me” off her debut album topped Billboard’s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for nine weeks straight and earned Fiona her very first Grammy nomination in 2010 for Best R&B Female Vocal Performance. Fiona is recognized for her unique ability to blend classic R&B/soul influences with a hip-hop edge, resulting in an entirely fresh sound, which has led her to tour with megastars such as Kanye West, Alicia Keys, and now Mary J. Blige and D’Angelo on the “Liberation Tour” this August and September.