One of the greatest co-signs a young R&B and hip hop artist can get is from Rihanna, and when Melii heard the music and fashion icon blasting her music in an Instagram Story, she knew that her career was on the upshift. The Harlem artist is said to be one of the next in the new wave of rap, but the confidence she carries wasn't something that she's had all of her life.
In a recent sit down with BET, Melii explained that when she was younger, she would get bullied because of her looks, and although she learned how to stick up for herself, her friends didn't have the same strength. "I used to cry about it and feel insecure, but I learned to stick up for myself and not let it get to me," she said. "There was this one time I had to run after one of my friends. I found her in the bathroom on the sink trying to suffocate herself with a bag. Knowing that I could talk her out of that, being a person who was also dealing with the same thing at one point. I used to hide my face. I used to wear turtlenecks and I would put my hair in front of my face to hide it. There were a lot of things I had to grow out of, and knowing that I could help her and her confidence that day… That’s what I was talking about the studio and what I was saying on 'Pretty Girl.'"
The singer recently became embroiled in a bit of controversy after she stood accused of shading Meek Mill when she signed with Tory Lanez. The social media backlash was swift, and even though Melii attempted to defend herself, people spoke cruelly of her online. "I can’t say nothing," she responded when asked about the drama. "I don’t want no more of that anymore. I just want to focus on phAses. I will say this: I feel speaking can add the wrong information or give the wrong idea to people that are not involved."
"So, the truth lies in us three and within time, God bless all different paths," she added. "Whoever takes the lead in acknowledging and saying, 'Okay, this is what is' or 'We can move past it,' then that day will come, but for now I’m just going to remain strong and grounded to what I believe in and focus on music and what’s more important, which is just elevating my career."
