Currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Meli Levi (Mehl-Lee Lee-Vigh) is equal parts singer-songwriter rock, blues and folk...with a good dose of Indie attitude! Meli is a gifted songwriter who has "something to say without being preachy". Her unique guitar stylings are complimented by a dexterous voice that can have a "prairie-dog cuteness of Brandi Carlile...but can crescendo like Jeff Buckley..." (Seattle Sound Magazine).
Meli has shared the stage with such artists as Brandi Carlile, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Eric McFadden, Bitch, Kathryn Calder (The New Pornographers) and more.
Meli's recent 2023 NPR Music Tiny Desk Contest entry was recently named one of KALW 91.7 FM San Francisco's local favorites. Meli's songwriting skills have been recognized internationally with a second place award in the Alternative Category of the West Coast Songwriters International Songwriting Contest. Meli also received a fourth place prize out of hundreds of participants in the annual Seattle Wave Radio Contest, which she won as the only solo act.
Born in Tennessee of a Jewish Northerner father and a Christian Southerner mother who met on the hippy commune โThe Farm", Meli had the courage to come out as queer at the early age of 14 years old. Meli was kicked out of her home 6 months later when her stepmom found out she had a girlfriend. During the remainder of Meli's high school years, she was shuffled around to three different homes and spent a summer homeless. This time period left Meli chiseled with grit, a whole lotta heart and a spirit of independence!
From the age of 11 Meli sang in choirs ranging from Jazz to Madrigals. She began playing guitar and writing music to poems when at the age of 18. At 20 years old, Meli moved her band Seeing Blind from Ann Arbor, MI out to Seattle, WA. Along with steady touring up and down the West Coast, Meli recorded studio albums with Seattle-based producer/engineer Jonathan Plum (Brandi Carlile, Blind Melon) and worked with Seattle production legend Jack Endino (Nirvana, Mudhoney).
Meli recently took some years away from performing and touring music to study meditation techniques in the high mountain deserts of Eastern California. This period greatly influenced the music she is creating now. It challenged Meli to question things about herself and the world, to move through the places inside that are uncomfortable and to discover a deeper connection within to music and creativity.
Meli has toured in over 50 cities in 15 states and performed at festivals such as SXSW, Sonoma County Pridefest, Railroad Square Music Festival, Portland Pride Fest and NW Folklife. Meli recently completed a Pacific Northwest tour this past summer.
Meli's latest release, 'Crowned', (co-produced with Grammy winning, multi-platinum engineer Isha Erskine - Maroon 5, Jeff Beck) is out on all streaming platforms now.
Meli is currently back in the studio recording her next album which is set to be released in 2024.