Melissa Indot is a household name synonymous to feel-good music, pixie haircuts and wacky fashion. Guilty of pulling off all three in effortless manner, the star is all but contented. Having released 'Eclecticism' in 2007, we saw all of her swanky self grace MTV screens and since then, she has stolen the local live music scene in a single swoop of charm.

How would you label your music genre?
It’s pop.

Any jazz influence?
It’s a branding I’ve never been very comfortable with. I do not see myself as a predominantly jazz artist at all. I sing music which is relatively across the board. So yes, I do sing jazz, but I don’t just sing jazz. In fact jazz is probably the thing I do the least of. But I find that people in Malaysia tend to use the terminology quite broadly not perhaps understanding what jazz really is about. Essentially, I’m a commercial pop artist.

Is there a commercial pop artist you could compare your music styles to?
Wow, that’s quite a tough question because it’s really setting the bar.

Katy Perry?
Actually, I was going to say Katy Perry so it’s better it came from you [laughs].

What was your biggest career break?
Probably in terms of coverage, my biggest career break has to be in London when I performed live on television for 14 million people on the National Lottery Programme. Everybody tunes in to check their numbers and that night, we had 14 and a half million viewers so I would say that was pretty great.

You also performed at the Royal Albert Hall?
Yes I was 16. I was a young little whipper snapper teenager. That was pretty amazing as well. In fact, this holiday I was watching the Adele concert there and they did this big pan of the whole internal area of the hall and I thought ‘Wow, not many people can say they’ve sung in there and I have.’

And you were younger than Adele too.
Yes. And before Siti.

We find musicians telling us it’s easier to write music and lyrics when you’re sad or heartbroken. Do you find this true?
True for me, I would say. When you’re down and out, that emotion is pretty much intense. You don’t really need to think about how you feel and when you write, it just comes out. Being happy is actually something that’s harder to be sometimes and it’s harder to write. In fact, in my second album, I’ve been consciously trying to write more happy songs.

So you have a second album out soon?
Yes, I’m targeting the first quarter of this year. Our working title is ‘Rainbow Butterfly’.

That’s two Mariah Carey albums in one title.
You’re obviously a Mariah Carey fan then.

Uhm, let’s move on. As a Malaysian artist, do you feel obligated to write in Malay?
No. I don’t. English is an international language and I don’t intend my music to remain in Malaysia.

You’re both a DJ and a singer. Which is more challenging?
I suppose DJ-ing would be harder for me. Because I’ve been doing it for not as long as I’ve been singing. So it’s pretty much second nature for me.

Does fashion and music go hand in hand for you?
With me, music first. Funny that you should mention fashion because I actually have a t-shirt line (www.popmusesic.com). For me, that’s where the music and fashion collide. I love t-shirts, I live in t-shirts and t-shirts are no longer just casual wear. So when creating merchandise, rather than create merchandise with my face or name on it, why not an actual fashion line that relates to music?

How would you describe your style?
I’d say I’m quite street casual. I’m generally attracted to things that people won’t wear.

Melissa Indot will hold an intimate concert at 7atenine on Jan 14. Check out the event details for more info.