Creative Mastermind for Week 11/18: Melanie Thorton

Welcome to yet another Monday! I thank you all so much for coming today to visit The Creative Cabana and read all about this week's Creative Mastermind. I hope you all enjoyed your weekend and hopefully, if you live in the Midwest of the USA, you didn't get blown away by the outrageous severe storms that swept through the area yesterday evening. I currently live in Columbus, Ohio and I have to tell you I honestly thought I was going to be blown away to Oz last night, the wind was that strong. Thankfully I didn't notice any damage around my home, but others weren't so lucky- so please take the time to keep these people in your thoughts and lend a hand in the community to those who need the help!

For this week's Creative Mastermind, one of my readers sent me the name of a singer whose short-lived life also brought joy to people around the world and recorded a song to help welcome the holiday season. This singer showed much potential into her music career but ended tragically for her in death. This week's Creative Mastermind is Melanie Thorton.

Melanie Thorton was born in Charleston, South Carolina on May 13, 1967 and grew up with a huge passion for music and vocal styles. She began studying music at the age of just 6 years old and went on to sing in various clubs with other live bands. When she went to Germany to live with her sister, and eventually found work in a recording studio. She recorded a demo of "Sweet Dreams" which caught the attention of Frank Farian a producer known for his infamous group "Milli Vanilli". Farian had setup Thorton with the group "La Bouche" and went on to produce many hits all over the world, become one of Europe's Biggest dance groups. She left "La Bouche" in 2000 and went on to pursue a solo career with Sony/Epic Records. She went on to release a solo single "Love How You Love Me" and then in 2001 released her only solo album entitled, "Ready to Fly". In November of that same year, Melanie Thorton had been visiting Switzerland to go and promote her new album, "Wonderful Dream", just in time for holidays. Unfortunately she was killed in a plane crash on November 24th on her way to Zürich. 

The title song "Wonderful Dream" was planned to be in a holiday Coca-Cola commercial, but when news of her death struck there was some debate as to if the company should move forward with it. Coco-Cola ultimately decided to use the song for the commercial and it can still be seen today in many countries worldwide. Here's the full version of the Coca-Cola commercial from 2010 using Thorton's song in the background of the music. Some of the lyrics have been adapted for the Coca-Cola product, however the "holidays are coming" phrase is pulled directly from "Wonderful Dream".

  

The video below is the full version of Melanie Thorton's "Wonderful Dream" for your listening pleasure!

It's true we are starting to inch even closer to the holiday season, but one of things I love about this song is how upbeat and happy it sounds. Honestly, when I hear this song I not only think of Coca-Cola, but it reminds me of something I'd heard on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade! I mean you can just imagine Melanie Thorton on one of the moving floats with the kids waving and dancing while she's singing this song. It's amazing and very inspiring. 

So what is it about this singer that makes her a Creative Mastermind? When it comes down to it, she has a very genuine voice and translates it into a natural rhythmic sound. I place her up there with so many great artists who don't need any fancy auto-tuning or instrument involvement to make a good performance. I think Melanie Thorton could sing solo and A Capella with no trouble at all, and would still sound great! I also have to give points for her fabulous work in creating this song along with Coca-Cola to create one of the best promotional campaigns ever. Face it, as soon as you heard "... the holidays are coming... the holidays are coming", you knew that it was Christmas time! Had she lived longer, I think Melanie Thorton would've become a huge hit and I could see her playing a big role in today's music industry. 

That's all I have for now friends, I hope you've enjoyed reading about this Creative Mastermind and will be watching soon for that popular phrase and those lit-up trucks to grace your TV screens! Remember, this week's Creative Mastermind was sent in from readers like YOU, so if you know someone you'd like The Creative Cabana to recognize, then all you have to do is a leave comment on this post. Or you can also send in your ideas on the official Facebook page or Twitter page. 

*Image of Melanie Thorton used in this post was provided through Google Images. The videos of the Coca-Cola Commercial and "Wonderful Dream" were used from YouTube video links. I do not own Coca-Cola, Melanie Thorton, "Wonderful Dream", La Bouche, Milli Vanilli, or Frank Farian. All songs and groups mentioned belong to respective songwriters and producers. No Copyright Infringement Intended.