Just a few short years ago, Melissa Forbes was sitting in her office on the 21st floor trying her best to be a successful lawyer, but something wasn't quite right. In March this year she's releasing her debut album No More Mondays, a clear statement that the office life wasn't for her!

"The title of the album is tongue in cheek. I think at times we've all felt that pang in the chest on a Sunday night. I just happened to feel it so strongly I decided to follow my passion and become a singer," explains Melissa.

While working part-time as a lawyer, Melissa studied jazz vocals at the Queensland Conservatorium in Brisbane, Australia. She won numerous awards, including the Conservatorium Medal for most outstanding student and graduated with a perfect GPA.

Melissa’s fledgling songwriting career has been similarly successful, with her tune "Broken Wings (For Chet)" a finalist in the 2004 MusicOz competition, and shortlisted in last year’s International Songwriting Competition. "The Weekday Sun" (written as a collaboration with husband Jim) has been selected as a finalist in the 2005 Port Fairy Folk Festival Songwriting Competition.

Melissa's influences range from Prince, Renee Geyer, Teena Marie, Jill Scott, Sade and Rick James, to Chet Baker, Cassandra Wilson, Kitty Margolis, and Rachelle Ferrell. She incorporates elements of soul, r&b, jazz, folk and pop into her sound and describes it as "jazzy blue-eyed soul".

Her debut album (released on her own label Kitten Kong Records) covers a wide range of material, from Metallica to Michael Jackson together with Melissa’s original songs, which are quirky, intelligent, soulful and jazzified. The entire project was recorded live over three sessions and was supported by the Queensland Government through an Arts Queensland grant.

For those suffering a severe case of "Monday-itis", Melissa thinks she has a cure: "I hope that people can play my album on those bleak Sunday nights, be uplifted by the music and know that there are alternatives, if you are willing to take the chance."