Finding Your Authentic Voice with Mel Collins

Author: Cesar Cardona & Foster Wilson
Published: Tue 15 Jul 2025
Episode Link: None

Award-winning jazz vocalist Mel Collins joins Beauty in the Break for a powerful conversation about healing through music, reclaiming identity, and finding joy in your authentic voice. Mel opens up about her journey from musical theater to jazz after years of vocal nodules, depression, and identity loss. When the discovery of one Ella Fitzgerald CD changed everything, Mel rediscovered her joy—and her calling.

Mel talks about navigating two vocal surgeries, aging in entertainment, her identity as a Black American, and how jazz became the liberating art form she was always meant to sing. She shares wisdom for artists, singers, and anyone searching for their path: how to know what’s yours, how to honor your voice, and how grace and pride can carry you through breaking moments.

In this episode they explore:

The $1.99 CD that saved Mel’s voice and rewrote her future
What two vocal surgeries taught her about healing, humility and reclaiming her voice
Why Mel was expected to be someone else—before they even heard her sing
The underestimated power of silent recovery and vocal rest
Rejecting the label ‘African American’ in favor of something more rooted
How artists can stop chasing youth and start owning their power

Mel Collins:

Follow her on Instagram
Check out her music and hire her to sing!

If this episode spoke to you, you will love Find Laughter in Life & Death with actress/producer Jennica Schwartzman. You can also watch the episodes on YouTube.

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Cesar Cardona: