 Melisa
Prestianni was born on October 14, 1974 in the Bensonhurst section
of Brooklyn, N.Y. She is the oldest of three children and started
her singing debut in her family’s coffee shop singing Christmas
tunes. Every year she would always ask for instruments as birthday
and Christmas gifts. After her 4th birthday, she received her
first child-sized guitar and began unknowingly strumming and
making up words as best as she could with no lessons at all.
In the summer of 1984, when Melisa
was eleven, her family moved to Bloomfield, N.J. and took up residence
in a two family home with her grandparents from her mother’s
side, George and Virginia Ourganian. Her grandfather, who was a
very Godly man, gave Melisa the Godly foundation she has today.
As with most teenagers, his preaching’s seemed to be a burden
at the time, but she would later come to realize that his prayers
and teachings would have a major impact on her for the rest of
her life. Not only did Melisa share his love for God but also his
musical talents being that George Ourganian used to sing for his
local church and smaller theater productions in the area.
 Melisa
graduated Bloomfield College in 1997 with her Bachelor’s
Degree in Criminal Justice and Sociology while balancing her softball
and volleyball career for which she had received a full scholarship.
It was then that she and her grandfather would share the word together
whenever they had the opportunity. On February 26, 2002, her grandfather
passed away leaving behind a very loving family and the seeds of
God that he had planted within them.
Due to her passion
for singing, at twenty-eight years old, Melisa ventured out with
a friend, to sing in a few coffee houses and restaurants in town.
She gained some experience and exposure from singing in front
of small audiences, which was very different for her since, as
a child, she had only appeared in front of a few of her stuffed
animals while singing into a hairbrush. As Melisa grew closer
to God, she realized that the talent God had given to her was
a gift, and felt deeply blessed and inspired to share the gift
with others.
 She
instantly began praying and asked God to fill her with only the
words that He would want her to sing. Under the total grace of
God and help from two very special people in her life, she had
written, composed and recorded her first album. This album was
completed in a three month span, leaving those in the music industry
extremely amazed. Due to Melisa’s own amazement in how quickly
it was completed, she felt inspired to name the album Overwhelmed
With Love.
“My prayer was to touch everyone,”
she states simply, “but especially the non-believer. I named
this album Overwhelmed With Love because that’s exactly what
I was…overwhelmed and flooded with the Lord’s love
and it changed my whole life.”
Melisa knows that it was her grandfather’s
prayers and his love for her that led her to the very place she
is today, and for him she will always be grateful. Her only prayer
is that she could give the joy, peace and love she found in Christ
to others as her grandfather had so lovingly shared with her. |
