Syvan Meller, known professionally as Petite Meller, is a French-Israeli singer, songwriter and model based in Los Angeles. Her debut album, Lil Empire, was released on 9 September 2016.
Early life
Meller was born in Paris, France and relocated to Tel Aviv when she was 11. Growing up, she split her time between Israel and Paris, where she would stay with her grandmother. During a family vacation, Meller suffered severe sunburn on her face and body. As a result of this, Meller wears red blush on her cheeks as a symbolic reminder of the past trauma she faced. She cites psycho-analysts Freud and Lacan as the inspiration behind this decision.
Career
Meller began her career in Israel, performing as a vocalist in the Israeli electroclash band Terry Poison from 2003 to 2011. After leaving the band, Meller moved to Brooklyn, New York to seek out her own sound. Speaking of her departure from Terry Poison, Meller said that the decision to leave left her "liberated" and filled with "feminine power." During her time with Terry Poison, the band released a self-titled debut album, with Meller assisting with writing and composing as well as performing vocals throughout the album. In 2015, Meller was signed her first record deal with Island Records UK and Island Records US, That year she was also signed by the CEO of Warner/Chappell Music US Jon Platt on a publishing deal. Her 2015 single "Baby Love" peaked at #30 on the UK Singles Chart. Her debut album, Lil Empire, was released on 9 September 2016. Meller was nominated for the MTV Europe Music Award for The Best Push Artist of 2017.
Artistry
In other publications Meller is portrayed as a French singer, even though she herself defines herself as a citizen of the world. She has an MA in philosophy from a joint program between the Sorbonne and Tel Aviv University. She has stated that her music is "not very connected to reality", and she describes her music as "nouveau jazzy pop". Meller has collaborated with director and architect Asaf Tennessee Mann and Mexican director, Napoleon Habeica, receiving 10 million views on YouTube in return. Their projects were filmed in Kenya alongside locals actors of which appear. The project was done for the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping that were kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2014; it represents female students empowerment.
Personal life
Outside of her music Meller prefers to keep a low profile, with her media interviews rarely ever containing any personal information.
