MELBA MOORE, "No Filter"

Continuing a resurgence of interest in all things Melba Moore, the iconic Grammy nominated R&B singer, Tony winning stage performer and enduring American treasure’s latest single “No Filter” is a powerhouse contemporary dance floor hit in the making – and a classic return to form for the artist who dominated the dance charts from the mid-70’s through the early 80’s. 

The recent rise of Melbamania includes a much talked about April 2025 appearance on the Apollo stage, where she donned a bright form fitting yellow dress and a dramatic cape to perform her trademark disco-era hit “You Stepped into My Life” as part of a 5th Anniversary celebration of DJ D-Nice’s pandemic era virtual phenomenon “Club Quarantine.” 

“You Stepped Into My Life,” a Top 5 Billboard Dance single and Top 20 R&B hit upon its original release in 1978, was an integral part of the original repertoire of “Club Quarantine,” which earned DJ D-Nice the NAACP Imagine Award for Entertainer of the Year and drew millions of viewers, including the likes of former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Halle Berry, President Joe Biden and top actors and activists. Performers at the anniversary event included Deborah Cox, Case, Shirley Jones of the Jones Girls (who emerged from the turntables to give Melba a hug!), De La Soul, Raheem DeVaughn and others. 

Melba’s lengthy run on the Billboard Dance charts began with the Top Ten hit “This Is It” in 1975 and included the #2 smash “Love’s Comin’ At Ya,” “Free” (#14), “Make Me Believe in You” (#6), “Play Boy Scout” (#14), “Good Love Makes Everything Alright,” “Pick Me Up, I’ll Dance,” “Miss Thing,” “Take My Love” (#12), “Let’s Stand Together” (#12), and “Mind Up Tonight” (#17).

Verse two is similarly encouraging to those who may lack the confidence to be their authentic selves: “You only live one life/Fulfill your dreams/Fly like an eagle/spread your wings/You can make a difference/Let your voice be heard. . .Melba could easily be singing about herself in the next key line: “Sing like an angel.” The song also features a funky, jangling guitar and a wild, trippy synth solo that may remind some listeners of a classic 70s soul/fusion vibe.

“I’m not a songwriter, so the songs I choose from outside composers must have stories I can relate to and have empathy for,” Melba says. “The songwriters and producers I work with know me well and know how to write hit records. I’ve always had a strong desire to lift people’s spirits and impact their emotions in a positive way with my music. It has to resonate on a spiritual and emotional level with me before it can move others. 

“This was the impetus behind the title track to my most recent album Imagine and the title track’s inspiring vision of global love and unity during this challenging sociopolitical era,” she adds. “It’s also the reason I wanted to record ‘No Filter.’ Not only did it give me the chance to get back in the dance groove after too many years away, it’s a song telling people to embrace who they are to the fullest, not hiding or filtering their inner light out of fear of what others may think. It’s fun and philosophical all at the same time!” 

In addition to featuring the essential and hopeful original title track anthem Melba’s 28th overall album Imagine included the popular singles “Take Me Away,” “It Seems to Hang On” and “So In Love” – which spent three weeks at #1 on the UK Soul Top 30 chart and returned her to the airwaves in the U.S. and around the world. 

An inspiring, ever evolving and influential cultural icon for nearly 60 years, Melba Moore is having a blast entertaining a generation of new fans as the world rediscovers the multitude of musical gifts she’s been sharing with the world since 1967. That year, in addition to recording her very first song, the future Tony winner and four-time Grammy nominee played Dionne in the original cast of “Hair” while becoming the first Black woman to replace a white actress (future film star Diane Keaton) in a featured role on Broadway. 

A few years after appearing in Hair, Melba came to prominence in 1970, scoring a Best New Artist Grammy nomination for her debut album I Got Love earning and winning a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical for her portrayal of Lutibelle in Purlie – a role she would later reprise in the 1981 TV adaptation for Showtime. 

While continuing her recording career, Melba returned to Broadway in 1995 with a part in Les Miserables and soon thereafter launched her long-running one woman show Sweet Songs of the Soul, later renamed I’m Still Standing. Some of her highlights in the 2000s include an appearance in the film The Fighting Temptations (starring Cuba Gooding Jr. and Beyonce) and a role in a production of Ain’t Misbehavin’. 

“Looking back, I’m very grateful for the many twists and turns which have given me the opportunity to develop a career of great diversity,” says Melba. “I’m also grateful for the opportunity to continue releasing meaningful music that resonates and perform my own shows and at many exciting events, which indicate the direction where my career is heading these days.”