Where is Melanie Amaro?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the 19-year-old British Virgin Islands native has been ordered to undergo a sort of pop star boot camp that involves a strict regiment of exercise and monitored nutrition.
An insider say, “L.A. Reid is adamant that Melanie get thinner so he’s hired a trainer for her, has her on a strict diet and checks in personally every day to see how much weight she’s lost. When she comes back, it will be a whole new Melanie Amaro.”
“Melanie Amaro is the winner of Simon Cowell’s singing competition “The X Factor.” She received a $5 million contract from Epic Records and has released two singles since the show wrapped in December 2011.
Her cover of Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” released digitally in conjunction with her Super Bowl Pepsi ad (part of the “X Factor” prize), reached No. 3 in dance and club play but never charted elsewhere. News of a forthcoming album has been quiet. “American Idol” winners, usually have albums out within five months of the show’s finale.
Melanie has been tweeting about her progress in the gym and at the studio, where she’s had sessions with Kuk Harrell (Rihanna, Justin Bieber). In March she told Billboard.com, “I look for songs that are connected to real life scenarios — love songs, breakups, getting hurt, finding the strength to keep on pushing in life.” She’s recorded four or five songs for her debut, a mixture of ballads and upbeat pop songs and said that she’s not under any deadline to finish her debut.
A label rep says the album is due out in 2012.
