When she was young, she would occasionally watch shows that involved J-pop, and she has also listed Celine Dion, TLC, and Destiny's Child as inspirations.

[3] While she was a high school student at Punahou, she had a secret audition with record producer Tetsuya Komuro, who was forming an international unit, but when they wanted her to join the next day, she negotiated to wait until she graduated.

[better source needed] In June, she released the single "Simple as That" along with a cover of "Over The Rainbow" from The Wizard of Oz; the latter was used in a commercial for Mitsubishi Motors.

[7] She is also known for singing the single "Realize" which was the theme song for a TV drama series called Dragon Zakura, which debuted sixth on the Oricon charts.

Her single, "Love Story", written by her sister Christine (KURIS), was used in the drama series Kodoku no Kake – Itoshikihito Yo in the summer of 2007.

[5] She found it difficult to teach her kids English while living in Japan so they put together the project to give children a fun way to learn.

[4] Melody has three sisters: Christine Saimo, who goes by KURIS in the Japanese music industry and who also resides in Tokyo; and Harmony and Rhythmy, who live in the United States.