Melik
Writer and Performer
Melik was raised in a small town in northern Michigan by a father who had a career in the Air Force, and his mother who taught school. His mother’s life was taken too soon by cancer, but she is still a strong influence in her son’s life. Melik is a brother to Michelle who lives in Portland, Oregon with her two children. Ms. Michelle is a colorful character busy exploring her world.
He came to the Lansing area to attend Michigan State University, and ended up making a home for himself here. By day, he is employed with the local library system and supplements that income waiting tables at one of Lansing’s fine dining establishments.
His lifetime experiences, powerfully motivated creative pursuits, and odd encounters with humanity are the source of his essays, poems, songs and comedy performances. His tools are an off the wall sense of humor, an outraged sense of right and wrong, and a unique way of viewing the world and her crazy inhabitants.
Melik, as a songwriter, and as the performer known as KgB, melds the energy of hip hop, with the warmth of jazz. The summer of 2006 saw him performing his music from the album pAIN b4 pLEASURE in local clubs, bowling alleys, and bars, as well as at the Masonic Temple of Detroit.
His endeavors include performing in West Side Story at the Riverwalk Theater and the creation of a local TV talk show, Time Slot, that ran for more than nine years and highlighted area people and visiting entertainers. He was both producer and host for the lively program and it had a strong following. The movie short Time Piece was based on his original screenplay titled, True Enemy, and Melik also wrote, directed, produced and starred in the movie short called Songs from High. Melik also had roles in several movies, television shows and commercials. A man of many passions and varied talents, he also writes and performs standup comedy.
Most recently, Melik approached The New Citizen’s Press and proposed an idea for a regular column, which has been well received. He has revived his interest in performing original comedy and live music to local crowds and in several major cities. He is also a regular guest on the Tim Barron Morning Show on FM 92.1 WQTX streaming live on wqtx.net. You can catch Melik crisscrossing the state performing comedy at clubs from here to Ann Arbor, Royal Oak, Windsor, and Toronto. And he has recently teamed up with the developers of the website Life In Lansing (lifeinlansing.com) to produce original video content including a new version of Time Slot.
Melik’s future has a myriad of possibilities. He is currently working on taking his interests and expanding them into a viable business. For more details about Melik, visit his website, me2upro.com or read his featured column in The New Citizens Press on Page 2.
