The world of music reality TV is known for its brutality, pulling no punches when it comes to its contestants. But Mele appears to be unscathed than most of her peers, and even thankful for the experiences. “I’m sure the people that asked me to be a part of the songwriting camp for Eurovision/MGP, decided to ask me because they saw my performances at The Voice,” she explains. Moreover, Mele’s mentor on the show, Espen Lind, one half of Norwegian production duo Espionage, is the reason she is studying at Lillehammer Institute of Music Production and Industries, introducing her to the music programme when she was seeking advice from him during a low point after exiting the show. “If I didn’t go to LIMPI and MGP, I would not have all the songs that I have,” she adds.

Though largely positive, Mele’s unique journey via reality TV has not been without its flaws. “It was way more difficult with The Voice with the hate comments,” she says. “It was so new, I was so interested looking at the comments, on YouTube…reaction videos. You read all these beautiful things and then there are two comments that just destroy you. I’ve been through things in my life [where] I feel like I can let verbal comments slip, but it was about my performance and my voice. I found it quite difficult, as musicians have always been supportive of my talent.

“Now with MGP, of course, there have been some comments, but it’s way less. I value the positive comments much more, and my [own] thoughts, not other people’s. I Love knowing what people think about the song, what people think about my performance, how I could do better, I always love a constructive comment because that makes me better, and I want to get better, but when there’s hate, people just saying stuff to hurt you because they are hurting themselves…more than feeling bad [for] myself, I feel bad for them. It’s very psychological.”