No matter what you say: Melissa Gorga will still shine.
Over the years, The Real Housewives of New Jersey fans have seen Melissa make moves as a business owner, mother, wife, friend and more, taking on numerous challenges while always staying true to herself. But do you remember the beginning of her music career?
No, not her cover of “Amazing Grace”—although the moment in Season 3, Episode 5 where she accidentally sang “a wench like me” instead of “a wretch like me” was iconic.
In 2011, Melissa first shared her longtime passion for singing with the world, putting herself “on display” for real by releasing a single.
“Music was my first love! I remember being in elementary school and loving music class so much,” she wrote at the time in Season 3 RHONJ blog. “I’m so excited for everyone to hear me sing.”
“I’ve been toying with the idea for years, but I always want to put my family first, so it was hard for me to make the decision to do it,” she added. “At this point I’m scared, I’m scared and I don’t know if I can do it. But if I don’t try, how will I know?’
Melissa Gorga’s Single “On Display”
Fortunately for Bravo fans everywhere, she tried: She released her first single, the pop-heavy “On Display,” co-written by Antoni Bittar, in August. He describes her time in the “heat of the limelight” – and remains a bop to this day.
“I can feel the weight of the world pressing down on me,” she sings in the first verse. “I can feel the eyes of everyone looking at me, I can feel the heat of the spotlight shining on me, I can feel the pressure on my body.”
“Cause I’m on show, on show, on show, everyday, everyday, everyday,” she adds in the chorus. “Everybody’s waiting for me to fall, everybody’s waiting for me to crawl, but they can keep waiting.”
The musical career of Melissa Gorga
After the song’s success, Melissa continued to share her music career with the world, unveiling her new home recording studio (built by husband Joe Gorga) and releasing the singles “How Many Times,” “Rockstar,” “I Just Wanna,” and “Never Let Me Go.”
As her repertoire expanded from club hits to ballads, RHONJ fans also saw Melissa dating some stars in the entertainment business. From talking to manager Johnny Wright in Season 5 to dancing with choreographer Chris Judd in Season 4, Episode 11, Melissa has always shown that there’s more to a good performance than just hitting the notes.
“She was a trooper and a true professional. You could tell she really wanted to put on a great performance. She was great to work with,” Chris told Bravo after the episode aired.
Now what? Although she eventually moved on to other callings and sold her home, complete with a recording studio, the Envy Boutique owner told And! News in 2016 that she “never says never” when it comes to releasing new music.
So far, she’s made good on her promise, recording “Work Done” with Portia Williams from The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Sonja Morgan of The Real Housewives of New York in 2019 and then heads into the studio with her RHONJ recruit friends to record a country song during their season 12 trip to Nashville.
“On display” at BravoCon 2022
At BravoCon 2022, she performed in a musical medley alongside Kenya Moore, Scheana Shay and Candiace Dillard Bassett, closing the show with “On Display”.
Joined on stage by Andy Cohen, a gay shark (eventually revealed to be Anderson Cooper), and her fellow Bravolebrities, it was indeed a grand finale.
We keep watching, she keeps shining – every day.
I’m watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey he Bravo Tuesdays at 9/8c and the following day on Peacock. Catch up with the Bravo app.
The everyday meal is your source for all things Bravo, from behind-the-scenes information to breaking news, exclusive interviews, photos, original videos and, oh, so much more. Subscribe to The everyday meal podcast, join our Facebook group and follow us on Instagram for the latest news hot off the press. Sign up to become a Bravo Insider and be the first to receive exclusive perks.