Competition winners looking to the future

Melissa Forrette and Alea Leilani have been named the winners of the 2015 Majestic Valley Arena Country Showdown. They now advance to the state Country Showdown competition during the Montana State Fair in Great Falls from July 24 to Aug. 1.

Melissa Forrette, 24, was born and raised in California. She moved to Montana at 18 with dreams of working on ranches, and currently lives in Victor.

A few years on ranches and working as an outfitter in the Bob Marshall Wilderness combined with a love for country music was the inspiration Forrette needed to begin writing songs.

A pianist in her younger years, Forrette first began playing guitar in 2009, when her uncle gave her his childhood instrument. She taught herself to play, and then began to write.

“I have to get hit with inspiration, I can’t just sit down cold and write,” Forrette said. “What really inspires me is being out in the mountains or working on the ranch.”

She added that her biggest musical influence is Merle Haggard.

“I love all of his music,” she said. “I love the stories in his songs. And of course his voice.

“I admire anyone who can put lyrics and music together and make a meaningful story.”

This is not Forrette’s first appearance in the state Showdown.

In 2012, she won the Montana state title and went on to compete in the regional contest. She has also performed as part of the American Country Star contest, and last year won Song of the Year from ACS for “I Made Him Your Man.”

This June, Forrette is heading to Nashville to perform at the Country Music Association Festival and Country Fan Jam. While there, she will also be performing an hour-long showcase at the Texas Troubadour Theatre and has an interview to air on SiriusXM’s country station, The Highway.

Forrette hopes to make it as a songwriter rather than a performer. She said sharing her music is the ultimate goal.

Alea Leilani, 13, was born in Hawaii (Alea means “sweet voice” in Hawaiian). She moved with her family to Colorado, and eventually on to Montana. She currently lives in Lakeside and is in sixth grade at Stillwater Christian School in Kalispell.

Leilani said she’s been singing for about five years, and decided to learn to play guitar about two years ago.

Leilani said her father challenged her to learn the guitar on a trip in Nashville. A music store had a guitar on display covered in crystals. When she joked that her father should buy it for her, he replied that he’d purchase it once she learned how to play.

She’s currently using her father’s guitar to play and write.

Leilani said her first public performance was as a first grader in a talent show. The following year she sang the National Anthem to begin a local school’s Veterans Day program. She did it to honor her father, a veteran and former F-15 Air Force pilot.

Her original song, “F-15,” was also inspired by her father.

In addition to her music, Leilani has performed with the Missoula Children’s Theatre and Alpine Theatre Project. She has been featured at multiple local events, including the Share Your Voice Foundation and TEDxWhitefish, and at The Boot Campaign in Nashville.

Leilani said she is “really, really excited for the big crowd” at the state Showdown. She hopes to prepare more original songs before the contest, and her ultimate goal is to be a professional musician.