Melissa Steel grew up in Bradford. She attended Tong Leadership Academy with classmate Zayn Malik. Steel started performing at age 7 and recorded her first self-written song in the studio at age 11. In 2007, Steel, then 14, uploaded her first YouTube video and built an international fan base of people who would watch her covers. In the midst of building her profile online via YouTube and Myspace, Steel continued her work in the studio and began travelling to London to build her connections. In 2014, she was signed to Atlantic Records UK.