Melissa Ferrick is a singer/songwriter who merges the introspective sincerity of folk music with an attitude and approach derived from 80s college rock influences. They first gained notice opening shows for Morrissey in the early 90s and in 1994 released Massive Blur on Atlantic, but neither it or its successor, Willing to Wait, broke the singer/songwriter into the mainstream. Ferrick carved out a niche as an independent artist starting with the release of Made of Honor on What Are Records? in 1996. As they spent time teaching at Northeastern University and Berklee College of Music, Ferrick worked steadily as a performer and recording artist, often releasing music on their own imprint, Right On Records, but later signing to Kill Rock Stars in 2023, which released their single "Black Dress."