O'Neil was born in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.[citation needed] Her mother is Hong Kong Chinese, and her father is of Irish descent.
O'Neil attended Terry Fox Junior High School.[citation needed] She attended Lester B. Pearson High School in Calgary where she performed in musicals, played rugby and was on the basketball team.
In early 2005, while in high school, O'Neil auditioned for the third season of Canadian Idol. The judges were impressed by her vocals, and she made it through to the top 100 round. On the first day, she sang the song "Concrete Angel" by Martina McBride a cappella and again impressed the judges; but, on the final day of competition, she forgot the words to her chosen song and froze. Nevertheless, the judges were still so impressed by her singing abilities that she continued to the top 32. After scoring the highest number of votes in her semi-final group, again with "Concrete Angel", O'Neil was granted a place in the final 10 of the contest.

Return to Melissa O'Neill Autograph Profile