She is currently serving as a Whanganui district councillor.
All 16 finalists played on stage at the musicians’ club with a house band made up of John Keating, Denis Troufleau, Eneti Waretini, Rohan Goodsir and Adam Brazeau.
Melser said it was the first time she had played the song with a full band.
“It really brought the song to life.
“Entering the competition was a bit late notice, but it was good timing because a couple of weeks beforehand, I had decided that I needed to record all my originals before my voice changes too much with age.
“Adulting gets in the way, but every time I perform I really love it. It’s still a really important part of my life, it’s just not quite as frequent.”
First place won her recording time at The Stomach in Palmerston North thanks to funding from the Creative Communities Scheme.
Second place went to Bethany Coleman, with Timon Maxey claiming bronze.
Musicians Club spokesperson Annie Keating said any of the finalists could have won on the night.
“There was a full house and everybody was really supportive of each other. It’s one of those amazing Whanganui things.
“Charlotte had beautiful lyrics and a beautiful melody. The judges had a hard job, but they got there in the end.”
The house band did an amazing job, Keating said.
Every artist had 45 minutes of rehearsals with the musicians before the big night.
“They [the band] spent all week listening and making notes on their chord sheets.
“From the first song of rehearsal, they just looked at each other and just went for it to give the artists what they wanted.”
