Revisiting Melissa Gorga's Music Career: From "On Display" to the BravoCon Stage
Catch up on the RHONJ cast member's singing career, including her single.
It don’t matter what you say: Melissa Gorga is still gonna shine.
Over the years, The Real Housewives of New Jersey fans have seen Melissa make moves as a business owner, mom, wife, friend, and more, taking on a multitude of challenges while always staying true to herself. But do you remember the kickoff of her music career?
No, not her cover of “Amazing Grace"—though that Season 3 Episode 5 moment, in which she accidentally sang “a wench like me” instead of “a wretch like me,” was iconic.
In 2011, Melissa first shared her long-lived passion for singing with the world, putting herself "On Display" for real by releasing a single.
“Music was my first love! I could remember being in elementary school and loving music class so much,” she wrote at the time in a Season 3 RHONJ blog. “I am so excited for everyone to hear me sing."
"I've toyed with the idea for years, but I always want to put my family first, so it was hard for me to make the decision to go for it," she added. "At this point I'm scared, I'm afraid, and I don't know if I can do it. But if I don't try, how will I ever know?”
Melissa Gorga's Single "On Display"
Lucky for Bravo fans everywhere, try she did: She released her first single, the pop-heavy “On Display,” co-written by Antony Bitar, that August. It details her time in "the heat of the spotlight"—and remains a bop to this day.
“I can feel the weight of the world pushing down on me," she sings in the first verse. "I can feel everyone's eyes watching me, I can feel the heat of the spotlight, shine on me, I can feel the pressure on my body."
“Cause I'm on display, on display, on display, each and every day, every day, every day,” she adds in the chorus. "Everybody's waiting on me to fall, everybody's waiting on me to crawl but they can keep on waiting."
Melissa Gorga's Music Career
Following the song's success, Melissa continued to share her music career with the world, showcasing her new in-home recording studio (built by husband Joe Gorga) and releasing the singles “How Many Times,” “Rockstar,” “I Just Wanna,” and “Never Let Me Go.”
As her repertoire expanded from club hits to ballads, RHONJ fans also saw Melissa meet with some entertainment biz bigshots. From chatting with manager Johnny Wright in Season 5 to dancing with choreographer Cris Judd in Season 4 Episode 11, Melissa has always shown that there’s more to a good performance than simply hitting the notes.
“She was a trooper and a true professional. You can tell that she really wanted to do a great performance. She was great to work with,” Cris told Bravo after the episode aired.
So, what now? While she eventually moved onto other callings and sold her recording studio-equipped house, the Envy Boutique owner told E! News in 2016 that she’ll “never say never” when it comes to releasing new music.
So far, she’s made good on her promise, recording “Work Done” alongside Porsha Williams from The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Sonja Morgan from The Real Housewives of New York City in 2019 and then heading into the studio with her RHONJ cast mates to record a country song during their Season 12 Nashville trip.
"On Display" at BravoCon 2022
At BravoCon 2022, she performed in a musical medley alongside Kenya Moore, Scheana Shay, and Candiace Dillard Bassett, ending down the show with “On Display.”
Joined onstage by Andy Cohen, a Gay Shark (ultimately revealed to be Anderson Cooper), and her fellow Bravolebrities, it was a grand finale indeed.
We keep watching, she does keep glowing — each and every day.
Watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey on Bravo Tuesdays at 9/8c and next day on Peacock. Catch up on the Bravo app.
