Mei Melançon was born in the Philippines to a Chinese/Japanese father and French mother, but was raised by her step-father who is American. Her childhood was spent in countries in Asia and Europe. At the age of five she learned to play guitar and was in a Summer children's band called The Blossoms that toured around Japan. In her early teens, her family moved to the United States for the first time. She originally was aiming to pursue a career in Law. However, things changed when at the age of 18, her friend submitted her to the renowned modeling agency Kim Dawson in Dallas, Texas. Thus began a successful career as a model in both print and commercials. To date, she has appeared in over 75 commercials worldwide. From the advertising side, casting directors started calling her in for theatrical roles. Her first booked, being a small role as "Girl in Car" with then Hong Kong star Maggie Q. She soon booked guest starring roles in shows such as CSI and Deadwood. Mei realized early on the n