Temara Melek Ellinger (born May 4, 1998) is an American singer and actress. She made cameos and has appeared as a guest star on several TV shows including Modern Family (2010), The Vampire Diaries (2017), Westworld (2018) and Legacies (2019). She released her debut single "Karma's Not Pretty" in 2013.
Early life and career Temara Melek was born May 4, 1998, to mother Tiffany Ellinger. She is the sister of actor Tarik Ellinger and Taylor Ellinger. Temara started singing at the age of four. At a young age, her family relocated to California. Temara attended Oak Park Independent High School where she graduated 1 year early to attend the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising where she studied fashion design and merchandising.
Melek released her first music video for the song "Pour It On Sweet" in 2011. She later released an extended play (EP) titled Main Attraction in 2012, and it got nominated for a Los Angeles Music Awards in the category of Pop Album of the Year. Later, Melek worked with Cassadee Pope, former lead singer of Hey Monday and winner of the third season of The Voice, and they wrote the song "Karma's Not Pretty" which was released as her debut single. The song itself reached No. 8 in the UK's Most Watched Music Video charts, and No. 10 in the VIVA online charts and was reviewed by OK! Magazine, MTV, The Independent, Huffington Post, Teen magazine, Girl Talk and The Hits Radio FM. This song also earned her the Academia Music Award for Best Pop Song in the 2013 ceremony. The music video for this single featured Pretty Little Liars actors Gregg Sulkin and Keegan Allen. The attention garnered from "Karma's Not Pretty", led to her being selected by American singer Demi Lovato's production staff to appear as a guest at her first live streamed concert in October 2013.
In 2014, Melek was a part of Macy's iHeartRadio Rising Star talent search. During the same year, she collaborated with on DJ Antoine and Mad Mark, providing vocals for their song "Go With Your Heart", which charted in several European charts, including in Germany, Switzerland and Belgium. In 2015, she released her second solo single "Fingerprints", and the music video was exclusively released on RyanSeacrest.com. Two years later, in 2017, she released a single titled "Playing With Fire".
In the Summer of 2019, Melek started working with new songwriters and producers, and released "Privacy", which was described to be a 'glimmering pop' track. In 2020, she released a single called "Crash".
Musical influences and style Temara's musical style has been compared to Katy Perry. Her musical influences are Little Mix, Cheryl Cole, Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande.
Discography Extended plays Title NotesMain AttractionReleased: May 23, 2012 Label: Self-released
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Album CHE GER "Karma's Not Pretty" 2013 — — rowspan="9" "Fingerprints" 2014 — — "Playing With Fire" 2017 — — "Privacy" 2019 — — "Crash" 2020 — — "Jekyll & Hyde" 2025 — — "Secret Santa" — — "Freakshow" 2026 — — "Disappearing Act" — — As a featured artist "Go With Your Heart " 2014 50 10 The Time Is Now
Promotional singles Title Year Album"Pour It On Sweet"2011 rowspan="3" "Cali Skies"2012"Paperheart"2019
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2006Standing Tall at AuschwitzChild on a trainDocumentary 2011Scary GirlHerselfShort film 201216-LoveGirl in poolCameo role 2018Christmas EverlastingCookie Party CoordinatorUncredited role
TV shows Year Title Role Notes 2006Why Can't I Be You?Birthday GirlOne episode; 1.16 2010Modern FamilyDance AttendeeOne episode; Dance Dance Revelation 2011The DoctorsDaughterOne episode; 30 Ways to Heal Yourself Without a DoctorWorld Music Awards 2011Herself 2011–2012On The SpotHerselfDocumentary short 2013–2017Teens Wanna KnowHerselfTwo episodes 2016Astrid CloverBethanyOne episode; Speed Dating 2017The Vampire DiariesMystic Falls StudentOne episode; We Have History Together 2018WestworldTownswomanOne episode; The Passenger 2018–2019LegaciesSalvatore Witch / Kissing GirlTwo episodes
Music videos Title Year Artist Director(s) "Pour It On Sweet" 2011 Herself rowspan="4" "Main Attraction" 2012 "Cali Skies" "Karma's Not Pretty" 2013 "Fingerprints" 2014 Josh Forbes "Playing With Fire" 2017 "Pregame" 2022 Niki DeMar Nayip Ramos
Awards and nominations AwardYearWorkCategoryResult LA Music Awards 2013 Main Attraction Pop Album of The Year Academia Music Award 2013 "Karma's Not Pretty" Best Pop Song
Notes
References
External links Official Website