Tender Forever is the performing name of musician Melanie Valera. She was born in 1977 in South West France and currently lives in Portland, Oregon. Valera has worked on multimedia projects, including collaborations with film maker Ted Passon, artist Nick Lally and producer Christopher Doulgeris. Most recently, she performed at the Time-Based Art Festival 2010 in Portland, Oregon, the Whitney Museum of American Art in New-York City and La Cité Internationale Universitaire in Paris. Valera is currently recording her fourth album and received the RAAC (Regional Arts & Culture Council) Grant to complete a collaborative project called MAZED with Peter Burr.

She is openly lesbian.