Q: Hey, can you tell us a bit about where you come from, and what made you want to start a career in music?
A: I was born and raised in Montreal’s suburbs hopping around the south shore and north shore, Laval. I spent a lot of time in the city of Montreal during my upbringing with my grandparents, working as a teenager downtown and going to College and University in downtown Montreal. Attending Montreal’s nightlife and music scene as a late teen sparked my urge to want to pursue music myself (raves, night clubs, heavy metal shows and rock festivals). I grew up with both my parents and step father heavily into listening to music and was exposed to many genres throughout my youth ranging from 70s & 80s classics, 90s pop and grunge, alternative rock, dance pop, hip-hop, heavy metal and punk rock. Singing, dancing, and writing poetry was a sneaky hobby of mine my entire life which led to me dropping out of University one day to attend a 1 year music production program that changed my life.
Q: And what other artists have you found yourself listening to lately?
A: Lately I’ve been listening to Gorillaz, Metric, Mindless Self Indulgence, Madonna, Britney Spears, A Perfect Circle, Radiohead, and I’ve been indulging in a playlist I made called PARTY LIKE 2009 inspired by the late-mid 2000s dance music like Timbaland, Gwen Stefani, Ke$ha, Lady Gaga, 3oh!3, Black Eyed Peas, Fergie, all of those nostalgic dynamic bops.
Q: Who were your first and strongest musical influences, and why the name ‘Melotika’?
A: It’s hard to pick just one main influence because in different phases of my life I’ve had many different idols and influences. As a child I was in awe of Michael Jackson, Joan Jett and Britney Spears. Those were definitely my very first influences! As an early teen I started to be inspired by Billie Joe Armstrong (Greenday), Gwen Stefani, Amy Lee (Evanescence), Madonna, and later Lady Gaga and singer Maynard James Keenan (from APC, Tool, and Puscifer), and Emily Haines (Metric).
The name Melotika isn’t the deepest story I have to admit! Back in 2016 when I wanted to start writing and recording music, I paired up with an electronic music producer and DJ, Jackman Jones, here in Toronto, and for 2 years we were an Electropop duo named Melotika before I worked solo. We were texting each other one day trying to come up with a name for our duo project and given that we were both from Montreal but now living in Toronto, we were jokingly playing around with my name, Melany, and the French word mélodie and just scrambled cool sounding ideas like La Mélodie, Le Mélotik, and then Jackman Jones texted: Melotika and I remembered thinking that sound larger than life and really cool.
Q: You have just released your new single, ‘Pressure’. Is there a story behind it?
A: After releasing ‘Digital Dreams’ in early 2022 and ‘#1’ in June 2022, I went through a very confusing time and took a small song releasing Hiatus. ‘Digital Dreams’ broke my heart, not the song itself, not the extremely positive feedback received from fans all around the world, but the investment behind this song broke my heart. For the first time I worked with a publicist to help promote my music, a radio promoter, and a digital marketing promotional company to promote ‘Digital Dreams’ as everyone around me was telling me: That’s a hit song. And I agree and still do to this day. However, the campaigns were far from affordable and it was a gamble, and all of the campaigns flopped. In a time where social media and content creating matters more than the quality of a great song, politically people are fighting with one another, canceling one another, the pressure to succeed and be someone you are not but are expected to be and conform is so real and I reached extreme burnout. This experience influenced my new song ‘Pressure ft. Krosst Out.’ This new single is an epic rebirth, an empowering dance anthem dedicated as well to my fanbase online called The Rebelz.
Q: Can we expect a new EP or even an album from you in the near future?
A: I will be releasing a few singles before the release of my upcoming album Ultra Butterfly. I’ve put a lot of thought into my music over the last year and with my producer Aaron Atkins, we produced a whole new era of what we call New Retro Pop tracks. The vibe sits a lot in that 2005-2011 dance era. Inspirations range from Madonna, Britney Spears, Timbaland, Black Eyed Peas, Lady Gaga, and a revival of dubstep.The songs are about rebelling and overcoming modern society and its social and superficial pressures, while reminiscing about a time when music felt better to me. As a woman and nonconformist in today’s society, it’s been hard to find my place in the music industry. Instead of fitting in, I am making my own lane.
Q: What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
A: My sound is a genre I call New Retro-Pop. Retro Pop exists in its lane as a modern day version of 70s-80s music. I am not replicating the sound of the 70s-80s but taking heavy inspiration from the instruments and structures used to create my own thing which is also inspired by 90s dance pop, early and mid 2000s music. My music has become almost experimental while bending different genres too. We are now sitting in a Y2K early 00s nostalgia culture so I feel that I’ve been way ahead of the game! My mindset now is reinventing the late 2000s in an alternate more modern universe. Afterall, the 2000’s is now the new retro. My music resonates with others because I am just being me and authenticity is something you cannot fake. My music invites fans along with on coming-of-age journeys about growing up, self-reflection, and finding inner confidence, themes everyone can relate to in some way right?!
Q: Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it, or are you expecting something more?
A: I believe there are two parts to this question. My music will always give back just as much fulfillment as I’m giving in. My music is the one thing I can always call my own and hold onto. My music is a reflection of my entire being in material form. I’ve tried journaling and practicing mindfulness but my music does these things for me way better than anything else and I am grateful to have music as an outlet to stay sane! (or be crazy at least in my own universe). Financially though it isn’t giving back – not yet. However, my fan base, who stream and download my music every single day from across the world, is giving back and we have been able to form a community through music. Nothing is cooler than that.
Q: Could you describe your creative processes? How do you usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song?
A: I don’t play instruments but I have a background in sound design and I can write melodies and lyrics forever. It’s often hard to describe, but I don’t have a standard way of writing music. Sometimes a song will start with a piece of poetry and melody ideas and working with a producer helps put the pieces together and bring the song to life. Then I direct the song structure, chords, and call the shots for instrumentation and sonic ideas. I make electronic music after all so there are no limits. My vocals act as an instrument. I sing my own choir, I harmonize with myself, I create vocal layers and my voice guides the song. Other times I will have a composition idea in my head before adding the lyrics and I chat with my producer about all my ideas and we just work remotely going back and forth sending one another demos and jamming along to each other and it’s really fun. I started off in 2015/2016 by taking demos sent by my producer at the time and writing over top for practice. Later it would develop into a brand new piece of music after having creative input and co-producing the piece.
Q: What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your career so far?
A: The most difficult thing I’d say is getting more exposure. It’s wild because my fan base has been the only thing backing me up so far as an independent artist and I suppose that’s the most important thing. However, it would be a level up if local and mainstream festivals or music events and platforms would give me a spot to perform. I’ve been feeling extremely left out as a female in the boys club industry and a lot of opportunities have been given to men continuously. That’s my POV. On a daily basis, fans message me wanting me to perform in their city, I promise I’m working on it!
Q: On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
A: The Rebelz. This is the name for my fandom and I cannot be here without each and every one of them. The Rebelz keep me going and I am grateful to make music for us.
