Interview - Melina

Montreal-born singer-songwriter Melina has spent her life immersed in music. From classical piano lessons at the age of four to performing on La Voix (The Voice Québec) and releasing her acclaimed debut album Revival in 2024, her journey has been shaped by passion, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to authentic storytelling. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Adele and Sara Bareilles, Melina crafts heartfelt songs that explore vulnerability, resilience, and human connection. With a voice that resonates deeply and songwriting rooted in personal experience, she continues to build a meaningful connection with listeners both at home and abroad. We caught up with Melina to discuss her musical beginnings, creative process, career highlights, and the dreams that continue to fuel her artistic journey.

Welcome to MeloDrift. Can you tell us a little bit about your musical background?

Thank you! Of course! I come from a musical family on my mother’s side, music has always been part of our lives in various shapes and forms, my mother is a trained singer herself. I started playing the piano very young, when I was four years old, and was classically trained until the age of 12. I then made a switch to singing lessons but had obviously always been singing. I also learned the guitar throughout high school and got my first acoustic guitar at the age of 15, on which I wrote my first original songs before moving back to the piano. I joined an A Capella group in high school with whom we performed in Washing, New-York and Toronto through an international contest called ‘’Heritage Festival’’ and won multiple prizes. Then I went into the pop music program at Cegep Marie-Victorin. In 2014, I participated to the TV show La Voix (The Voice Quebec) and made it to the quarter finals with the public’s vote. In 2017, I released a debut EP, then a first full length album in 2024 titled ‘’Revival’’.

If your life had a theme song, what would it be?

Oh my gosh, that is such a hard question because as we grow and evolve, I feel like that could change exponentially. What comes to mind right now is this moment I experienced a few weeks back, shortly after my moving to London. There is a song from Sara Bareilles called ‘’Chasing The Sun’’ that I have been listening to for years. Every time I would listen to that song, I had this image of the setting in which it takes place come to mind. That day, I ended up sitting in a cemetery and journaling while sitting on a graveyard shelf, and the song came on and it felt like the vision of this song had literally taken shape in my own life. I was experiencing that very setting I had imagined for years in my mind. That is the power of music. And I love the meaning of that song; to me it tells us how short life is and that we should not waste a second. That the world around us can teach us so much, for it is so grand. To be bold, to dare and try, to fall, to stand back up, to keep going and to always persevere.

Who or what have been the most impactful influences on your musical style and sound?

Two artists have really shaped me artistically for two different reasons. The first one would be Adele; she was the first Pop artist I saw on stage just standing there and delivering powerful songs that held such meaning and depth without having to run around the stage, put on whole choreographies and any added level of entertainment. She was simply herself and that was enough. That spoke to me in ways I still cannot put into words; I felt like there was room for the type of music and stage presence I felt I fit into. And the second would be Sara Bareilles; she is most definitely the artist whose music I listen to the most, I am in awe of her songwriting and her melodies. I recognize myself musically in what she does and really feel a connection to her artistically.

How do your life experiences shape your songwriting, and what emotions or ideas do you hope listeners connect with in your music?

I always end up writing when I am going through any emotional challenge. It comes from a deep place, I am a hypersensitive person and feel things very deeply, and so songwriting is very healing to me. I always try to channel the emotions as raw as possible, but in my songwriting always make an effort to keep the lyrics as open as possible, not too suggestive, so that anyone listening can relate to it in their own way. I turn to music when I need a good cry or to feel like what I am going through makes sense, to get validation, and so that is what I try to do with my music and what I hope people feel from my songs when they listen to them — understood, validated, seen, heard.

Each phase of music-making—writing, recording, rehearsing, and performing—has its own unique rewards. Could you share a memorable moment from each stage?

Love that question. I usually write songs alone — I am a loner writer. I think it is because I feel the emotions so deeply, it is so vulnerable that it is easier for me to connect with and write about them when I am by myself. Writing ‘’Who’s To Blame’’ for example was a very profound moment. I remember sitting at the piano and writing it almost in one blitz, and the words were just coming out, the melody was just writing itself, and then by the time I wrote that last sentence, I realized that these words I had been meaning to say all along had just literally poured out into a song. It was the most liberating feeling I had ever felt from any song I wrote before. Recording is a process I adore so much, probably my favorite. A recording moment that stood out for me was when we recorded the vocal echoes in ‘’I Decided To Forgive You’’; locking them in together and hearing the result was a very full-circle moment. It capture the essence of the project, brought together every song on it and brought me such pride to see it all coming together. As for rehearsing, I remember a very specific moment when my band and I were rehearsing for the album launch of my record ‘’Revival’’ — we got to the end of my song ‘’Revival’’ and it is this powerful ending with vocal riffs, guitar riffs, bass riffs, literally everyone is having a moment all at once, and then everything comes down for an a capella ending, and then we could hear the rain falling on the roof top and it just was this most magical moment where we all looked at each other and had full on chills. And lastly, for performing, I think my most precious memory yet is my ‘’Revival’’ album launch party where I got to share these songs that I had been working on for the past six years with all of my people in the room, getting to celebrate this moment that had been a very long time coming; it was one of the best days of my life yet, there was such love in the room, my band was incredible, we had worked so hard on putting this show together, it was just a wonderful moment of everything coming full-circle.

Is there a song of yours that holds particular personal significance? We’d love to know more about the story or the inspiration behind it. 

I would say my song ‘’Hope’’. I initially wrote it for a little girl in my life I affectionately call my niece who at the time was barely one year old. The world was in such chaos and I wondered what kind of world she would grow up in. She is ten years old now and she knows the song was written about her. But years after writing it, I remember it came on as I was driving and it felt like I was talking to little me, deep down inside; to the little girl who dreamed of being a singer and writing songs and calling it a living. This song is like my reminder to keep going and to never give up, that any dream can be achieved so long as you put in the work, efforts, and keep believing that you can do it.

If you could swap lives with any musician for a day, who would it be and what would you do?

Sara Bareilles; she has such a devoted, kind and caring community that she has developed such a great relationship with, I find it remarkable. Just getting to perform for such a devoted and caring crowd would be such a gift. Also would absolutely love to sing a duet with her someday; throwing that into the universe!

What’s a guilty pleasure song you secretly love but might surprise your fans?

I absolutely miss blasting ‘’I’m Alive’’ by Celine Dion in the car with the windows rolled down.

Looking ahead, what are some goals or dreams you have for your music and career?

I would love to play arena shows with rooms full of people looking to connect musically and humanly. I also reiterate my dream of singing a duet with Sara Bareilles. I would love to travel Europe with my music. It is a tough journey to be an independent artist, I would love to grow the team around me to be able to make those dreams happen. It takes a village.

Finally, is there anything else you'd like to share with our readers before we close?

Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with emerging independent artists and giving them a chance to be seen and heard. It is so important to lend a ear to emerging artists, going out to their shows and sharing their music to the people you know and on social media. That is how we get to be heard and seen. Thank you so much!

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