Melody Michalski
I’m Melody. I’m 23 years old, from South Carolina, which is the total opposite of where I am now…”The City of Angels.” So, this is me in a nutshell, figuring myself out while I type.
I grew up surrounded by music, since my mom and dad are both musicians. I fell asleep every night to the sound of my dad’s saxophone, and literally had a soundtrack to every meal. Growing up, my sister, cousin, and me used to jam on the piano and sing three-part harmony together. My mom tried to teach me piano lessons, but I could never sit still long enough to practice, until I realized I could create my own music. During my teenage years, I discovered I could write songs. The more I wrote, the more natural it came for me to be completely honest with myself. I then decided to leave the land of sweet tea and friendly head nods to move to the land of traffic, chaos, and coffee.
I knew I needed to move to the other end of the country where I could be on my own and give myself the chance to grow up. I’d sit in my apartment and write about people I had encounters with, people who changed me, and people who made me realize who I am and what I want. I’d sit at my piano alone in the dark and either cry or sing at the top of my lungs with every ounce of frustration I had in me. Music is something I have to do. I was born with music in my veins, and a song in my heart. Wait, is that corny? Ok, whatever. When I write, I don’t think, the song just writes itself.
I write all my songs on the piano, and they are a direct reflection to the very core of who I am. My ears get bored very easily, so they make my fingers play chords I would never think of on my own. You’ll be able to hear countless influences in my music, and if I were to list them all, it would pretty much take up an entire page. It all started with Chopin, The Beatles, and gospel artist, Crystal Lewis. Then in high school, I discovered Coldplay and listened to John Mayer’s, “Room For Squares” album on repeat. I loved singing along to Beyonce’ songs and trying to imitate her vocal conviction and flawless runs, and after coming to LA, I started listening to a lot of Jazz, which shines through parts of my music. Right now, I can’t get enough of Kimbra and Mindy Smith.
I just released my first single, “Weary Heart” this February. I wanted to start my career with a very raw and vulnerable song. You can watch it here.
I’m now in the process of recording my first EP that’s scheduled to be released in the fall. This EP is simply me going back and forth, changing my mind about love. It’s about a relationship that was so painful that all I could do was write about it. It’s about having hope even when I still don’t know if it’s the right decision. And it’s about me putting my art out into the world, and allowing myself to move forward and develop as an artist and a person with every new song I write.
Well, I did it. That was Melody Michalski in a nutshell…for right now.
You can also visit her Facebook page here.