Melina KB is a musical theater-pop artist initially from the Boston space and primarily based in Nashville, Tennessee. Impressed by productions like Depraved and RENT in addition to artists like No Doubt, Paramore, and Taylor Swift, Melina has carved out a singular lane mixing pop hooks with the drama of musical theater and creating an immersive world round her music.
On this artist highlight, Melina discusses how she stayed true to her identification and continued to develop as an artist after her breakthrough music, “I’ve Had Sufficient,” went viral on TikTok.
Experimenting with Emulation
Rising up, Melina honed her efficiency abilities by means of theater and acapella. There she not solely discovered a musical neighborhood however a future producer, her acapella instructor, Tim Bongiovanni.
Melina’s first music, “Let Me Explode,” got here after a number of periods by which Bongiovanni experimented with totally different preparations and mixes, iterating on the sounds of then rising pop stars similar to Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande.
“We have been going by means of simply attempting to make me sound like pop artists on the radio,” Melina stated. “And each single time I assumed, this sounds unbelievable, Tim is so gifted; but it surely didn’t essentially sound like me. And that was the place that seek for my very own artistry got here to be as a result of I used to be like, okay, this doesn’t really feel pure.”
Discovering Her Personal Voice
Ceaselessly, there have been moments in her early songwriting when Melina needed sure components to sound extra dramatic — by means of preparations and vocal styling, songs began sounding extra theatrical.
“As soon as I leaned into large, cinematic sounds and theatrical storytelling, that’s when individuals began saying, ‘this belongs in a Disney film and that was when it clicked,” Melina stated. “I don’t really feel like I’m the primary to do it, there are unbelievable artists like Queen, Panic on the Disco, Fallout Boy—there are artists that mix that line. Nevertheless it got here actually naturally to lean into these issues and use musical theater as a reference.”
All through Melina’s development as an artist, she’s balanced comedy with severe matters—one thing she regarded to theater for steerage on. “I’m so impressed and empowered by the artwork of so many musical theater composers. I really feel like they make sure parts of a music actually compelling another way,” she stated.
Going Viral
In 2021, Melina KB’s music, “I’ve had sufficient” — a feminist anthem empowering survivors of sexual assault — went viral on TikTok, spurring on 120,000 movies and receiving over 45 million streams.
“I needed to place that out to be courageous and supply one thing individuals might relate to on a subject that not lots of people have been talking up about musically. I used to be enthusiastic about learn how to symbolize that spiral of anger, rage, and frustration with the injustices of a system that doesn’t assist, hear out, or consider survivors.
Processing this second was intense for Melina who discovered an viewers of thousands and thousands figuring out with an expertise that had left her feeling remoted and misunderstood for therefore lengthy.
“Whereas it was devastating to see so many individuals associated, it was additionally actually empowering as a result of we have been taking our voices again,” Melina stated. “We have been unifying. Social media has allowed us to attach with individuals exterior our direct circle, particularly after we don’t really feel totally understood.
Navigating Virality as an Unbiased Artist
“[Virality] is absolutely arduous for anybody who’s a younger grownup, and nonetheless determining who they’re, and what they wish to stand for, and what they wish to say, and the way snug they’re with sharing issues,” Melina stated.
Lengthy earlier than giving a music profession any strategic thought, Melina was met with thousands and thousands of followers listening to a weak and heavy music. She was 18, simply beginning faculty, and was all of a sudden within the highlight.
However as an alternative of letting ambitions for stardom distract her, Melina stayed dedicated to experiencing faculty and the beginning of maturity. “I’m glad that I afforded myself the time to make errors going by means of traditional faculty experiences—and thru that, I skilled issues I might write about. A few of my favourite songs I’ve put out and launched, I don’t suppose would have ever come to be if I had simply fully given up on the portion of dwelling my life and being a human,” she stated.
Being In step with Branding
All through her profession, Melina has balanced authenticity with a definite and constant branding.
“I attempt to be actually intentional about world-building and creating one thing I can present the world that so clearly tells them who I’m by simply that fast clip,” Melina stated.
That course of has concerned quite a lot of self-reflection and taking the time to unplug. “Leaning into branding has actually been a means of enthusiastic about what I like. When nobody is round, what am I drawn to? We’re all so simply influenced by the whole lot, however I actually attempt to take time on my own—as an illustration I’m on an airplane—wifi off—what am I enthusiastic about? And I’ll write it down.”
Melina’s a acutely aware shopper of media too—paying attention to what resonates along with her in different artists’ photoshoots, movies, and branding. These notes assist Melina talk her imaginative and prescient to inventive collaborators by drawing on references, examples, and ideas she is aware of will translate and click on along with her model.
“I watch music movies and at all times suppose I like this or that. So then I am going to the videographer, and I’m like hey, what do you concentrate on this? After which we provide you with our personal factor out, our personal imaginative and prescient, utilizing components of issues that I’ve clearly gone by means of and chosen,” Melina stated.
Conclusion: Staying True Whereas Constructing a Profession
Melina KB’s journey exhibits the facility of leaning into authenticity, even within the face of viral success. From experimenting with totally different sounds to in the end embracing her theatrical-pop identification, she’s confirmed that discovering your voice is simply as a lot about what doesn’t really feel proper as what does. Her viral second with “I’ve Had Sufficient” not solely amplified her platform but in addition linked her to a neighborhood by means of vulnerability and braveness.
For artists, Melina’s story underscores a number of essential classes:
- Experimentation results in readability — attempting on totally different influences helped Melina uncover her genuine sound.
- Virality is just the start — staying grounded and intentional is essential to turning a viral second into long-term artistry.
- Branding is private — the simplest inventive course comes from self-reflection and figuring out what resonates with you. It’s additionally tough to isolate ourselves from exterior influences, so mindfully noting what resonates will help you make clear your individual imaginative and prescient.
On the coronary heart of Melina’s profession is her means to steadiness artistry with honesty, constructing not simply songs however worlds that invite listeners in. Her path is a reminder that true development as an artist comes from staying curious, intentional, and unapologetically your self.
