We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Madelene Ba, Melinda Long a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Madelene Ba, Melinda Long, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?
Our business itself was a risk we took. In the beginning, it was just me (Mads) handling the backend—making sure we had the right certificates, legal documents, and everything we needed to be a legitimate LLC. Even before MadLove officially became what it is today, both Mel and I questioned whether we were ready for such a big responsibility. We knew it would be a lot of work, so we sat on the idea, debated it, and even ignored it for a while.
Then one day, exhaustion pushed me to make the decision. During the pandemic, to make ends meet, I had been cooking and selling meals to people who needed home-cooked food but didn’t have time to cook. After one particularly long day in the kitchen, I turned to Mel and said (more like told her), Let’s just start. Let’s figure it out.
At the time, Mel was still working full-time as a nuclear medicine technologist while DJing on the side. I told her I’d handle all the paperwork and logistics if we both committed to this dream. So we started small—taking on private events, birthdays, baby showers, engagement parties. Then friends and family friends started asking about wedding DJs. One gig led to another, and soon word of mouth took off.
We got so busy that Melinda had to make a choice: stay at her stable job or take a leap of faith. After eight years in the hospital, she chose MadLove. That alone was the biggest risk we had taken—but it didn’t stop there. A few months later, we made another leap, moving out of Melinda’s mom’s house, where we had been saving money, and into our own apartment.
Risk after risk, we kept pushing forward. And now, over a year later, we’re still here—still making ends meet, still building, still growing. We just renewed our lease, something we never imagined doing when we first started. The wedding industry has its ups and downs, and the slow season is tough, but we refuse to move backward. No matter what, we’re moving forward.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
I was born and raised in Lowell, MA, and lived there my entire life until I moved. Music has always been a huge part of my life. My oldest sister, who looked after me a lot growing up, heavily influenced my music taste. My journey into DJing started when my sister’s boyfriend at the time, who was a DJ, gifted me my first controller. He taught me a little, and from there, I started bringing my controller to my friends’ houses. That led to house parties, and eventually, I booked my first gig.
Being a female DJ was rare, and even today, it’s not common. The DJ scene is still predominantly run by older white men, so finding a DJ who is a queer woman of color is even more difficult. I stood out. I was one of the only known queer female DJs in my local area, which resonated with so many people—especially queer couples looking for representation. That uniqueness became my strength. It’s something I take pride in, and through our business, we continue to advocate for women, the queer community, and ethnic minorities as Khmer-Americans.
As for Madelene, she is a daughter of immigrants who came to this country before she was born. She grew up mostly with her mom’s side of the family, alongside three sisters and a brother. Growing up, they didn’t have much—they were always on assistance and had to be careful with material things. Her mother worked a lot, so her grandmother took on much of the caretaking. Being raised in Lynn, MA, shaped a lot of who she is today. It wasn’t always the safest place, but it taught her love, survival, compassion, empathy, and grit.
Madelene always knew she wanted to be a provider for her family, though she didn’t know how. Starting a business was never in her plans, let alone still running one today. The idea of making money on her own terms seemed impossible. That self-doubt was a major hurdle in building MadLove. She didn’t enter the DJ industry because she was a DJ—she did it because she saw Mel’s potential. She wanted to get Mel out of a full-time job that made her miserable. Starting MadLove wasn’t initially for herself; it was for Mel and for their families—to create a life where they could have the freedom to spend time with them.
That freedom still isn’t always there. They’re still in the early stages, grinding every day to build something sustainable. Saying no to family when they assume they have free time just because they work for themselves has been one of the harder challenges. It’s a constant balance of proving that they are working, even when they’re “home.”
After about a year in the wedding industry, Madelene started wanting more. She had already been coordinating Mel’s gigs, picking up knowledge about vendors, timelines, and the importance of ensuring weddings run smoothly. She learned the value of getting on calls with clients to make sure they were the right fit. That curiosity led her to photography. She had always been the one behind the camera, but making money from it had never crossed her mind. That changed when she took on second-shooting positions with a friend and instantly fell in love with it.
Now, Madelene and Mel offer an all-in-one experience for their clients. They don’t just capture special moments; they deeply understand the industry and everyone’s roles within it. Wearing many hats is something they’re most proud of because it allows them to provide a level of care and expertise beyond just photography or DJing. They create a safe space for all couples, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation. Love is love, and human connection is at the heart of everything they do.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
Being in the wedding industry, celebrating love, and working with couples to honor their journey is a reward in itself. Wedding days are filled with so many emotions—joy, anxiety, laughter, and tears—all because two people have found something deeply special in each other. It’s one of the most significant days in a couple’s life, and we get to be part of that experience.
Nothing compares to the end of the night when couples and their guests come up to us, saying how much fun they had, how amazing the experience was, and how we helped create a night they’ll never forget. Seeing the joy in their eyes, knowing we helped craft a core memory, is beyond fulfilling.
Coming from DJing in nightclubs, where you don’t always receive the same love or appreciation, weddings have been a completely different and much more welcoming environment. It’s a space that aligns with who we are and what we believe in—creating joy, celebrating love in all forms, and building unforgettable moments.
Our brand name, MadLove, reflects that passion. Love is at the core of what we do, and we hope to continue bringing that same energy to future couples, ensuring every wedding is not just an event but a beautiful, cherished experience.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Moving out of Mel’s mom’s house was a journey in itself. On top of that, she left a stable, full-time job, and we had to figure out how to survive in a new city with rent far higher than we could realistically afford. But we fell in love with the place, and that love kept us going. No matter how uncertain things got, the journey was ours alone.
It was the first time Mel had ever left home, and we wanted to make it memorable and special. Little did we know just how unpredictable running a business as creatives could be. Some months, we were thriving—making more than we ever imagined. Other months were painfully slow, triggering my anxiety: Are we going to make rent this month? But we always did. We always do.
At times, we had to resort to desperate measures—pulling from investments and savings that truly saved us. I’m grateful to Mel for learning about investing because I never had that growing up. The only lesson I knew about money was that it put a roof over our heads, food on the table, and clothes on our backs. Anything extra was a privilege.
Our resilience comes from knowing we are providing for ourselves. There have been so many moments where we’ve asked, Do we go back to a 9-to-5 just to make ends meet? But instead of giving in, we pour our hearts into revamping our website, creating new offerings for our business, and building a community of love.
This journey is ours. We’re not leaving because it got hard—that’s the reason we keep going.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://madlove.us
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madlovellc
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MadLoveLLC
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyIqIxRqV0WEaYjjjrWj5tA
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/madlove-framingham
Image Credits
J-M Leach for photo of both Melinda and I at the DJ booth. All other photos taken by us.