We recently connected with Malena D’Amico and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Malena thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

My most meaningful project to date would have to be the cover of NRBQ’s “Christmas Wish” I co-produced with my dad, Mike D’Amico, released in December 2024. It was our first collaboration and my first music video. He actually performed that same song back in the 90’s with his band, the Wondermints, which made it a really cool full-circle moment. My dad is someone I’ve admired my whole life and his story and journey has been such an inspiration to me. Our shared passion for 60s/70s pop music has been a source of father/daughter bonding over the years, and I was so excited to incorporate those influences in our own work! I was elated to find how well we work together and how like-minded we are as musicians. It was such a blast throughout the whole process, and I’m so proud of the song and music video we were able to create together. I look at that project as a new beginning and the first of many collaborations, with the next one being my second single, Father Time, releasing later this year!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi! I’m Malena D’amico, a singer/songwriter from South Florida based in Nashville. I’ve always been an old soul, and I think that reflects in my music, taking much inspiration from many genres of the past. My sound is like a folksy-pop/rock hybrid, even being described as “if Adele was in Fleetwood Mac” by some! I found my passion for music and performing at a young age in my dance classes and piano lessons. My Dad is a musician, and I was so blessed to be able to travel abroad with my family during his summer tours throughout the years. My passion for singing began at 12 with vocal lessons, solidifying my dream to be a successful artist.
For high school, I auditioned for and was accepted into Dreyfoos School of the Arts’ rigorous vocal program. It set me up with a great foundation of music theory, classical voice, and discipline through a conservatory-like curriculum along with demanding academics. During my time there, I competed in several competitions with our choir including the Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod in Wales, and as a soloist qualified as a regional finalist in Michael Feinstein’s Great American Songbook Competition. I picked up guitar and ukulele as well at this time. At an arts school, my individuality as an artist was embraced, understood, and fostered and I will forever be grateful for that.
As for college, I auditioned for and attended the Commercial Voice program at Belmont University in Nashville, with an emphasis in Music Business. Here, I learned more about becoming an artist, branding, leading a band, writing charts, and began songwriting. I pursued some session work, arranging, and did a year long stint as a vocalist and mandolin player in an Americana folk band. It was terrifying moving to a new city where I knew no one, but I fell in love with the town and wanted to stay here after graduating in 2019. But a few months after graduation, the pandemic hit, and I moved back home for a while as I had several family losses at the time. After a while, I moved back to Nashville, determined to re-establish myself in town and resume my music career. I began booking session work, writer’s rounds, co-writes, and every other opportunity to put myself out there. My debut single, Get Gone, was released in March 2024, followed by a holiday single/music video, Christmas Wish, later that year. Currently, I am working on my online and social media presence including a series I created called “Old Fashioned Friday”. It’s my passion project and tribute to many of the artists that have influenced me and that I love. I’m excited to be releasing my next single, Father Time, later this year, and can’t wait to share it with the world!

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn to embrace my individuality. During my time at Dreyfoos School of the Arts, the vocal program was about an ensemble and learning to blend in and not stand out. When I arrived at Belmont, the music program definitely encouraged embracing the uniqueness in my voice and identifying my artist brand. I learned to be a little louder, weirder and embrace the unique things that make me, “me!”

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I feel that my foundation is built on resilience, but one of my favorite examples would probably be my last semester of college. I had a year or so of struggling academically due to some medical and personal happenings, leading to falling behind in some of my studies. That meant my final semester would be a busy one, completing the rest of my credits required, along with zero credit requirements for my major outside of classes, and a senior recital l would have to create, produce, and execute all in the span of a few months. I remember going into that last semester, sitting down with my advisor and other faculty, being told “nobody has had this workload in a semester and completed it successfully.” Once I heard those words, it lit a fire in me to (respectfully) prove them wrong! It was one of the most challenging chapters of my life, but my senior recital was one of my proudest achievements during my time at Belmont, and I walked across that stage with a huge smile on my face as I shook their hands and received my diploma at the end of that semester.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/malenadamicomusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068738403886
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJ5HNsB0SRerTzh3wv82fBg

Image Credits

Spade Creative