We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Mel Kay a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Mel , thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.
My parents homeschooled me from a young age. They encouraged me to follow my dreams and showed me a very strong work ethic – along with the importance of being self driven. They encouraged me to think outside of the box, to question, and to pursue my creativity & dreams. I fell in love with the arts at a young age & used to be in many theatre productions a year starting around the age of 12-13. My mum was the one driving me to auditions & waiting with me at rehearsals. She always supported me in that way and I’m very grateful for that. Since I was 13 I had dreamed of getting accepted into WAAPA in Australia which is one of the top arts schools in the country. Mum waited in the lobby as I auditioned as a singer there at age 17. I’m grateful for the prep classes she took me to & for that support. Not too long after I received a letter in the mail that was accepted. That was my first national audition & it meant a lot to make the cut.
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.
I’m a professional singer & songwriter. I have worked in various cover bands as well as writing for & performing with my original band Liberte in Australia. I have a degree in vocal studies and do have a passion for workshopping original work with clients that are working on their voices as well as their songwriting. I also love songwriting myself & have worked with various producers worldwide. Generally my aim through all avenues of my music is to try and bring a sense of connection to people so they feel less alone. I tackle tough themes in my music such as mental health, domestic violence, love, loss & many difficult parts of the human experience. I aim to create a space where people who have been hurt can have their voices heard. In doing so I also have continued to find my own voice along the way.
I have found music to be a huge source of healing in my life. I’ve always been the kind of person that would stand up for the underdog as I’ve often been there myself. I feel I have a unique outlook on the world & life experiences that help me to create work from a real place. One of which has been having to face and overcome a severe illness at a relatively young age. I have a background working in bands, in production management, love learning, have gained sales experience since working in galleries here in Hawaii, I enjoy meeting and connecting with people & I believe these things have helped me to succeed in my business. I am a very determined person & don’t give up easily which has also helped a lot.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
I came to the United States in 2021 with a couple suit cases & my hand luggage. I flew through the middle east as it was the only flight I could afford at the time due to sky rocketing flight prices during covid. It was a tough season & at one point I worked 7 days a week for about 6 months.
I live in Hawaii & now work fully in music again like I did back in Australia. I had my first USA single launch: HEAVEN on September 9th at The Slack Key Lounge in Honolulu. We sold out the show & so all the musicians & crew made a profit which was awesome. We also had special merch and donated those proceeds to Maui aid. At points I wanted to give up but I’m glad I didn’t.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
I believe that art & artists play a pivotal role in making this life worth living. I believe as a society people can help by allowing those who were born with creativity in their bones to live it out & learn how to steward it with purpose. I believe we should aim to lift these kinds of people up instead of trying to get them to fit into boxes that were never meant for them. I never fit the mould and I’m glad in hind sight I didn’t.
Contact Info:
- Website: melkaymusic.com
- Instagram: @mel.kay.music
- Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/profile.php/?id=100050175023142
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mel-kay-60618a194
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@MelissaKII?si=gL7LXM6IPNkr0fh9
- Other: Hear my original music: https://m.soundcloud.com/mel-kay_music/tracks
Image Credits
Danny Hale, Dana Weeks, Liv Beros