Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Ellis. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Melissa thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Are you happy as a creative professional? Do you sometimes wonder what it would be like to work for someone else?

Embracing my creative-self has been the single most incredible act I’ve ever pursued. There’s nothing like it. I knew from a very early age that music was both a gift and a passion, I just couldn’t fathom how much of that would shape me and carry me through my adult years as a career! It has even opened doors to other creative mediums and talents I didn’t know I possessed such as writing–I published a book in 2010–and creating a social media and consulting agency for artists and venues which takes a lot of creativity!
I can’t imagine being happier in another landscape. I’ve tried! Out of sheer guilt from not being “normal”, I’ve tried. I’ve had that 9-5 five days a week job and I was miserable. You lose control over your life–or at least it felt that way to me. And I, as a creative, require that artistic outlet, otherwise I feel like I’m dying.
Being an artist has allowed me to schedule life as family. As a happily married mother of 4 boys, scheduling my life and their life is so important to me. I’ve been able to pursue my dreams and still be a mom–a mom who’s home on snow days, home for the summer/fall/spring/winter breaks, potty training, nursing, spending legitimate quality time with each of my guys… I was even able to homeschool one year! We’ve been able to take “playcations” together as a family (which is the opportunity to travel as a as a vacationing family while touring as a musician). I can’t think of another job I’m qualified for that would allow me such liberty and experiences!

Add to that my recent formal diagnosis of being ADHD, this life I’ve created–I’m living–is such a tremendous blessing! Corporate and office socializing was always awkward for me; I never truly fit in. However, socializing with other creatives… and a lot of other neurodivergent people… is like second nature.

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.

Aside from church, I gained my professional start as a young teen in regional and touring musical theater. In high school I stretched my talents to being more than “just a vocalist” (something I heard often), and worked my way to becoming a serious musician. I’m now a multi-instrumentalist. I spent my early college years studying musical theater, which was the original path I chose to take, and slowly transitioned to jazz, where my heart truly was and still is.
I bounced around in other genres since then… pop, bluegrass, country (because I live in Tennessee), but I would always come back to older music–the standards and classics. It’s what I cut my teeth on thanks to my parents and my Grandma Ellis.
And my delivery of this music was always a versatile maneuvering between a warm opulent tone and texture, reminiscent of classic jazz sirens, to a soulful delivery and distinctive growl of the blues. I had unintentionally concocted a signature blend of jazz and blues coupled with a southern accent and that often had audiences confusing my music for country… which was not what I wanted, but I ran with it to stay relevant in my home state gain fair-weather fans. A little bit of jazz, little bit of blues, old R&B, and COUNTRY right smack dab in the middle of it all.
Finally, my husband Matt, also a musician, finally encouraged me to be true to who I was as an artist–that I would grow a real foundation of fans based on authenticity. “Pick a lane” he would tell me.

So I picked “the lane” that felt the most natural to ME and I’ve never looked back. I’ve honored that lane and my style completely. Since making that move I’ve been nominated twice (in 2022 and 2023) for a Josie Music Award for Best Jazz-Blues Vocalist as well as Best Jazz-Blues Artist (in 2023) and even have two songs recognized for achievement as a songwriter in that same vein.

I am the Southern Spitfire of Jazz.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I’ve been experiencing a pivot since the pandemic. I think many of us have some way or another. Of course, in 2020 live music was shut down like the rest of the world and we were all forced to create a strong online presence if we wanted to stay relevant and remembered for when time passed and the live music scene would re-open. We lived off tips through Venmo, PayPal, Cashapp… you name it. A lot of us were doing several live-streamed shows a week and participated in online music “festivals” within Facebook groups. It was during this time I recognized the need to have a side career in something that wouldn’t always require me to be LIVE in front of an audience whether it was due to another pandemic, age, illness–for any situation I couldn’t control. I decided to leverage my own skills and experiences that I had acquired over time as an independent artist, get certified in social media management and digital marketing strategy, as well as go to grad school for Music Business at Berklee Online (a.k.a. Berklee College of Music) and I created an agency. The Autumn Agency. I named it after my favorite and busiest season. My agency specializes in digital/social media marketing for Artists and Venues… I won’t turn away other small businesses either. I offer career consulting for artists, careful not to strip them of their independence but to guide them through their careers as well as live music consulting which is a niche market helping venues, festivals, live music establishments, and private events find and understand their markets, and navigate or control the behind-the-scenes work of booking, scheduling, negotiating contracts, marketing …and I’ve even started dabbling as a promoter!
Although The Autumn Agency is among a sea of thousands of other agents who work within the music industry, I bring the added touch of first-hand experience as a performing artist for over 30 years–not just someone with an education or a simple passion for the music scene. And I’ve found that I have a real knack for this! It’s been exhilarating working within this landscape, utilizing my skills, experience, and network to assist artists in getting their start or taking the next step in their career. I have the capabilities to help them avoid the pitfalls of the industry that others, including myself, have fallen prey to at times. Establishments that choose to create a stage or platform for music in hopes they can help a local or even regional music scene thrive… I want to make sure they get a return on their investment and not throw their money away; that benefit should never be an exclusive to one party and not the other–artists and venues. That’s what makes a music scene healthy and that’s what I want to see! A healthy, thriving music scene.

And the best part is I don’t have to give up my own music career in the process, because I love playing music and performing. I don’t believe I’ll ever stop performing. I love what I do, but I also LOVE HELPING OTHERS! How great would it be to continue making my own music and possibly guide another artist to reach goals I never dreamed of reaching for myself or see a venue become the next House of Blues, Birdland Jazz Club, Blue Note, Eddie’s Attic, or Bluebird Cafe? I would consider myself honored to be even a small part of that music-richness!

How did you build your audience on social media?

Believe it or not, I reached my widest audiences during the pandemic when I couldn’t perform live. I live-streamed, targeted ads about my upcoming streams to audiences that I believed would love and appreciate my brand and style of music. Those audiences literally kept me financially afloat, which was great because I couldn’t fully rely on my local community since the general population is drawn more to country. My combined social media platforms’ following increased five times over and currently, my top city of fans is San Diego! I’ve never even been to San Diego! My second largest following is in Los Angeles… which I have also never been to. My hometown comes in third on the list, but not far behind is Paris, France & Chicago, Illinois. As I mentioned, became certified in Social Media and Digital Marketing Strategy during 2020, so I quickly learned what worked best for me as an artist and for the target market I was trying to reach. For instance, Twitter was not a useful platform for me as my targeted audience of listeners didn’t use it. Most of them were Facebook users. That doesn’t mean I only utilize Facebook, but I’m not spreading myself thin trying to hit every platform that doesn’t benefit me.

With social media, engagement is everything. That’s how you create fans and even super fans who are willing to buy special merchandise, pay for a subscription to exclusive material, or download and share your music. These people want to feel valued by you. Connect with them. Be authentic. When someone comments on your post, reply back or at the very least acknowledge their comment with a like. Bridge that gap in geography with performances when you can. Target your ads. Network in groups.
I could go on and on and on about all the innumerable ways to grow your following–some of those ways I plan to start transitioning myself to this year. The digital age has made the world an independent musician’s oyster! The possibilities are almost limitless.

And when your following grows to a point you can no longer connect with them, outsource that task to a reliable social media manager or agency who understands your brand and knows your voice… like The Autumn Agency.
(Shameless plug, I know.)

Contact Info:

• Website: www.MelissaEllisMusic.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/MelEllisMusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelissaEllisMusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissa-ellis-20331463/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MelissaEllisMusic
• Other: TikTok — https://www.tiktok.com/@melissaellismusic Spotify —https://sptfy.com/melissaellismusic Apple — https://music.apple.com/us/artist/melissa-ellis/312167653 Bandsintown — https://www.bandsintown.com/a/1340212-melissa-ellis