We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Melody Kiser a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

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

HeyDreamer is working on a new concept album called Celebrated Destruction of Paradise, and it’s easily the most ambitious thing we’ve ever taken on. It’s a full story world. The album follows a cast of characters living in a society that’s quickly falling apart underneath them. What was once paradise is now a world crippled with wealth disparity, corporate power grabs, media spin, and people trying to hold onto their humanity while the ground shifts under their feet.

Musically, it lives in this space between alt-rock, synth-driven power pop, and cinematic soundtrack. Each song is a “chapter” in the story, and we’re releasing them out of order on purpose, kind of like a Tarantino film, so fans can piece the narrative together as they go. You can listen to any track on its own, but if you follow the whole thing, you start to see how all these characters and moments connect into one bigger picture about what happens when a so-called paradise starts to crack.

What makes this project even more meaningful is that our community is literally helping build it with us. We launched a Kickstarter to fund the recording, videos, vinyl, and the visual side of the story, and our fans got behind it in a huge way: we hit our $30,000 goal and then some. That support has turned this from “our next record” into something that really belongs to everyone who believed in it early.

The album isn’t out yet, which is actually the exciting part. Right now we’re in the middle of recording, filming, and rolling out pieces of the story: singles, videos, and behind-the-scenes content. If you want to follow along as this world comes to life, follow us on social media, and check out our Patreon for an even deeper look. Celebrated Destruction of Paradise is us swinging for the fences, and we can’t wait for people to step into the world we’re building when the full record drops.

Melody, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

We’re HeyDreamer, an alt-rock band based in Atlanta, GA and signed to Real People Music, a production company owned by Will Turpin of Collective Soul and CMA-artist Brian Collins. Together with Real People Music, we’re creating a new concept album that blends big riffs, cinematic synths, and storytelling about the strange version of “paradise” we’re all living in right now.

The band is: Melody Kiser (lead vocals, guitars), Dustin Williams (bass), Donnie Gee (keyboards), and David Williams (drums). We’re all full-time musicians with creative backgrounds ranging from film scoring to big band, which is why our songs feel both melodic and cinematic, with arrangements that go beyond standard rock templates. If you want rock music that hits hard, actually says something, and invites you into a bigger narrative, HeyDreamer was made for you.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

A thriving creative ecosystem needs fans, communities, and institutions all doing their part.

Value art as work, not a hobby.
Pay artists fairly. Buy tickets, pay for lessons and commissions, tip bands, license music instead of asking for it “for exposure.” Treat creative time and skill like you’d treat any other profession.

Fix how artists get paid in the digital world.
Streaming and social platforms are built on creative work, but most artists see pennies. We need more transparent royalties, better rates for songwriters and performers, and policies that recognize that creative rights are often someone’s main form of income, not just a side asset.

If society wants a future that isn’t completely flattened by corporate sameness, it has to choose to nourish the weirdos, the risk-takers, and the storytellers. That’s where we live.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Music is not a race.
When you’re starting out, it’s so easy to feel like you’re behind…behind some imaginary timeline, behind other bands, behind the version of yourself you think you’re supposed to be. We wish someone had really hammered home that creativity is a long game. There’s no finish line. No medal ceremony. Like Billy Joel said, “Vienna waits for you.” You’re allowed to slow down, build skills, figure out who you are, and change your mind. That perspective alone would’ve saved us a lot of anxiety and burnout.

Therapy, coaching, and honest conversations about burnout, self-worth, and perfectionism are massively underrated resources. We wish we’d understood earlier that taking care of your brain and heart isn’t separate from your art, it’s the fuel that keeps it going.

Things like focused online courses, songwriting workshops, production classes, and guitar/keys/bass/drum lessons with people who understand your genre. Not in a “hurry up and be a pro” way, but in a “let’s deepen your craft over time” way. Consistent, slow growth is way more powerful than sprinting from trick to trick.

Things like Patreon or Kickstarter aren’t just about money; they’re about community and pacing. We wish we’d understood sooner that you can grow with your listeners instead of constantly chasing some big external “break.” Slow, steady support from real people who care about your work is far healthier than chasing virality.

If we could talk to our younger selves, we’d say:
Find good people, learn your craft, protect your mental health, and stop treating your timeline like a countdown clock. You’re not late. You’re not behind. You’re just on your way, and that’s the whole point.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heydreamerband.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heydreamerband/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeyDreamerBand
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melody-kiser/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ERVeFhxGus
• Other: https://www.patreon.com/c/heydreamer

Image Credits

Alphonso Whitfield, Steph (Heath) Cousino, Xerxes_fotographia