aaamusic | On 28, May 2019

Who are you and where are you from?

My name is Mel Senese and I am from Norridge IL (a tiny bubble town surrounded by Chicago). I formed my own original project this January of 2019 after a handful of years of being in other originals bands, cover bands, etc.

What inspired you to get into music?

I grew up playing piano, guitar and clarinet and actually didn’t get into singing until age 16 or 17. My influences are countless from modern pop or alternative rock and Rock n’ Roll. My uncle gave me Logic Pro studios when I was 17 and I had written a bunch of songs that summer. It was the writing and creative process that inspired me to give this music thing a shot. 

What have you done?

I released my first original song in February 2019 and a music video to go along with it in March 2019. I am proud of the strides that I have made as an artist within a short period of time when it comes down to the music creation, production decisions, as well as networking. It is a very stressful process to get your music out the way that you invision, but once it’s out there and people can interpret it how they please, it is such a breath of fresh air. 

Since releasing my first single in February, I have had a release party that I threw with other great bands in the Chicago area, been featured on some great spotify playlists as well as interviews, and most recently was able to perform my song with my band on ABC 7 Chicago’s show, Windy City Live. 

What are you like live?

My sound is soul/pop/alt-rock. I am very melodic and love to command a stage. I lose myself on stage and it is my best release. I have had the opportunity to open up for Dorothy two times and these shows have been my best support shows thus far. I have developed relationships with new fans and gotten the greatest amount of exposure. 

What makes you different?

I would say that I am just being myself, and I express myself best while I’m on stage. Whether I tell a quick story inbetween sets, make a shout out to a fan, completely lose myself to one of my songs and end up doing a somersault (it happens haha), I just always do what I feel. 

I have a handful of songs that I will be releasing in the next few months so I would like to ask this question directly to my fans once they have more than one song to stream :)

Physical vs Downloading vs Streaming…How do you listen to music?

I enjoy all forms of music and I still buy CDs as well as vinyls.  When it comes to supporting music, streaming has been super beneficial and has been a great way to get a name out there. I personally favour Spotify because of how easy it is to use, the ability to end up on top playlists, as well as creating my own playlists for people to enjoy with some of my favourite music right now. The ability to share songs on different social media platforms is what creates that initial buzz and people will cultivate to what they love. There’s a natural attraction to what is popping.

What have you been listening to?

I created my own playlist of inspirational songs and artists. Check it out here.

What are your aspirations for the future?

I am currently working on getting a handful of my songs produced as well as writing a lot more. I have been focused on getting these songs ready for release and just want the best possible product for my fans and new fans to come. GROWTH is what is currently happening and I cannot wait for the near future :)

Questions answered by: Mel Senese…