EXPERIMENTAL ELECTRONIC POP AND RNB ARTIST ‘MELJOANN’ RELEASES BRAND NEW SINGLE ‘OVERTIME’ WHICH HAS A POPPY VIBE YET HAS A DARKER SUBJECT AND I GOT THE LOW DOWN ON THE MAKING,RECORDING AND TEASES ALBUM DATE. READ IT HERE.

What is your name?
Meljoann.

What is your genre of music?
Experimental electronic pop / R&B.


Give us a little bio about you.
Here’s my little third-person bio:
Meljoann, originally from Ireland, produces experimental electronic pop. In her latest single ‘Overtime’, she tells the “the grotty tale of a woman who must be overly polite to her predatory boss”. Her sound has been described as “like a long-lost soul-pop album from the mid-1990s as remixed by Aphex Twin” (Eamon de Paor, Metro Herald).

What made you go into music?
It’s a sort of “mental disorder”: it makes you prize soothing yourself and others with sound more highly than your own economic welfare.

Who are your influences?
So much stuff… starting with the classical guitar music my mum plays (fave Villa Lobos), into being obsessed with Michael & Janet Jackson as a kid; through to Stevie Wonder and James Brown; jazz (like John Coltrane, Wes Montgomery, Eric Dolphy); experimental stuff like Roger Doyle and AMM; dance like Two Lone Swordsmen or LFO; traditional Irish singers like Colm Ó Caodháin, Margaret Barry, Elizabeth Cronin… just a lot of stuff.

Are you signed?
Nope, I run my own label (Boy Scout Audio) & occasionally release stuff with other electronic labels too.

You released your single ‘Overtime’, tell us more about the single.
It’s an experimental synth pop ditty with flutes (and dark subject matter).

What is the meaning behind the single?
‘Overtime’ is about unpaid emotional labour. It tells the story of a woman alienated from her own survival instincts, who is subjugated by a predatory boss.

Describe the track in two words.
Shiny rage.

Who did you work with on the single?
Just me.

We also see a Music Video for the single, what was the creative process like?
I created a character (‘Office Girl’) who is a more cowardly version of myself. My other character, Scout Hardcastle (who appears in other videos and even has his own weird album) is her Boss. I made a deconstructed creepy ‘office’ with software called Unreal Engine, and shot the whole thing in my living room using a green screen process.

Will we see an EP or Album and if so what can we expect?
My album, ‘H.R.’ is out July 30th. Expect more twisted electronic pop.

What else can we expect in 2021?
Hoping to do some shows! I’ve made a live AV set containing pop songs, dance tracks, disorientating sound design, and visual projections with dystopian power-point slides.

Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Either a precarious retail worker, or a precarious music worker, or both. I’d love to play more festivals, and release a few more albums

What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Probably something like: “F***k it” … it’s always useful.

When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
The feeling of connection with other people in the crowd.
If I’m playing, gratitude that I can make people feel better.
Elation that sound can make you dance and give you nice images in your brain.
The physicality of the bass.
Happiness about being with other like-minded people.

Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Yep! And thanks so much for the interview 🙂
Instagram
Twitter
Facebook
Soundcloud
Youtube

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