Interview: Melody Mortal – Bad Man Sam

Melody Mortal is a singer/songwriter and music producer. Born and raised in New York she grew up with 80s hair metal and opera.

Discovered via submithub.com

Hey Melody Mortal! Would you mind introducing yourself to our readers?

Hi everyone! I was born and raised in New York and I grew up with ’80s hair metal and opera. I tried my shot at acting, musical theater and was in a rock band for a few years in NY. When I moved to Los Angeles, I thought I had it all figured out when it came to my music and my message. I was making music that wasn’t personal to me, just what I thought would work and make me successful. I ended up starting over many times in terms of songwriting and finding my sound. I think I had to go through that process in order to really discover what I wanted to say! Once I let go of what I thought I should be doing I created Melody Mortal. I just made music I wanted to hear! It is liberating and such an amazing feeling. I hope other musicians who struggle with this really go for it and make something incredibly original!

I’m loving your new single, ‘Bad Man Sam’. What was the inspiration for the song?

The inspiration behind this song is a bit strange! A few years ago I was heading back to my apartment. Felt like a normal Saturday afternoon, bright sunny gorgeous day. While walking towards my building, I saw a crowd of LAPD, SWAT, caution tape, helicopters circling around my block. As I approached the authorities, they would not let me in and stated a man with a gun had entered the building! I called my landlord Rick and we found out this man was actually my neighbor’s roommate. He had a bad break up. Drunk and depressed, he ran outside waving the gun around and when he went back inside, my neighbor saw him and called the police. He locked himself in, threatening to shoot himself and/or the police. After a 5-hour long standstill, his ex-girlfriend ended up Facetiming him and convincing him to cooperate with the authorities. He was arrested and my landlord eventually evicted him. I wrote this song immediately after all this happened.

Your music is really impressive. Where do you find inspiration?

Wow, thank you! I try and find inspiration in what feels good to me musically! I follow my instincts. My biggest inspirations are Queen, Kanye West, and Marilyn Manson. I wanted to create a sound that had those elements but with a fresh twist.

What are you listening to at the moment?

Oliver Tree, Missy Elliott’s latest EP, Yungblud, Diplo and Dillon Francis quarantine live streams.

What’s been your favorite musical experience to date?

How people are reacting to my music! I didn’t expect such positive feedback from strangers. I love hearing how the song makes them feel or how they interpret it.

If you could collaborate with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

This is a tough one! I want to say Prince in the afterlife. I would love to see his process. His connection with music is incredible when he plays live.

What have you got lined up for the rest of the year?

My next single “Mama Dear” was released on May 1st! I’m planning music videos for Bad Man Sam and Mama Dear (quarantine-style, most likely). I had some elaborate ideas but I’m trying to figure out how to scale them down and keep it fun! I have another few releases I am working on in the summer and fall. I am a DIY musician and hope to keep learning and working on what I can do next to promote myself and my project. I am excited to keep sharing my music and see what the possibilities are!