Mel Denisse: Finding Strength Through Vulnerability and the Sound of Alternative Rock

Tony Mantor's : Almost Live..... Nashville - Tony Mantor

In this episode of Almost Live Nashville, host Tony Mantour sits down with alternative rock artist Mel Denise to explore her journey from a

Key takeaways

Mel Denise's music evolved through embracing diverse genres like trip hop and dark wave, moving beyond early self-imposed limitations.
She views songwriting as a deeply personal, visual experience where melodies and emotions unfold organically.

Main topics

The evolution of Mel Denise's musical style
Influences from 90s and early 2000s alternative rock

Notable quotes

"I'm a very visual person too. So I'll start kind of seeing this kind of movie or something playing in my head."

Conclusion

Mel Denise's journey reflects the transformative power of embracing vulnerability and

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:05) Hi, I'm Tony Mantour. Thanks for joining us today. Welcome to Almost Live Nashville, where music, entertainment, and great conversations come together. If you haven't already, tap follow. This way you stay up to date, never missing the great conversation and guests coming your way. Speaker 2 (0:22) Joining us today is Mel Denise, an artist who blends raw emotion with cinematic soundscapes in a way that's impossible to ignore. From alternative rock and dark wave textures to deeply personal songwriting, she is creating music that feels both haunting and powerful at the same time. Her sound has been gaining attention from listeners and music lovers around the world. resonating with anyone who's ever found beauty in heartbreak or strength in vulnerability. Today we get the chance to hear the story behind the music, the inspiration behind the emotion, and the journey that continues to shape her unmistakable sound. Thanks for joining us today. I Speaker 1 (1:04) know, I'm excited. Speaker 2 (1:05) Okay, so for listeners who might just be discovering you. Give us a little background on how music became a serious part of your life. Speaker 1 (1:14) Yeah, I mean, I've always had a connection to music, you know, so since I was little, I was writing and singing and that led into, you know, picking up instruments and recording and trying to just figure out the whole thing. And I didn't really have like a set. clear path. I didn't really come from a family of, you know, musicians or artists or anything. They were very traditional. And like you go to college and then you get a nine to five. Right. I was, you know, going up against a lot growing up trying to figure this out. Right. But, you know, like when you love something, it never leaves you. So, yeah, I just did as much as I could on my own. Speaker 2 (1:58) Okay. Speaker 1 (1:58) Started collaborating with people. Sure. other producers, producing myself, and then just going for it as much as I could. Speaker 2 (2:07) Yeah. So you started playing what, guitar? Was that your earliest thing that you played when you was like, what, 10 years old or something like that? Speaker 1 (2:15) Yeah. So I picked up the guitar first and then dabbled with a bit of piano here and there. But yeah, guitar is kind of the main instrument. Speaker 2 (2:27) Okay. So When did you, after starting playing guitar and dabbling with music, when did you realize that this was more than just a hobby, that it was going to be a serious part of your life? Speaker 1 (2:38) I would say, I mean, I guess in my teens, I was actively pursuing it. There were some hiatuses here and there, but... Speaker 1 (2:50) some kind of opportunities would pop in here and there that kind of were signals to me. Sure. Speaker 2 (2:56) This Speaker 1 (2:57) could be more serious and that I should continue to pursue it. And so, yeah, I mean, one thing led to another. And I was just also trying to learn myself as an artist. Sure. And through those years. Speaker 2 (3:10) Yeah. So Speaker 1 (3:11) in some ways, I'm kind of glad that I didn't go full force. Right. Because I'm really excited about everything right now and feel a bit more confident in terms of what I'm creating. And so, yeah. Speaker 2 (3:27) So while you was dabbling in it, while you was doing all the things that you do as a teenager, who were some of the people that was influencing what you thought you might want to become? Speaker 1 (3:40) Yeah, I mean, gosh, I loved a lot of like 90s, early 2000s alternative. So Deftones, Failure, Mew. Speaker 1 (3:52) a band called Abandoned Pools, anything just, yeah, I loved a lot of different things. Even Tori Amos and Amy Lee, a lot of like classically trained female vocalists that I thought were very interesting. Sure. Artists that I think did a lot of juxtaposition with the type of music and the type of vocals that they were pairing together. Yeah, I've always been drawn to kind of like the weirder. combinations. Speaker 2 (4:20) Okay. Yeah. So did you, like when I was working in music, I would take a little bit from one artist that influenced me. And then all of a sudden I had my own style, my own sound. That kind of developed that same way for you? Speaker 1 (4:37) Yeah, I think so. I think. Speaker 1 (4:41) It's weird because you can have as many influences as you want. Yeah. But at the end of the day, what's going to come out of you is what's going to come out of you. Speaker 2 (4:50) Right. Speaker 1 (4:51) But I think it's definitely a fusion. And my co-producer that I work with, he is also a big fan of sort of genre bending and, you know, taking little things from different places. Speaker 2 (5:02) Right. Speaker 1 (5:03) So I think that's the most fun part of all of it. And so. you could probably hear elements of, you know, several different things and definitely some of those influences. As Speaker 2 (5:14) you grow, you evolve. And as you evolve, you keep adding different little nuances here and there. Have you seen, now that you can look back at what you've done and what you've created, can you see where you've evolved and how you've changed over the years? And what has surprised you about some of the changes? Speaker 1 (5:36) Yes, definitely. I think the style of music, honestly, like a lot of the things I didn't know I liked are things I like now. Speaker 2 (5:48) Different Speaker 1 (5:49) styles, like there's a lot of trip hop elements, a part of album that's coming together. Okay. Speaker 2 (5:56) You Speaker 1 (5:56) know, just different, yeah, different kinds of sounds and moods and directions that I never really yet thought that I would. kind of go towards. And before I definitely, I think pigeonholed myself a little bit. Speaker 2 (6:10) Okay. I Speaker 1 (6:11) had the mindset that I was like, I just like this one type of sound and I just, you want to do this one type of thing. Sure. Speaker 2 (6:18) But Speaker 1 (6:18) I try to challenge myself a lot with opening up to things. Speaker 2 (6:22) Okay. And Speaker 1 (6:23) so that was a little bit scary at first and held me back in ways. Sure. Speaker 2 (6:27) But Speaker 1 (6:27) now I kind of feel like that floodgate has opened and now I'm like, let's try anything. So. Speaker 2 (6:33) Good, good. Now, when you sit down to write a song, do you have an idea in mind when you're starting?