Releasing a track called ‘Love Sucks’ on Valentines Day is a statement and a half. But Canadian artist MELANIE? hits reset on what happily ever after really means. We caught up with her on the loved-up weekend to catch her thoughts on love and music.
Can we call it an anti-valentines day track?
In one-way it is because I’m putting out a song called LOVE SUCKS on Valentine’s Day, but in another it’s not! I love LOVE now because I FINALLY LOVE MYSELF PROPERLY AND THEREFORE I LOVE OUTWARDLY PROPERLY. So it’s not that I was against love when I wrote the song. It was really that love sucks when you don’t love yourself first.
Tell us more about the inspiration behind the single.
I’m always inspired by my own life experiences and want to share what happens to me so that I can hopefully inspire change and empower other women and other people to make changes within their own lives. These are my own stories and my own life laid out on the paper.
Your music is very empowering and about self-love, what’s the key to loving yourself?
The key is to keep getting up every day knowing that life is not perfect, and we all are not perfect, but we have to treat each other better and we have to do better in this world. Do your best and keep moving forward even if it’s just little by little.
“Love Sucks” is very guitar-heavy, it’s great to see women making insanely good guitar music – is there any one in particular that inspires you and your music?
I’m inspired by the greats from Kurt Cobain, Amy, Janis, Zeppelin, Tedeschi Trucks Band to Leon Bridges, Marcus King.
What else can we expect from you this year?
Tons of new music and tons of shows.
Finally, are you a Valentines or a Galentines day kind of girl?
I’m an everything type of girl. I tell my boyfriend and my friends and family I love them everyday, you don’t know when the last time you’ll say I love you to anyone is. Make every moment count.
New Music: Melanie?
“As a kid, we’re programmed to think romantic love means having to find Romeo or Prince Charming, but no one teaches us the importance of finding love in ourselves first. On its surface, “Love Sucks” might read as an anti-love anthem for the broken and jaded, but in reality, it’s a love song to yourself. It’s not love that sucks, it’s the narrative and expectations around love that suck. What they need to teach you is that happily ever after has to live inside you, and being your own love story is the only route to a fairytale ending. Self love = the best love, everything else will follow”
MELANIE? “YEAH YEAH”
Canadian-songstress MELANIE? blesses us with a retro-tinged karaoke flick for new track “Yeah Yeah”.
MELANIE? Yeah Yeah Music Video Zebra
Forget Stokey Karaoke, Canavans and Blues Kitchen, MELANIE?’s retro-tinged karaoke video will blow you and all of your friends’ singing clear out of the water, no matter how good you think you sound when drunk.
Her previous action-packed lyric video saw the Canadian songstress skydiving, horse-riding, rollercoasting, arcade racing and doing just about any other -ing you can think of. MELANIE? Explains the flick in more detail; “The song is about fighting through inner conflict to find your power after heartbreak,” she tells us.
MELANIE? Yeah Yeah Music Video Stripe
MELANIE? Yeah Yeah Music Video Silk
The song is basically about finding freedom and inner-strength in a down-and-out moment, fit with a growling guitar line and bolstering vocal delivery. “The words “Yeah Yeah” are said by a woman who has found her confidence / Yeah Yeah, this didn’t break me / Yeah Yeah, I got this / Yeah Yeah, I don’t care anymore /Yeah Yeah, I can get through anything”.
The video she’s premiering today takes this concept lightyears further. MELANIE? plays an anarchic assassin dodging kicks, punches and swings from her foe. She fights her way a dimly lit warehouse, claiming back her strength one destroyed furnishing at a time. It’s equal parts Kill Bill, Charlie’s Angels, and Killing Eve – and if it’s any indication of the future, we can’t wait to see what’s next!