Story & Lesson Highlights with Melody

We recently had the chance to connect with Melody and have shared our conversation below.

Melody, we’re thrilled to have you with us today. Before we jump into your intro and the heart of the interview, let’s start with a bit of an ice breaker: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I am an early riser of sorts. I’m usually up between 4 -5am and then it’s my favorite… coffee, a trip to the gym, home to cool down & catch the news before get myself ready for the day ahead. I love that 2 or 3 hours to myself in the morning. I get a lot done, and have time to reflect on the things I’m grateful for, as opposed to hopping out of bed late and being in a rush to get out the door.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Melody DeBraux, a singer/songwriter who tends to write a lot of ballads about life and love. I grew up a music lover and studied classical voice before deciding to venture into the country pop realm. I wrote my first song when I was 10 yrs old. I recorded my first studio single when I was 14 – will never forget that! Singing turned into a profession in college. It was a blessing to be able to study, and get paid to live out my musical dreams on the side. I finally recorded my first album in 2013 with my then duo partner, and a solo album in 2021. I have a short film being released this month inspired by my song You Do You. It’ll be streaming very soon! The music video for You Do You is also out now. I feel very fortunate to be able to share my music with people and can’t imagine life without it! There’s nothing quite like expression through song. All of us are tied to music in one way or another. Its unifying factor is what I love about it the most.

Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. Who taught you the most about work?
I would have to give that credit to my parents, particularly my Papa. He instilled a work ethic in us at a very young age. He encouraged our aspirations, while always reminding us that living our dreams requires 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. I owe my father a lot for teaching us to love working hard and to be intentional with every effort.

What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Suffering, although seemingly negative, can be a blessing from God in that it makes you grateful for the little things. It’s what makes us keep trying, keep praying, and having faith that life will show you better days. I’ve been down and out, lost out on huge gigs, been broke as a joke at times. What’s resulted in experiencing hardship is a sense of gratitude to God for showing me what faith can do when success finally does come your way.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
Biggest one is probably that the number of “followers” you have defines your level of talent in the industry. It’s a truly unfortunate part of the business. I think it forces us to be a “brand” as opposed to human. It can also stunt originality and diversity in music. Songs start to sound the same, artists look the same. I would love for the industry to appreciate raw talent over social media clout.

Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. When do you feel most at peace?
I feel the most at peace when I’m with my daughters. They remind me that I’m blessed above and beyond. Life kind of stops when we’re together and I’m focused on the time with them over work or adulting. Watching them experience life and become the amazing women they are becoming brings me a lot of joy.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Main photo Photographer – Garrison Marsh

Photo 5 is me and Dunn Pearson Jr. at the Orlando Urban Film Festival, where the short film, You Do You, inspired by my song, was nominated for Best Director.

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