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Interview: Melany Watson talks new single ‘Illuminate’ and EP (Includes interview)

“Unlike my past projects, this EP wasn’t pre-planned out. I had just been eliminated as a finalist contestant on NBC’s ‘The Voice’ and it felt as if I had been thrown for a musical loop,” she said. “But it lit a fire in me, and I just began writing nonstop. I traveled between Los Angeles, Nashville, and New York working as many writing sessions as possible. Over the course of 6 months, I had written several EPs worth of music, and there was she was, ‘Lilith in Virgo.’ I chose ‘Lottery,’ ‘Illuminate’ and ‘Flash’ for the three song EP. Those were the closest to my heart, and are the strongest representation of myself as an artist. I collaborated with writers Dani Elliot, Ross Bridgeman, John Flanagan and Chase Foster. Ross built tracks and demos for all the songs, and because I loved working with him so much, he ended up producing the entire project. It all just fell into place.”

Regarding her single “Illuminate,” she said, “The song is very dear to my heart, so it became the first single on, ‘Lilith in Virgo.’ I was always fascinated with astrology and fortune telling. I find it all very interesting, and it can be scarily accurate sometimes. I usually connected astrology to most of my relationships. I brought the idea to Dani, and we just rolled with it. I had just gotten out of an on again/off again 6 year relationship and felt very lost. I wanted answers: is this person my soulmate? Why does it feel right, but it keeps ending and beginning? This song is me questioning if the person is supposed to be my soul mate, through the lens of the universe. I co-wrote this song with my dear friend, Dani Elliot, and our producer, Ross Bridgeman.”

On her plans for the future, she said, “I’m looking forward to releasing the music video for ‘Illuminate,’ and to share the rest of the EP with the world. I am so happy for this project. I’m also excited to be booking a bunch of tour dates on the west coast this fall. It’ll be nice to take a break from New York before going back into the studio to finish recording the next project, which I’m excited to say I’ve started with my producer Brad Allen Williams. We started recording earlier this year, with goals to finish by the end of the year. This project is set to be released in Spring 2017. Stay tuned.”

Being eliminated from the show ‘The Voice’ was heartbreaking for the songstress, but It served a purpose so incredibly invaluable to her. “The show showed me a side of the business that I had never experienced, or seen before. I got to see that sometimes its not really about talent, it’s about the entire package, and their story. They really want people on the show that can appeal to a larger audience. I didn’t make a team, but there’s nothing more humbling than being rejected on national television. If anything, it made me want to succeed ten times more. I wanted to hit the ground running and make it to the next level as an overall writer and artist. It wasn’t in the cards for me to make a team in season six, but I made great friends on the show and that is something I will always cherish,” she said.

She selected the track “Lottery” as her favorite from the new EP. “That song pays tribute to my idol Whitney Houston, and it was so much fun to record. I wrote this song with my dear friend John Flanagan and Ross Bridgeman. We were all in the studio one day and got stumped on a writing idea. We had major writer’s block, and then out of nowhere a guy I had been crushing on called me. His call made me light up, and John said, ‘Girl, you look like you just won the lottery!’ We wrote the song in one hour. Its a fun, Whitney inspired 80s throwback. A monster song with modulations for days, and I feel 16 years old again every time I sing it. You can’t help but smile and dance when you’re listening to this song,” she said.

For her fans, she concluded, “You are the reason I do this! I hope you enjoy ‘Lilith in Virgo’ and I can’t wait to hear your feedback. Also, look forward to more cover and acoustic videos popping up in my social media soon! The YouTube channel is getting a major face-lift with new videos as well! I am currently booking a west coast tour during all of fall 2016. If you live in Seattle, Portland and parts of Cali stay tuned for official details and dates.”

For more on Watson, follow her on Twitter and her website.

Markos Papadatos
Written By

Markos Papadatos is Digital Journal's Editor-at-Large for Music News. Papadatos is a Greek-American journalist and educator that has authored over 20,000 original articles over the past 18 years. He has interviewed some of the biggest names in music, entertainment, lifestyle, magic, and sports. He is a 16-time "Best of Long Island" winner, where for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, and 2022), he was honored as the "Best Long Island Personality" in Arts & Entertainment, an honor that has gone to Billy Joel six times.

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