Today we’d like to introduce you to Mel Washington.
Hi Mel, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
Born and raised in South Carolina. Born in downtown Charleston but raised in a tiny (at the time) suburb called Goose Creek. From a very conservative Christian family going to church 3 times a week. Started a rock band with some buddies in 2007 and after touring the entire US and becoming a publisher in Nashville in 2014, I decided to take the reins of a solo artist and then went on to focus on songwriting.
In the years since then have focused on surrounding myself with the best people In the industry to learn from. I’ve found that the best path to success in this industry is to be a student rather than pretending or assuming you have it all figured out.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It’s definitely not been a smooth road. After spending my early to mid-20s touring in a band, I found myself in Nashville as a publisher, but little did I know that I would soon become homeless and lose everything. Rebuilding has not been easy and has taken many years. But there are so many lessons to learn along the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m known mostly as a singer, and songwriter, even though I have many producer credits, and A&R credits, and am also a voice-over artist. I focus very intently on storytelling.
And when it comes to performance, I try to emote the lyrics as best as possible. Many people just get up and sing songs, but songs are more than words and notes, they are experiences; full of joy, pain, celebration, and tears.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Risk-taking is the ONLY way to succeed. Every day, it’s a risk to get on a stage and wonder if people will like you. There’s a chance they will not. There’s always a risk to writing a song. What if people think it’s terrible?
There’s a risk of investing in recordings. What if nobody buys it? What if we don’t recoup? Ultimately, there’s a risk to being vulnerable. There’s always a chance that you will be left naked and hurt.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @melwashington
- Twitter: @melwashington
- Youtube: melwashington
- SoundCloud: @melwashington
Image Credits
Dylan Dawkins
