Melburnian singer-songwriter Melanie Valentine is releasing her first single ‘VHS TAPE’ on Friday November 1. This is not only an exciting date for Valentine because it marks her single release, but her third child is due around the same date.
Valentine strongly believes in giving a voice to working mothers as she says there’s a stigma around them within the music industry.
“I’m hoping the song shows you don’t have to give up your dreams just because you’ve had a baby,” she says. She’s also the founder of CLAK (Creative Life After Kids) Network, an initiative which provides a place for parents to connect and encourage each other to go back to work after having children.
The busy mother of two – and soon to be three – is currently on maternity leave from a graphic design course and has been involved in music for at least a decade, but this is the first time she has had a song properly mastered.
She says ‘VHS TAPE’ particularly resonates with those in her age group who grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s. It’s a catchy pop tune that evokes images of gumball machines and arcade games, though it contains some serious undertones.
Valentine says she wrote the song about being stuck in a bad relationship and not having friends to support you, stemming from her own experience as a young person when she didn’t have good friends and was in a toxic relationship. She hopes it teaches people to find resilience and strength and not get caught in a loop (like a VHS tape).
As a young girl, Valentine loved Pokémon and The Powerpuff Girls because of their cute and catchy theme songs and she grew up listening to the likes of Aqua, Robyn and Britney Spears. You can definitely hear these influences in her music.
She often starts her creative process by jamming on an acoustic guitar or playing around with GarageBand on her phone. Sometimes she thinks of an appealing song title first and then makes the song work around that.
In 2008, Valentine started making music but she said it was harder back then as there wasn’t much information on the Internet on how to promote music. She tried a few different genres, including pop-punk which she liked for its melodies. It was a steep learning curve, but she grew a lot from the experience.
Even after Valentine had her first child, she continued collaborating and being involved in the music scene. Like many musos starting out, she’s worked retail here and there to support herself and she’s done a number of open mic nights to keep the creative juices flowing.
“It’s good to try everything and anything until you find yourself,” she says. About 12 months ago, she was added to a ‘Make Pop Music’ group on social media and she started reaching out to musicians and music producers in the group.
Valentine says she’s lucky to have supportive friends who encouraged her to pursue a career in music. “I knew if I didn’t try now, I would regret it for the rest of my life,” she says, “So I just thought I’d have a go.”
For Valentine, making music isn’t about making money, but the process and being able to share something personal with other people. At the moment, she loves listening to Charli XCX because of her melodies and catchy tunes.
She’s enjoyed the collaborative process of producing the song with Jeremy Drakeford of Spectrum Sound and to see her first single come together. ‘VHS TAPE’ is the perfect way for listeners to be introduced to Melanie’s nostalgic lyrics backed by poppy synth sounds.
Melanie Valentine’s ‘VHS TAPE’ will be released on Friday November 1 and available to stream on Spotify. Check out her socials to keep in the loop about upcoming gigs and releases.