Senior Melanie Dewey has a passion for music and isn’t shy about letting people know it – when she’s not too busy racing from one gig to another.
Dewey runs and performs at the Patio Jams concert series on Thursdays, is the subject of a documentary, is touring the East Coast over the summer and is currently working on her first album, “Between the Lines,” as well as a music video. Somehow, she has managed to juggle all those responsibilities with her classes, and as a result, already has quite a resume.
“Honestly I’ve just been singing forever, at least for as long as I could remember,” she said. “I haven’t stopped since and now the rest is history.”
The artist, originally from Syracuse, N.Y., came to UM to explore and expand upon her musical talents. She is currently a music business major at the Frost School of Music.
Dewey’s style encompasses a couple of different genres, but she has it centered it on a country-pop groove that she enjoys performing. She came to the university as an opera major, but quickly realized that wasn’t what she really loved.
“I would much prefer to be in a band, front a band or be writing my own songs,” Dewey said. “I first knew I wanted to be a writer and performer in high school when I was in three different bands, while writing my own stuff on the side. When I got here, my roommate freshman year was in the [Creative American Music] songwriting program, and she was always writing songs and inspiring me to pursue that as an actual career.”
That roommate, Megan Talay, is going to be touring with Dewey this summer. With stops including Washington, D.C. and New York City, the duo is ready for the enlightening experience.
“I couldn’t be more excited for the opportunity to play some gigs with Melanie and to get started on our respective careers as artists,” Talay said.
Dewey said she is also working with a team of producers in Nashville to create her first album and music video, but the logistics are making it a grueling process. Coordinating schedules and collaborating instruments are just adding more stress on top of what Dewey already has to deal with.
“It is such a stressful process, but it’s really good practice for the real world, and I’m sure this isn’t even the beginning of what I’m about to experience,” Dewey said. “No one is going to hold your hand out there, especially in terms of being a full-time musician.”
Kafayat Adegbenro, a graduate film student, has also been working with Dewey, but in a more visual aspect. Adegbenro is making Dewey the subject of a documentary about finding jobs after graduation and getting ready for that journey. Adegbenro is also the director and editor of Dewey’s music video for her single, “Murder He Wrote.”
“The music video is about a guy who goes around stealing girls’ hearts until he finally has his own heart stolen,” Adegbenro said. “…Working with Melanie was definitely fun. She is very passionate about her music and it is portrayed to the public.”
“Murder He Wrote” comes out Tuesday on Beats Music, Spotify, iTunes and Amazon, and will be followed by the music video shortly. The full album, “Between the Lines,” will be released on April 22 and will be on Bandcamp for a limited time.
For more information and updates on Dewey and her music, check out her Facebook page at Facebook.com/melaniedeweymusic.