Jodie Mellor
Jodie Mellor is a rising star. Influenced by artists such as Ed Sheeran or Hozier, the 16 year old young artist is making her own way with her unique tone and musician skills. Gifted with a great passion for music, Jodie has been posting videos on Youtube for a while now. Obviously, her amazing talent hasn’t been unnoticed. One thing I am sure of is that I believe we’re going to hear a lot about her in a near future.
Introduce yourself.
I’m Jodie Mellor, a 16 year old singer/songwriter from the UK.
Who are your musical influences? Who did you grow up listening to?
Music has always been a big part of family life since I was very small, thanks to my Mum. I grew up listening to bands like The Beatles, Patsy Cline, The Carpenters, and a lot of Elvis! I think this is where my love for acoustic music came from. I also adored Taylor Swift and seeing her playing her guitar on stage is what inspired me to start myself.
When did you start singing and playing guitar?
I’ve sung for as long as I can remember. As a toddler, my grandmother would sit at the piano whilst I stood next to her and sang. As for the guitar, I have been playing for around 6 years now. I taught myself to play during primary school and picked up ukulele as well. I can also play piano, but I tend to stick to the guitar as I find it much easier to pick up a song.
What is the first song you ever learned to play?
I have a feeling that it was Big Girls Don’t Cry by Fergie. Haha!
Watch Jodie covering ‘All I Ask’ by Adele
You post covers on Youtube quite often - What/Who motivated you to upload videos on Youtube?
I had a Youtube channel back in 2011 where I posted covers (terrible ones). I deleted it, and since then regretted getting rid of it. I was always quite sceptical to make another channel, but in the end I decided that if I wanted my music heard, that it was the best way to go. I love the whole production of making a cover, and I love how I’m able to interpret and share my own versions of the music that’s out there today. Tiffany Alvord was my main inspiration for my 1st channel, but nowadays I like Daniela Andrade and Sarah Close.
How do you pick the songs you cover? How long does it take you to learn a song? What’s the challenge about it?
I choose my songs depending on what’s popular at the moment, but also what I enjoy. If a song is really big but I don’t like the style, I’ll try and change it to make it my own. I also take requests from friends and cover old music that I love. If I’m going to do a cover on guitar, I’m always quite quick at picking it up. I can listen to a song a few times and know it off by heart. But if I want to do a piano or ukulele cover it takes a while, probably a day or two to learn because I don’t play those instruments as often as I should.
Watch Jodie performs ‘We Don’t Talk Anymore’ by Charlie Puth & Selena Gomez
What do you like the most about music?
The lyrics. I can love a terrible song if it has well written lyrics. I think that they tell a story and engage everyone that listens. They affect each person in different ways and cause each song to be interpreted differently.
What does singing make you feel?
It just cheers up my mood. It’s a kind of escape, a therapy for any bad emotions. Even singing a sad song makes me happier!
How does music have an impact in your life?
I’m always listening to music - it’s constantly playing in my house. In that sense, it doesn’t really impact me greatly, other than making me a much happier person. But playing music impacts me in all kinds of ways. It’s given me confidence and has become a type of identity for me.
Who do you look up to?
Musically, I look up to singer songwriters such as Ed Sheeran and Hozier. I find their sounds to be something that I hope to recreate one day. In my personal life, I look up to my Mum as she’s very strong and has taught me to be, too, which is crucial in this industry.
If you had to make your own album tomorrow, how would you make it sound? What would you write about?
I’ve been writing for a few years now and I hope that if I made my own album it would be soothing, a range of folk and soul and something electronic. I think that at such a young age I still have to find my sound, but this is just what I enjoy listening to myself. As for what I write about, it’s the typical things a teenager would, young love and heartbreak, but also what I am scared of in the world, such as growing old. I hope that one day as I learn and grow that I will be able to write about more obscure yet important topics and share a message with the world.
Being from the UK, what do think of the music scene out there? Which artists have you been listening to the most lately?
I think that the music scene in the UK is so vast. There’s something out there for everybody. Personally, my music taste is varied. If I were to choose some of my current favourites, it would be Hozier, James Bay, Halsey, Alessia Cara, The 1975, Tom Odell and Bon Iver. The list goes on.
Watch Jodie covering ‘Pillow Talk’ by Zayn Malik
What is your dream?
I’m not quite sure of what my ultimate dream is just yet. I feel as though I dream of endless things. If I had to tell you one, it would be to travel the world. Even better yet would be to travel the world and share my music as I go.
Connect with Jodie:
http://www.twitter.com/jodiemellor
http://www.instagram.com/jodiemellor