melliejellie

IO: You just released your first EP, “all about u”. How does it feel?

Melanie: It feels amazing! This is my first EP under the melliejellie project, and I’m mostly feeling really grateful for how many people stepped up to make it a collaboration. The IO community was a huge part of this—every teacher provided feedback that helped turn my baby bangers into a polished 3-track EP. My twin sister emipokapoka also created the incredible artwork.

There’s definitely some nostalgia and grief in the project too. In many ways, I’m saying goodbye to my years as a raver while figuring out how to integrate those experiences into my own voice. I wanted to create something more aligned with the neurodivergent weirdos who grew up on the internet watching anime and playing video games. That’s really what melliejellie is becoming: a collaborative music and art project that builds out a Y2K-inspired universe through printed artwork and analog media. We’re burning CDs, printing artwork, and keeping it totally DIY.

IO: Sonically, "looking 4 u," "i wont wait 4 u," and "i want u 2 tell me" move through some different moods, was that emotional arc intentional, or did it reveal itself once you sequenced the tracks?

Melanie: Not at all—it emerged late in the process. The music came first. I knew I had something with “i won’t wait 4 u,” but the track felt lonely, so I had to elevate my other ideas to complete the EP. Once I had the three demos, it felt natural to order them from least to most vulnerable.

IO: Looking back now that it's out, has your relationship to these songs changed at all since you wrote them?

Melanie: I think we naturally assign meaning to things. While making these songs, I was deep into Y2K nostalgia—buying a Walkman and CD player, getting matching Tamagotchis with my twin, and thinking about my experiences in the festival scene. I was also thinking about growing up with social media and how much I’ve changed as a person. How do I reconcile no longer being a raver with making dance music? I wanted to integrate all of those experiences and turn melliejellie into a collaborative music and art project, with ALL ABOUT U as the debut.

IO: Which Program at IO did you complete and what's the biggest thing you learned about yourself as an artist through it?

Melanie: I learned that creativity is a practice and a discipline you can develop—there’s no such thing as an uncreative person. I also learned that I work best in a community and through collaboration. I have so many raw experiences that I can tap into to express and process what I’m feeling, and IO really helped me understand that.

IO: What's a lesson from IO Music Academy that you still find yourself leaning on when you're in the studio now?

Melanie: Definitely the Claim Your Sound and Finishing Touches processes. Whenever I get stuck, I remind myself to make music sketches. What’s nice about being a past student is having access to the course material, so technically I’ve taken Claim Your Sound more than once by following along with current classes’ notes. ;)

IO: Your sound/aesthetic leans into that early 2000s nostalgia, what draws you to that era?

Melanie: It’s when I was a kid, before social media, when we had a family computer and dancing was something I did at home with my friends. There’s something really special about that offline experience.

That’s a big part of what I’m trying to build with melliejellie. Instead of everything living online, I want people to receive something physical: hand-drawn artwork, a burned CD or cassette, stickers, and little pieces of the world we’re creating. You can put it on, press play, and experience the whole musical journey from start to finish. I want people to get off the internet and enjoy being offline again.

IO: What's next on the horizon for you?

Melanie: I’m still refining the sound of melliejellie and pulling in more hyperpop and internet influences. I want to keep burning CDs and cassettes and build a community around this analog collaboration between artists and musicians. And maybe throw a dry DDR party with a local event space.