Artist Spotlight
UK-born producer, DJ, and radio presenter Melle Brown’s music is as soulful as her lively personality. Brilliant and brimming with positivity, she’s a singular artist and a lanternlight for young women and Black creators. Thanks to her genre-melding style that fuses the influence of her veteran raver parents with a love for neo-soul and jazz, she is swimming in industry accolades from the likes of Diplo, Pete Tong, Gorgon City, and Danny Howard. And beyond her music, she’s opened doors for other young creators with Reprezent Radio and Mellody Agency.
Since Melle was a child, music has constantly surrounded her. Her grandfather had an extensive vinyl collection full of groundbreaking artists within various genres. Her fondest memory of his music collection was listening to the astounding selection of iconic Black artists who shaped music history. Her parents were early 2000s London ravers who would play CDs given out at those fabled late-night soirées whenever they took her out on road trips. She was initiated into the scene long before she stepped foot into her first rave in her early 20s.
“My family was always playing music in the background no matter where we were or what we were doing. They played so many different genres. Everything from neo-soul to house to jazz and more,” she remembers. “There was no escape from it. It was loud, and it was there, and it just became a part of me.”
Growing up, she considered herself shy despite her innate, driving desire to perform and express herself through art. Melle was involved in everything from theatre to singing lessons to dance classes. However, she always found herself gravitating toward music-driven courses. Was this her initial sign?
“I’ve always loved performing and sharing art with people, but it comes with a lot of vulnerability and emotion and there’s something really beautiful in being able to let go in that moment and share that art with the world. Making something and getting to share it with the world is what makes this all so special.”
She realized that music was her calling, and she’s worked on both the creative and business sides of the industry. She’s done everything in her power to turn her aspirations into reality. Aside from working at a record label, she worked and volunteered at events across London as well as curating events to support women in music. This was her way in.
Melle Brown at Abbey Road Studio
Realizing she wanted to pursue music production and DJing long-term was a gradual process, but there was one defining moment that convinced her to follow her dream wholeheartedly.
At university, she had to create a self-produced EP for her dissertation. On top of the sound design and production aspect of curating the EP titled Blossom, she collaborated with other artists, designed the artwork, created a release plan, and pitched it to labels. Despite her initial lack of experience, the process left her buzzing. And that’s how she knew this was her calling.
“I was young and hungry at this point, and it’s an element of myself that I really admire. This point in time is something that I try to hold on to. The music industry is not the easiest place to be a part of, but it’s beautiful when you have the right people surrounding you and supporting you and when you’re in it for the right reasons.”
Her love for neo-soul and jazz music continued, leading her to embrace house music’s deeper, soulful side. She became enamored with those hypnotic rhythms and stirring chords that truly make you feel something deep within. Eventually, she gravitated to UK garage, jungle, and dub soundscapes. Then one day, she realized, “why not intertwine all of these and turn them into something that’s my own?”
After gaining the tremendously sincere support her debut EP release on SoundCloud earned her, she recognized the scene’s strong sense of community is what truly kept her going. This is where the concept of Reprezent Radio emerged.
She created Reprezent to open connections with other brilliant, like-minded people in the industry and showcase the beauty of deep and soulful house music on a biweekly basis. Thanks to Reprezent, she landed her first gig in Hackney and invited the renowned Elkka from Femme Culture as a guest on the show.
Elkka took the lead and curated an all-female lineup of powerful and talented women. Her vision of supporting these fabulous, up-and-coming artists inspired Melle so much that she decided to open the Mellody Agency, a platform supporting flourishing artists through radio plugging. Through these two forward-looking platforms, she aspires to revolutionize how fresh artists are introduced to the dance music community.
Melle Brown's rise in the UK music scene has catapulted her sound into the hearts of thousands of house music lovers across the globe, including some certified legends. In August 2022, she released a remix of Diplo and WhoMadeWho’s “Make you Happy.” Higher Ground reached out to her after becoming enamored with “Feel About You,” and asked if she’d be up to do a remix for one of Diplo’s tracks on the label. Realizing that she was about to take on this remix project alongside artists to whom she looked up—like HoneyLuv and Purple Disco Machine—felt surreal.
Melle Brown has evolved both artistically and personally throughout her music career. Her uncanny creativity consists of many distinct layers. She impeccably merges music production’s vulnerable, emotional elements with the fun, playful elements of dance music. As a result, her music is both eclectic and universal.
“I love the fact that you can start off a music project with a blank screen and there’s nothing there, and then over time, your emotions and how you’re feeling at the time kind of seep into the musicality of the piece," she says. "Then, all of a sudden, after an hour or two you’ve got a sick track with lively notes. Music is such an expressive tool and that’s why it’s stuck with me. It’s my way of expressing myself to the rest of the world and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m really excited to continue to blend genres and not be afraid to showcase the real me to the world.”
