Musician and singer/songwriter J.P. Melendez was completely at ease talking about his music on a Sunday morning at Carolina Cafe. Melendez grew up in a musical family and he is definitely driven to succeed, but those are just two of the reasons behind his undeniably cool confidence as an artist.
Melendez, a third-year media arts major, is an alternative and Christian rock artist who is currently cultivating a fan base in Columbia while attending USC. He has been steadily writing songs and trying to do something with a music career since he wrote his first song in his senior year of high school. Melendez is currently on a mission to make his music relatable by incorporating his own relationship and struggles with faith into his lyrics.
“College put me in a real world of, ‘How does my faith apply to what I do?’ So in a lot of my songs, I put some sort of aspect of faith,” he said, “be it a sign of encouragement or the struggle of having a faith while having to fit in.”
For someone that has just started his music career in the past few years, this seems like a heavy goal, but Melendez nails it in his song “Silent Parade.” He is well-versed in musical theory, and the sheer number of instruments the songster can play — piano, guitar, keyboard and tuba, from a short stint in elementary school — is a clear display of his talent.
Though he grew up in a musical household, Melendez did have to sit down with his parents when he realized he wanted to pursue music as a career.
“To [my dad], being a recording artist is just the show side of it. He also understands that not everyone makes it up to that point. And from a parenting point of view, it makes sense because he wants me to have a future, and he wants me to achieve,” Melendez said.
Melendez said his parents are as supportive as they can be while he is away from his hometown, Summerville, S.C.
Melendez has focused his efforts on making the most out of Columbia’s music scene.
“The music scene here is really centered on developing the local musicians,” Melendez said.
New Brookland Tavern, for instance, is one of the first venues new acts have an opportunity to play and develop their fan base. Melendez has appeared at the venue frequently, but he said it’s crucial to sell tickets to his own shows since the artist needs to bring in as much money as much as he or she receives from the Tavern. It’s important, Melendez said, to make sure that you’ll bring in people as an artist so that you’ll get booked again.
Although Melendez has seen bigger crowds than usual during the Tavern’s offseason and he is consistently asked back to the Tavern, he is not signed to a record label yet, and says he doesn’t want to be signed currently.
“The way a record label works is like a bank,” Melendez said. “You sign on with a label, they have all the networks and contacts, but they give you money [and] expect to get that money back. But honestly, at this level, a record label isn’t interested in me because they are not guaranteed a return.”
So, Melendez is working on growing his fan base and reaching out to new listeners by continually performing at different venues and promoting himself on social networking sites and his website www.halcyon.bandcamp.com. And, once he feels as though he could bring revenue to the table for a record label, he hopes to pursue a contract. But for now, it’s all about expanding his fan base.
For more on Melendez, visit his profile on Reverbnation, www.reverbnation.com/jpmelendez, follow him on Twitter @JPMlndz, or visit his Facebook.