From creating an Instagram account, staying connected with friends to now becoming everyone's favourite voice online, Melissa Srivastava talks about what made her want to continue doing what she does.
If we had to list down things that will turn our dull, boring day around and make it fun, music will always make it to the list. There is a kind of tranquility that we all get to experience when listening to our favourite song and that automatically adds a sense of admiration for artists who can sing them. Indian musician and content creator Melissa Srivastava has become everyone's go to artist who is sharing her covers that have become the background music for many Reels online. A 21-year-old college student, Melissa is currently doing her MBA. Even though she is known and admired for her music, she mentioned her absolute love for makeup.
Melissa comes from a military background and had to say goodbye to her friends in Delhi at 12 since she had to move. That's when she also got her first phone. She decided to make an Instagram account just to keep in touch with her friends in Delhi. It was very new but something she soon found to be very cool. That's how her singing journey began. "My friends in Delhi knew that I sang as I was always participating in school functions and competitions. So I used to record and post covers just for my friends to see." With no clue on how the app works, or the knowledge that strangers were following her, this soon became a major part of her life.
People love and admire what she has to share and are all ears for it too. One thing that Melissa knows for sure is how these short-video platforms have helped her. Being introduced to artists who do stuff that's both similar yet completely different has been another plus that she admires about it. It has also been a place where she found her own kind of music. "The introduction to very different genres has helped me figure out what I like and don’t like in music."
She listens to anything that sounds good to her. But the one thing she agrees on is how important it is to experiment as a creator. That is a way to know what she like the most. "Again, it all boils down to being understood. I’ll watch someone doing what they’re doing for two reasons, I find them entertaining in some way or there’s comfort in seeing them doing what they’re doing. The realisation of what’s comfortable to you comes after a little hopping. So I think the experimenting is good."
There has been one constant through out her time sharing her music with her online audience, and that is quality. She thinks it has only evolved with time. Along with her quality, she found herself being more open when it comes to interacting with people online. "Before I would only sing and NEVER show my face. Now I literally talk to the camera so the growth is crazy. Also I was very intimidated by how I looked while singing before. I don’t know where it came from but that’s not the case anymore."
When it comes to following trends, she is not very dedicated. She feels that she might have to force herself to be a part of the “trend community” which she doesn’t want to do. "If I like something that’s trending, I recreate it. If not, I just let it be." She is however enjoying being a part of the creator community and sharing what she loves with a larger audience that goes beyond her friends group.
Here's what she had to say in this quick interview!
Do you follow any Indian creators whose content you enjoy?
I love love love Siddharth Batra’s work. Diksha Rawat is also doing an incredible job.
Since you started creating videos, what according to you are the best and worst parts of content creation?
The best part is I do exactly what I feel like doing and get appreciated for it. The worst part is that I have more than 350000 people following me and a good number out of this big digit consists of people who judge me for how I dress, my body, my face and what I feel. The number of times I’ve had people try to bully me or harass me emotionally online is crazy.
If your life could be a song which one would it be?
More than a song, my life is the feeling that the tune ‘Rebecca and Jack (That’ll Be The Day)’ makes me feel. It can’t be explained. But it’s continuous. That’s something I’d say. But if I really had to choose a song, I’d say The Climb by Miley Cyrus.
If you had to describe your hopes for 2023?
I want this year to be memorable for the good. That’s it.
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