User:Mel maunders/sandbox

Mel maunders, also known formally as Melissa maunders is a British instrumental artist and drummer.

Spouse: Unknown: (6th March 2024-Present) Born 19 august 2005 in Hampshire, England. Mel is also known for working alongside friend and fellow artist oliashell and previous band "petty crisis".

Mel began her musical journey in 2012 (7 years old) with her first acoustic guitar and a notepad.

When she began discovering new bands and genres, she learned to play drums by ear before getting her first kit in 2017, in her words, "I memorised the sound of every drum and cymbal on an app so I knew what I was listening to every time, and i could pick up any sound" and since then has been able to play back any song presented to her.

“I started studying music at home when i was around 7 years old, once i was in secondary school i studied music as a chosen subject. I can read sheet music, and also completely dissect a song.”

In her early years and to now, she's expressed her love towards artists who motivated her to make her dream a reality. Some that were mentioned include: Avril Lavigne, Panic! at the disco, Twenty one pilots, My chemical romance, MAY-A, Machine gun kelly, Lil Peep, Lady Gaga, YUNGBLUD, Bad Omens, Sleep Token, Blink-182, Lana Del Rey, Arctic Monkeys, Paramore, Motley crue, Billie Eilish, Måneskin and the band she described as her "forever favourite" The pretty reckless.

Fiamme del desiderio: “I actually taught myself Italian when I was 10. There was a boy in my class who was Italian and struggled with speaking English. As i’ve grown older, i have lost a great deal of what i’d learned. I fully committed to writing this EP entirely in Italian, because I love the language and also because I don’t want to lose what i know completely”

Mel’s musical library has a wide variety of genres and styles, since her first release in 2021, Mel has broadened her range of styles and influences from punk, alternative, indie, experimental, rock, christian, and metal.

Since late 2023, Mel’s sound has matured and changed in all aspects. In her words: “i’ve always loved a huge variety of artists and genres, going from Frank Sinatra to Lorna Shore. Which sounds a bit crazy, but every artist is apparent and present in what i make. I don’t think you can hear them in my music but they’re definitely there. I started in 2021, when i was 15 years old. Although i’d been writing and recording music since 12. I’m a huge fan of metal core, sleep token and bad omens really shaped the way i’ve been creating. Growing up, i always loved metal and heavy music but i always thought it would be too difficult for me to learn to play and create it. Sleep token and bad omens inspired me to learn how to create heavier music and also experiment” Talking about the release of her EP Finding God, Mel opened up about her beliefs and experiences. “When writing this EP, i met someone who really changed the way i looked at myself and life in general. She's made my life better in every single way and i thanked God for her every single day. I don’t consider myself to be religious but i do believe in God. I went on the journey of finding God because of this girl, i believe he had sent her to me. I needed and asked the universe for her, she came into my life and opened up my eyes to things i’d never seen before. But also, i lost a huge part of my mental health recovery to suicide. Experiencing this pain constantly had me asking God and the universe “why?””