.gay Music Monday Feature: Melissa Ferrick
On this week's .gay Music Monday feature, we are celebrating singer-songwriter and all around legendary powerhouse, Melissa Ferrick!
The buzz is real as Ferrick proudly announced this past week that she had signed with our friends at (also legendary) Kill Rock Stars, coupled with the release of her latest single – "Black Dress," marking her first new music in an astounding eight years.
The song is now available for streaming on all platforms, and to commemorate Ferrick's triumphant reentry into the world of rock, we bring you an exclusive interview with her about her music and identity.
Step into Melissa’s world in our chat below.
What inspired you to start playing and making music?
When I was little, it was like a companion - practicing violin alone in my room; it felt sacred. And my mom would take me to my lessons every Thursday, which was so special. But, later, in high school – probably my freshman year - I just knew I belonged in the art room more than the locker room. The first concert I saw without a parent was Culture Club, I was obsessed with the drummer (basically, I wanted to be him). When everyone held up their lighters during Karma Chameleon I started crying from joy – I felt held by the music and what I now know to be community. This concert really sealed the deal for me. Right then and there, I knew I had to be around music-making in whatever capacity I could.
What do you like most about playing music?
That it’s really the only time I’m not consciously thinking – I hit “flow” pretty quickly when I start working on music or writing.
How would you describe the music that you typically create?
Alternative Indie Rock Country.
Why do you think it’s important to be out and proud in the music industry?
I don’t want to lie about who I am – when I did, I felt sick inside. I think it’s incredibly important to be out. Being out helps show the world we exist – we are not going to just disappear; we cannot be erased. In the music industry specifically, the more gays who are out help show, especially the up-and-coming, that there are places they can work, be their whole selves, and thrive.
As an LGBTQ+ artist, what do you want to convey with your music?
Honestly, my work is so much about unraveling my own thoughts and expressing the almost unbearable amount of interoceptive observation I deal with on a daily basis. I don’t really make music to purposefully convey anything specific. For me, making music releases energy which creates space for new feelings/energy, and that cycle is what drives me. Not to be too heady about it, but I really believe that when I express myself, I learn, and when I’m learning, I am interested in life. Staying interested in life is essential for my physical, spiritual, and emotional survival. Making music saves my life; it always has.
