The singer and songwriter from Minas Gerais, Carla Melo, is shaping her artistic trajectory with focus and resilience. Originally from Alpinópolis and having lived in several cities, including Passos, Serrana, Araraquara and São Paulo, Carla absorbed unique experiences from each place, cultivating a cauldron of musical influences. From the first chords she heard from Xuxa to the success of RBD during her adolescence, passing through the country melodies of her grandfather Manoel de Oliveira Melo, a country singer, her musical roots are diverse and solid.
Carla’s eclectic musical palette transcends genres, guided by a deep belief in the unique richness of each style. Her vocal preferences are anchored in pop and soul, with names like Shakira, Beyoncé, Whitney Houston, Demi Lovato, among others, as influences. On the national scene, artists ranging from the legends Elis Regina and Maysa to the contemporaries Luísa Sonza and Priscilla Alcântara have also shaped her musical approach.
With a trajectory rooted in different corners of Brazil and inspirations that span decades and genres, Carla Melo emerges as a multifaceted artist, bringing an authenticity that is nourished by the musical diversity that shaped her. Her musical journey is a journey of discoveries that resonate through her voice and compositions.
You passed through several cities during your life, from Alpinópolis to the capital of São Paulo. How have these different locations influenced your music and artistic career?
There are several different worlds, from experience to culture. In Minas, I feel much calmer and more reflective, nostalgic for my family and the stories that filled my childhood. Unlike São Paulo, which has a frenetic, always-on routine, it is difficult to silence one’s thoughts in the midst of the turmoil of things happening in the city. Some of my compositions that were made thinking about my childhood in the interior are much calmer than the songs that the São Paulo public expects. I always try to find the middle ground to fit in, not only in music, but in my day to day life.
RBD was one of his main musical influences. How do you think their music has impacted your style and approach to music?
Full impact! The group has always delivered feelings and reflections in songs. These are lyrics that accompanied the growth of fans and served a huge amount of public because they deal with real feelings. It’s something I try to deliver in my music and in my performances. Courage was also a very big factor that came from them, being able to believe in me more than I imagined. As Anahí would say, anything is possible!
You mentioned that your maternal grandfather, Manoel de Oliveira Melo, was a great source of inspiration. How has your family’s musical heritage influenced your journey into music?
Music has always been present in my family. At parties, in the musical career that my grandfather pursued so many years ago, in a much more difficult market than the current one, of course. My choice for sertanejo came exactly from there. There are many of us in my family and each one with very different musical tastes, but the sertanejo would unite us in any family event, from the oldest to the releases of the year. Country music for me is family.
Their music playlist is quite eclectic, spanning many genres. How does this variety of styles contribute to her creativity as a singer and songwriter?
For me, music is a well-told story with a soundtrack in the background. If there is no reason behind it, there is no music. The difference is that each style tells the story in a different way and in different environments. When I hear pop I think of a club, colored lights and lots of people. When I hear sertanejo, I think of the rodeo arena, just as samba and pagode take me straight to the beach. I try to use these feelings of belonging to some place or situation in my songs.
In the pop and soul universe, you’ve cited artists like Beyoncé, Demi Lovato and Whitney Houston as influences. How did these artists shape your vocal and artistic approach?
I grew up hiding from my family and friends that I could sing. I don’t think even I believed I could sing well and these great names in music were my singing teachers from the beginning. As I grew up looking for references and imitating these artists until I reached the point of vocal quality that I wanted, I molded my voice in the format of American pop and soul. I noticed that they danced with the voice and decided that I wanted to dance too.
Among the national singers, you mentioned Elis Regina, Maysa, Luísa Sonza and Priscilla Alcântara. How do you think these Brazilian female voices influenced your music?
All these big names put their soul and heart into their music and, mainly, transcended it within their careers. Elis and Maysa delivered female strength to a sea of men in the music industry. Luísa and Priscilla deliver the same with mastery today. Some people might even judge me because I’m comparing MPB, funk, gospel, among other rhythms. But I think of them as vocal powerhouses. These are women who, regardless of musical style, manage to deliver vocal quality in any of them.
Their change of cities also represented a change of music scene. How did each of these experiences in different places contribute to your musical evolution?
The closer you are to Minas Gerais, the more sertanejo you hear. It’s involuntary. Whether at events or on the radio, anywhere. In São Paulo, the culture is more eclectic due to the great mix of cultures of the people who live there. Understanding that there are other audiences and opening my vision to what music means in each culture was a watershed. Today I understand that within a single song we can have several musical styles and deliver quality work.
Resilience is one of its great virtues. How do you face the challenges of the music industry and stay focused on building your career?
Every human being is different from one another and not only will people not agree with you on everything, they also shouldn’t agree on everything, or life would be very boring. Knowing how to deal with changes is crucial because it’s not a certain market, it’s not a business job, for example, where you can join a company and stay there for decades, moving up the ranks. Quite the contrary, in the music career there are several waves, some low tides, some high tides and even having a broth sometimes! But life doesn’t stop and your heart keeps beating. The only way is to find strength in something to get up again and move on. It’s never forbidden to cry, ever, but you have to lift your head and look forward even when things aren’t in the best possible condition.
How would you describe your creative process when composing your songs? Are there recurring themes or emotions that you like to explore in your lyrics?
Not all the lyrics of the song always correspond to something that happened to me, but a feeling, a phrase, there is always something there that reminds me of a situation I lived or someone I met. When I sit down to write, it’s like a diary or a best friend, you leave all your secrets, joys and fears in there, screaming it out to the world every time you sing. Two things I explore a lot in my songs are love in general and family, which have been the foundation of my life for many years.
With the diversity of musical influences you have, can we expect a mix of genres in your future music? What are your plans for your music career in the coming months?
Very! We’ve already worked with pop, sertanejo and rock in my songs that have already been released, all this to introduce a style that I love and admire a lot, which is Texan country. I want to include something of this style in my next releases, which are already in production, to deliver more of this side of myself so that my audience can get to know me better. Until the end of the year, we will finalize the release of all the clips that are already prepared and produce new songs to work on next year. In fact, the agenda is already open for concerts and many parties to come!
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