About this episode
On today's show, we chat with Melody Noel! For Melody Noel, music is a life force. Born into a family of mariachis spanning across seven generations — with the earliest musician dating back to the 1870s — Melody forged her own path as the first to create music outside the Mexican folk genre. Melody began her journey in pop music as a member of teen girl group Runway MMC. This experience opened her eyes to the American music scene, working with the likes of Grammy nominated Alex Cantrall (“Leave (Get Out)” by JoJo) and Brandon Howard (“I Ain’t Gotta Tell You” by Ne-Yo) for Runway MMC’s debut EP “Forever Yours” (2008). Melody pursued higher education at NYU’s Clive Davis School of Recorded Music, graduating in 2014. Her class project, an EP titled “The Living Room Sessions,” sparked the interest of music publisher Imagem Music; they signed her soon after in 2012. She continued her path as a songsmith in Los Angeles, toplining for songs such as “I Don’t Wanna Love You” (Casablanca Records/UMG) by Prince Fox, “In My Head (feat.Georgia Ku)” (Mad Decent) by Party Favor, and “Paper Roses” (Spinnin’ Records) by Kura. In 2016, she co-wrote the single “Love Make the World Go Round” recorded by Jennifer Lopez and Lin Manuel Miranda. Released exclusively on iTunes, all proceeds were donated to those affected by the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, FL. The song peaked at no. 72 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and no. 9 on the Digital Songs chart. After feeling the pull to write songs for something bigger than herself, Melody pivoted to the Christian music genre, establishing Influence Music in 2017. In 2018, Melody led the worship collective in creating iTunes no. 1 and Billboard no. 2 album “Touching Heaven.” Melody’s single “Mistakes” made it on Billboard’s Christian Airplay chart for 20weeks. She continues writing and performing songs that are utilized by churches globally. To date, Melody’s songs have been streamed 228 million times across DSPs. Whether writing music for pop icons, film and television or for local congregants, the banner Melody carries over it all is "Soli Deo gloria,” meaning “Glory to God alone. With the release of “Back to Praise” via Influence Music (distr. via Capitol Christian Music Group), Melody is stepping out in faith to accomplish such a mission. This EP consists of five pop-infused worship songs that remind believers that no matter what life brings, God is good, and our response is to keep coming “Back to Praise.” melodynoelmusic.com @melodynoelmusic christianmusicguys.com @christianmusicguys