Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Harding.
Melissa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
In my professional life, I am a working singer and vocal coach – I began doing both very soon after moving to Los Angeles when I was 18 years old. I went to a junior college instead of a four years program, and I was offered a job vocal directing a children’s theater company.
I worked with the theater company for a decade and started teaching privately as well when students asked to work with me one on one. I had no idea then that vocal coaching would become such a central part of my life in Los Angeles. Throughout that time, I was also building my life as a singer, writing music and playing with live bands, appearing in theater performances here and there and working in recording studios. My life has revolved around singing and performing since I was nine years old, and as I approach 37 years on this planet this year, I am really grateful for that.
I toured all over the world as a backing vocalist with rock band Sixx:A.M., and I absolutely love touring. That job came into my life through one of my closest friends, (lead singer James Michael, who is also one of my voice students) and it was a really incredible time in my life. We played major rock festivals and stadiums all over, we recorded two records during that time with the band, and I look back on those years so fondly – That experience changed my life.
Since touring, I have been doing a lot more singing for corporate events and in the cruise ship industry and local gigs around the Bay Area and Los Angeles. The pandemic put a hold on everything for a while, but this year, I’m thrilled to be getting back on stage more and more. I have no idea what the future holds, whether I will ever tour again or go back to theater professionally at some point, but to me, it’s all about working with good people that have your back!
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I don’t think any creative path is ever easy, but I think it’s about finding which version of that life will fulfill you in the long run. When I came to Los Angeles, I was pretty sure I would go down a path towards a life in theater, focus on eventually heading to New York to try to get on Broadway. I had no idea then that I would end up working in the music industry, eventually touring in a heavy rock band. There were a lot of hard moments coming up, a lot of rejections, a lot of life pivots, but also a lot of moments to learn big lessons about the kind of people I wanted to work with, and the kind of projects I was interested in devoting my time to. Dreams change, and I think that’s where a lot of challenges can come up… Figuring out your place in the business so you can make a living doing the thing you love to do.
Here’s my advice to all young artists starting out: don’t ever wait for permission to get out and do what you love, even if you have to create the opportunity yourself. It doesn’t matter what other people think! That’s the hardest part to figure out, in my experience. You will get shut down and rejected. Sometimes, you will feel unworthy and unwanted. But here’s the deal: there is room for ALL types of artists and people. You. Do. YOU. Go find yourself, get clear on what you bring to the table, and express yourself in whatever way feels organic and honest, and go after the opportunities that matter to you.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As a vocal coach, I think what sets me apart is that I’m an active performer myself. I can relate to my students from my own experience, my own rejections, my own confusion about voice and navigating the entertainment business. I think voice coaching should be about self-discovery and what feels organic to each person in their own body and unique and special instrument. There are no two singers that are exactly alike.
As a singer and musician myself, I’ve been learning to produce my own music over the last few years. It’s been a really fun experience releasing original songs that I created myself (all of which can be found wherever you stream your music.) I’ve also been focused on the different ways I’d like to get back on stage in 2023 (and I’m excited to have some fun opportunities coming up.)
During the pandemic, I definitely needed to take some time to process what was happening in the world and in my personal life. Unfortunately, my father passed away in July of 2020. In his last year of life, I recorded him speaking quite a bit, telling me stories about his life, his service in the Korean War, passing down his memories and wisdom and I soaked every second of it up. When he was gone, I decided to turn those recordings into something… A scripted series podcast about his life and what it’s like to say goodbye to a parent. I wanted to tell a story about grief and also, the celebration of a valued life… I wanted to reflect on the questions I still had that I wished I could ask my Dad and what I have learned about his life and who he was as a man since losing him. I’m recording and scoring this project myself, and it’s been a thrill to work on something so creative and also so healing. Anyone interested in following the release of the project can connect with me on Instagram @comebackhomepodcast.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was always singing, no doubt about that. I took my first private lesson at nine years old (I think my parents knew they had to send me to coaching when I would not STOP singing) and ultimately, it became a huge part of my life right away. I was hungry for it.
But I had a really normal childhood. I’m glad I didn’t come down to Hollywood until I was mature enough to understand how challenging things can be, and I’m glad I had failures before I had any successes because it’s kept me humble throughout any experiences I’ve had in my career. My biggest focus, no matter how old I am, is that I never lose sight of my LOVE for singing. Sometimes when something you’re passionate about becomes the way you make money, it can get tainted somehow. I love to sing. I never want to forget that I loved it before it ever paid my bills.
Pricing:
- Free 30-minute virtual consultations for private coaching available on my website:
- www.melissahardingmusic.com/book-online
Contact Info:
- Website: www.melissahardingmusic.com
- Instagram: @melissakharding (Private account) @melissahardingvoice (vocal coaching account)
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/melissahardingmusic
- Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/melissakharding
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/melissakharding
- Other: TikTok @melissahardingmusic
