MARLO

Singing since she was 3, Marlo has long awaited the release of her own music. "I have been singing and dancing and putting on shows in my living room since I was three years old. Singing has always been my first love; I sing while I do everything. It has always been a constant in my life. I write when I have a story to tell or an emotion to express." She started in sing and dance troupes at Disney World and participated in local ad school musicals. She then started to post covers to YouTube. "I've had a lot of experience covering songs from all different genres, and I learned how performance and sound should change based on what you're singing. The diversity of what I've been singing since I was small has exposed me to different writing styles and intricacies that I don't think I would have picked up on if I would have been focused on performing one genre."

Aside from covers, she also posted videos she created with her friends including her own version of Vogue's 73 questions. Was it hard to find your sound? "I don?think it was hard to find my sound; I've always been drawn to pop, folk, and the big vocals of musical theater, but I do think it is difficult to wrap my musical inspiration into my sound. I always have so many ideas! But I have always leaned towards a more melancholy lyrical narrative, which shapes a lot of the soundscape."

In 2019 she was ready to release her first original project. Her debut EP, 'Broken Lyrics 'was released in January 2019. "For me, BrokenLyrics has multiple meanings When releasing the EP, I wrote about the title by saying: it from the line in Open Road (we were singing singing singing broken lyrics to Rocket Manoff-key)? it can imply my writing style of piecing lyrics together, or how I sing with passion even while forgetting the words, as well as the idea of the music being broken or sad sonically. Open Road was the first single from her EP. The single is a nostalgic piano ballad with strong vocals that takes the listener through the fears and joys of a long road trip. It is a simple ode to driving far and letting go. "I released Open Road as a single first because I loved how the production sounded in contrast to a live demo I had released (I was playing the song on a keyboard in the back of a car on a gravel road) a few months before. I thought that people may be able to hear the magic from a rough demo to a fully produced song with Open Road, so I released it first."

The video shows the positives of taking a chance and having fun. Her matured and unique voice adds life into the lyrics like no other. " Every clip from the ?Open Road? music video was filmed during a two-week family road trip in 2017. Our family had a loose plan to discover the Western United States, stopping at National Parks along the way. In some spots the video shows all 5 of us packed into our RV, and in others we?re exploring the wide open Badlands and Grand Canyon. All of the footage was taken on our phones and one camera. The aerial shots were taken on my brother?s drone. The road trip was amazing, and felt so nostalgic to me as a pivotal family memory that I was compelled to write about it."

She explains that 'Sleeping Beauty' was the hardest track to record due to it being the first song she written at 16. " In the studio I wanted it to be simple with some added drama, but ultimately retaining its roots in a piano ballad I had written as a teenager."

Aside from the music, Marlo went to college for Informatics with a concentration in UX and Graphic Design. "In my mind, it was a way to combine the logical side of tech with the creativity of art. I actually finished my Master's in UX while recording most of the Broken Lyrics EP. I work full-time as a UX Designer and Researcher now."

What has been your favorite thing to create? "Making an EP is my proudest creation to date. I don't think I can pinpoint a favorite, because every creative aspect of any of my pieces - the music, the vocals, the visuals, the promotion - all rolls into one vision. Having a new vision for a project is my favorite part of the creative process." What is your advice for a new artist ? "My advice is simple: if you make things, feel ownership in calling yourself an artist. It is something that I still struggle with, the feeling of not deserving the title of artist because I don't have fancy equipment, a full discography, a team, etc. But all of that doesn't matter as much, simply creating makes you an artist."

Marlo plans to get back in the studio for 2020 and release a new single. "Expect a new single in 2020, with all of the graphics and videos and performances that I love creating alongside the music. Every creative aspect of the piece, the music, the vocals, the visuals, the promotion, rolls into one vision. "