Interview with Country Artist Melissa Livingstone On Her New Singles & More

MuzicNotez: First off, it’s an honor to be doing this interview with you, thanks for taking the time to sit down with us.

What motivated you to start creating music? What age did you begin?

Melissa Livingstone: I was naturally drawn to music as a child. I grew up singing in church, and my mom was a piano teacher so I took piano lessons early on. I would love to “perform” in my living room for friends and family and be the center of attention, so I think it was always just part of me. I started writing songs as a teenager, probably around 12 or 13. I didn’t have a clue of how to do so, but I just started writing sentences that rhymed and put them into a melody and created stories.

Website: www.MelissaLivingstone.com
Facebook.com/MelissaLivingstoneMusic
Twitter: @MissMelisMusic
Instagram: @MelissaLivingstoneMusic

MuzicNotez: Who were your musical influences, idols, or bands growing up that have helped mold you into the musician you are today? Or helped mold the music that you create?

Melissa Livingstone: Honestly, as a kid/teeneger, I was a HUGE Hannah Montana fan. Which is hilarious cause she was a fictional character on a tv show. But she inspired me nonetheless. As I got into my mid teens though I started to enjoy country music. Alan Jackson, Miranda Lambert, and Keith Urban. Those were some of the Artists I was drawn to.

MuzicNotez: What’s the ultimate goal you want your music to achieve, or for you to achieve in your career as a musician? Any particular message you wish to send?

Melissa Livingstone: I just want people to be able to connect with my music. I’m originally from a very small town in Canada called Ucluelet, and I write a lot of my songs based on my upbringing there. I want to encourage anyone from any place, big town or small town, that you CAN achieve whatever you put your mind to. If a girl like me, from a small fishing town of 1,500 people in the middle of nowhere can move to a different country and pursue music in Nashville, so can you. That’s my message. Whether it’s music or not, YOU can do hard things.

MuzicNotez: What’s the greatest concert you’ve ever been to or performed?

Melissa Livingstone: That’s a tough question. I’ve been to a ton of incredible concerts, and all different so I don’t think I have a favorite. However, my favorite performances were in the last year. I have three to be exact. Playing the Coca-Cola Stage at the Calgary Stampede, Sunfest Country Music Festival in British Columbia, and then a sold out show at The Listening Room, here in Nashville, TN.

MuzicNotez: Your latest release is the single ‘Salt & Sugar’, with Samee Cannon and Page Mackenzie. What was it like working with them?

Melissa Livingstone: I absolutely adore these girls. I first met Page in 2021 before I moved to Nashville and once I moved here last year, Page set up a co-write with her, Samee and I. We clicked instantly and then we started writing together a lot. After a few co-writes we sat down and wrote Salt & Sugar, which became a hit for the three of us and Samee said she wanted to cut it and feature us on the song.

MuzicNotez: A little before that, was your own solo single ‘Grew Up On It’, what does this release mean to you?

Melissa Livingstone: Grew Up On it is a small town anthem. I grew up dirt biking and having bonfires every weekend, living on backroads and listening to Country Music. I just wanted to pay homage to my upbringing and to all my friends back home. I also think it’s kind of a girl power song for all the blue collar girls out there who grew up working hard.

MuzicNotez: With artists like you coming up, I’d say country music is doing well! How do you feel about the state of country music right now?

Melissa Livingstone: I’m incredibly proud of the music coming out right now. Whether it’s my friends or other up and comers just trying to figure this whole thing out, we’re all killing it. I genuinely think that Country Music is having a shift and I’m excited to hear all the new sounds happening.

MuzicNotez: What else are you working on? What can we expect to see and hear from you in the future?

Melissa Livingstone: I’m currently writing a ton. My next project, which I can’t talk too much about right now, is something that I’m very excited about. It’s been on my mind for months and I can’t wait to share more about it. In the meantime though, I will be releasing an acoustic live video version of my song, Grew Up On It, very soon.