Although summer has just ended, Iann Dior’s newest single “Melrose” evokes a familiar warm, breezy feeling. The song discusses navigating the challenges of finding oneself in an environment as artificial as California’s.
The 25-year-old musician has released five albums and grossed over thirteen million monthly listeners on Spotify. His latest single, “Melrose,” is his second piece of work released under Big Noise Music Group.
Dior hosted an intimate listening party to celebrate the single’s release at Big Noise’s studio, wherein he shared upcoming work and interacted with some of his biggest fans. Regarding “Melrose” in the context of his future releases, Dior shared, “In the past, I was making music for everybody else, but now I’m making music for what I stand for.” Dior, along with many successful artists such as Clairo and Rex Orange County, began releasing music on SoundCloud. His first-ever single on the platform garnered over 10,000 streams and paved the way for his subsequent success. A Forbes ‘30 Under 30’ name, Dior is recognized as a “versatile talent” and one to watch in genres such as rap, electronic, and pop. While he may have felt previously that his music was lacking in authenticity, he aims to stay true to himself now more than ever.
The lyrical and instrumental artistry of “Melrose” isn’t exactly aligned in tone, at least not to the untrained ear. Yet, when listening closely, the words seem to flow with the soft, guitar-heavy backing. At the song’s start, Dior is down on his luck in a city that allegedly breeds success stories. He sings, “There’s red lights on boulevards/ And stop signs on highways/ There’s desert sands and oceans/ Ain’t nothin’ goin’ my way.” He calls himself a “lost soul on Melrose,” nodding to his feelings of loneliness and confusion regarding his own identity and path. As the second verse ensues, Dior sounds increasingly hopeful. “Thought I was blind but I was just in the dark,” he sings. When he felt that nothing would work out, he realized it was his mindset that needed changing. The short and sweet single is optimistic and, as Dior tends to be, undeniably sonically innovative.
After teasing new music at the “Melrose” listening event, his audiences are hanging on the edge of their seats to discover what the new era of Dior has in store.
Featured Photo Credit: Mike Stein De Soul & David Herrera