Words by Rafe Llewellyn
Photos by Willow Shields
From footballing glory to soul-shaping shows across London, Melina Blanco is proof that 3 months of football training as a young child is enough experience to call upon to defend with resolute determination on any 6-a-side pitch. A multi-faceted talent, I first met Blanco directly after her performance on stage at Soccer Six festival, held at the Mile End football stadium in East London. Hoping to call upon her Argentinian roots, Blanco was set to appear on the football pitch just hours later at the same venue in the women’s final of the 6-a-side tournament that had been raging since the initial hours of the afternoon.
Speaking with Melina, it becomes clear that the footballing side to the festival was very clearly not the priority for the weekend, as she exclaimed that ‘the good thing about going into music is that you never have to do sport again!‘ A sentiment that will reside with all too many in the music industry, Blanco does admit, however, that in a ‘low-stakes environment‘ she could be convinced to make a return.
Despite her talented footballing prowess, it’s Melina’s musical side that we have sat down to discuss together. Though performing alone at Soccer Six, Blanco is usually with her all-female band. She explains that due to it being her name left on the sheet at the end, people often use male pronouns to refer to her bandmates when they’re asking questions regarding them, asking questions like ‘oh how far is he?’ Blanco takes a lot of comfort, though, from being surrounded by females as she explains, ‘it’s what I grew up with…I’ve always felt more comfortable around women.’ It’s also a childhood prophecy fulfilled, as dreams from the young, first-starting-out Melina consisted of being the star of a girl band. Whilst she feels that it hasn’t limited bookings, it’s not lost in our conversation that it’s even something to discuss as something different, but I’m glad to hear that they get ‘a lot of praise for it’ regardless.
The most interesting part of our conversation, I think, is our following discussion on promotion. For Blanco this is the most exposing piece to the puzzle, as opposed to playing live. ‘You have to spell out what a song is about’ in ‘just a couple of sentences’ to grab the attention of social media users scrolling mercilessly through their feeds. There is a battle here. ‘I don’t want to dilute my emotions into 10-second videos with catchy captions, ‘ but the reality is that this is needed in order to encourage people to check out her work. It’s a personal struggle that comes with creating such intimate work at a grassroots level, but it’s one that Blanco is clearly aware of. With a passion rooted in music, Blanco is looking for ways in which she can bring her passions into the marketing side of things
Writing songs is a cathartic exercise that people from anywhere in the world use to process trauma in a relatable way to a wider audience. For the maker, it is a way of articulating events and delivering them in a way that is empowering and personal. For the audience, it’s inspiring, it’s a way of normalising issues and taking away their power by uniting people under the umbrella of mental health, despite the unique and diverse experiences felt by the individual. Blanco suggests that for her, the tangling of mental health and music goes even deeper. For her, it isn’t just the artistic process that is calming. Blanco takes joy from making music with her friends and family; in fact, it was her dad who helped produce her first-ever EP. In a moment of profound epiphany, Blanco reckons that it’s so great because ‘you’re being social and you’re being productive!’
It’s a privilege afforded to few but it hasn’t yet been one Blanco has been able to take full time. ‘I work mostly in retail’ is a striking reminder of the reality of lives for many grassroots artists that are forced to treat music as a side hustle. Despite this, looking to the future is of key significance, with more music on the way and an everlasting focus on improving the live show, Melina Blanco is definitely one to look out for on the gig circuit, especially if you’re in and around London.
