Melli Monaco Is Ready To Takeover With Her New Music Single “Marche”

Melli Monaco

AllHipHop caught up with Melli in downtown Los Angeles to discuss her sound, roots in France, learning English via “Law & Order,” her favorite artists, and more!

Melli Monaco is a whole vibe and she’s here to take over the music industry once and for all. Born and raised from Neuilly-sur-Marne, a suburb of Paris, France, Melli arrives with her own unique style, sound, and swag, bringing an eclectic approach to her art while blending the genres of hip-hop, dance music, Afrobeat and everything in between.

In describing herself, she states, “I’m a French artist, but most of my music is in English. I started doing music in 2019 and since then, I put out 11 singles and all of them have music videos. I believe visuals are really important because they show who you really are.”

Moving to the United States originally to play volleyball, Melli learned English by watching Law & Order and quickly fell in love with the music scene. Her first single ever, “War,” is an honest and vulnerable record inspired by the hardships she faced moving to a new country. Fast forward to today, her most recent single and visual “Marche” showcases her diversity and international presence, a certified anthem for any fashion or runway show.

AllHipHop: How would you describe your sound?

Melli Monaco: My sound, I love so many different styles of music so you’ll hear a lot of Afro mixed with Hip Hop, pop and EDM. Mainly, I just configure what goes well with my accent.

AllHipHop: I love your accent.

Melli Monaco: Thank you. I am always trying to create a sound that’s not going to clash with the beat or the message that I want to put out to the world.

AllHipHop: How was it growing up in France?

Melli Monaco: It was cool, I grew up in the hood. It’s funny because a lot of people think there’s no hood in France. I grew up in a modest family and most of my childhood was spent playing sports.

AllHipHop: What did you play?

Melli Monaco: I did gymnastics from the age of 3 to 14. Then I did both track and field and volleyball and later got a scholarship to come and play in the United States.

AllHipHop: How old were you? Was there a culture shock?

Melli Monaco: I was 18, there was a culture shock. I came here and thought I could speak a little English, and realized that I didn’t. [laughs] In college, they gave me regular classes like mathematics and biology. I’m like “yo, where’s the English class?” They didn’t give me English classes. I had to learn on my own to speak the language better, so I started watching Law & Order everyday on TV.

AllHipHop: Oh wow, that’s how you learned?

Melli Monaco: Yeah, because I felt like if you understood Law & Order, you can speak English. So that’s what I had—that and my dictionary.

AllHipHop: Who were you listening to, that made you want to do music too?

Melli Monaco: Booba, a well known french rapper who has features with some American artists, Saïan Supa Crew and Doc Gineco. Eventually, I started listening to artists like 50 Cent, Lil Wayne.

AllHipHop: You started doing music in 2019, what was the turning point?

Melli Monaco: I started doing music when my YouTube channel got deleted. Along with Youtube I was pursuing an acting career and it always made me feel like I wasn’t in control having to wait to be hired for roles. Music became my new outlet. If I wanted to put out a song every day, I could. I began to enjoy the process of making music and I stuck with it.

AllHipHop: Is Melli Monaco your real name?

Melli Monaco: No, my first name’s Melanie. Monaco is a rich country in Europe. And it sounds good, people can say it.

AllHipHop: Talk about releasing such a vulnerable song such as “War,” as your debut single.

Melli Monaco: “War,” wow. That was the first song of mine that got good exposure. It’s about my journey in America, being on my own with no family. I don’t have many friends.

I shared many stories with my writer, Mitch, once I found a beat that made me think about my past trials with men, friends and being an immigrant in a different country. I was inspired by artists like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, who has a message in their lyrics. My writer came back with a reference track, I went in and recorded the song and that’s how War was born.

AllHipHop: Did you come to LA first?

Melli Monaco: No, I came to Maryland. That’s where I went to school. Then I moved to D.C., then Atlanta, then LA.

AllHipHop: You just released Marche,” what inspired this record?

Melli Monaco: I began working with a new team of producers and writers in Atlanta. We recorded for a week and came up with Marche. The upbeat record fit my monotone voice perfectly. I knew this would be the next single.

AllHipHop: What was your vision with the video shoot?

Melli Monaco: I feel that the song is a feel-good song. You want to dance, and you want to also talk your s###. The video sounds really good for fashion shows. I wanted to be Tyra Banks and tell people, “okay, you can walk like this. No, you’re not good. Let me show you.” But I don’t do runway. [laughs]

AllHipHop: What is it that you want fans to get from your story?

Melli Monaco: It’s going to sound cliche, but you can do whatever you want. Anything is possible. The only time you’re going to fail is when you quit, so never quit.

AllHipHop: 3 things you need in the studio at all times?

Melli Monaco: A yellow Red Bull, some comfy socks and good energy. I like to have good people with me who can give me honest feedback while I’m recording.

AllHipHop: Talk about the Pineapple Show, I love the name.

Melli Monaco: Thank you. The Pineapple Show is a virtual dating show that I host on Wednesdays on my YouTube channel. Pretty much I find a single lady and invite men to come and court her. Once she feels uncomfortable or finds she doesn’t like the suitor she says “Pineapple” and I remove the guy from the live.

AllHipHop: Talk about having an international sound and how “Marche” plays into that.

Melli Monaco: It’s just a fashion show. It’s Paris! Right away, it’s international. It’s a mix of Hip Hop dance, EDM and Afrobeat. It’s a fun record that makes you want to let your hair down.

AllHipHop: Someone you want to collab with?

Melli Monaco: My favorites of all time are Drake, Chris Brown and Rihanna. I would love to work with them. I love Rihanna because I can identify with the bad girl who does what she wants to do. I can connect with Drake’s sound and Chris Brown is everything! I’m a big fan of all three.

AllHipHop: How is it as an independent artist?

Melli Monaco: It’s tough. You pay for everything, but then you decide everything so it’s pretty cool.

AllHipHop: How do you support yourself financially?

Melli Monaco: YouTube helps finance my career. My channel is about helping men navigate the dating scene. I talk a lot of s### on the channel and I think guys are attracted to my boldness, and my p#### mouth.

AllHipHop: What do you have planned for the year? Do you have any goals?

Melli Monaco: I just want to keep on going and putting music out. I’m releasing new music every month with visuals. I would love to be an opening act for an established artist on tour.

AllHipHop: Anything else you want to let the people know?

Melli Monaco: Please check out my new single, “Marche.” Look out for me, I have so much more in store.