Melanie Baker is a singer, songwriter and musician hailing from the Lake District and now based in Newcastle-upon-tyne.
Her direct and honest lyricism captures themes such as queer identity, self-reflection and the anxieties of modern life.
Her self-released music has so far received radio support from BBC Radio 6 Music, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing and Radio X, as well as supporting the likes of dodie, Tessa Violet, Maisie Peters, Will Varley, Jen Cloher, Jesca Hoop and runnner.
Baker’s latest EP “Burnout Baby” is set to be released in April 2024 on Du Blonde’s indie record label Daemon TV, followed by her second headline UK tour in April with her newly formed band.
She wrote the songs on this EP about the process of struggling with intense burnout: the texts from friends waiting endlessly for a reply, the days lost to endless scrolling, the dying plants that just remind you that you’re not succeeding at taking care of anything. Amid real, raw pathos, there’s also a sense of lightness to Baker’s newly rocky full-band arrangements. These are songs that may never have existed had Baker not found a way to make music that excited her again, and that gives them tangible spark.
“Burnout Baby” is a kind of rebirth for Baker, a flame re-ignited which for a time had been lost. “It’s an evolution of me trying to stop caring what people think of me” she says. “All of these songs are just reminders to do what I want and be who I wanna be. They’re all almost mantras to me now. When I perform them, it’s like getting to hear the words that I really wanna believe in.”
"Beautiful sound" - Jo Whiley BBC Radio 2
“Darkly coated but poignant lyrics sweetened by Baker’s light-honeyed voice” - Backseat Mafia
“Her introspective approach to songwriting often makes for unadulterated honesty” - New Age Magazine
“Alluring, irreverent scuzzy, grungry grit” - Atwood Magazine “a poignant British newcomer” - WithGuitars Magazine
