A prolific storyteller, Melodownz’s songwriting is an unapologetic depiction of Aotearoa and his own wider reality. Melodownz stepped onto the scene in 2017 with his first project Avontales, showing off his songwriting abilities and lyrically illustrating his upbringing in Avondale.
The following year saw further developments, with the release of collaborative album High Beams alongside Raiza Biza and IllBAZ, as well as solo project Melo & Blues in 2018. His most recent work, released in 2022 and titled Lone Wolf, notes an impressive range of international feature artists such as Denzel Curry and Bootsy Collins.
Drawing on a plethora of influences that have shaped his musical sound, Melodownz is fundamentally a genre-bending artist. Growing up, his mum would pick him up from school blasting the likes of Marvin Gaye through the car stereo; the genesis for his deep love for soul and jazz starting to form.
his musical interests were steeped in rock until a cousin came home with 90s rap CDs
At a young age, his musical interests were steeped in rock until his cousin came home with a collection of 90s rap CDs. Upon discovering artists that reminded him of his own community, Melodownz began to relate and connect to hip hop music, falling in love with the aesthetic and sound.
Stumbling across P-Money’s 2002 album Big Things, Melodownz became indoctrinated into New Zealand hip hop. Discovering the big hitters of the time such as P-Money, Scribe, Deceptikonz and 4 Corners opened his eyes to the scene.
This new interest led to a period of discovery where Melodownz began to experiment with rapping, competing in lunch-time battles and recording his first songs on gaming microphones, until eventually he left high school to pursue music full-time.
The beginnings of Melodownz’s illustrious career began with the formation of the spiritual hip hop group Third3ye in 2012. Part of Young, Gifted and Broke, the group was fronted by Melodownz and Angelo King, alongside other notable New Zealand talent such as Ed Waaka, SwervinMervin, and DJ Toru.
The group’s music aimed to bring messages of love, unity and peace into the hip hop rhetoric. They had a notable impact on the Auckland music scene and played at Laneway Festival in 2014 at Silo Park next to headliners Danny Brown, Earl Sweatshirt and James Blake.
During his time with Third3ye, Melodownz released his first solo project Beginners Luck in 2014, and debuted his seminal album Avontales as a full-time solo artist in 2017. The latter project is a raw sentiment of New Zealand hip hop that will be retained as an archive of Avondale’s history. It’s an album that resonates strongly with Auckland listeners – a testament to its realness and relatability to those with similar lived experiences across the city.
‘Avontales’ (2017) is a raw sentiment of NZ hip hop and an archive of Avondale’s history
A highly conceptual project, Avontales draws back nostalgic feelings for listeners that remember the initial release. Melodownz credits this album for his career, noting the first time he heard his music being played in public was after dropping ‘The Anthem (Intro) [feat. Bailey Wiley]’.
The artwork itself is a time stamp of Avondale. Created by Melodownz, it is conceptually based on the mid-2000s bro'Town illustrations, and includes the famous Avondale spider looming in the background.
The following year, Melodownz, Raiza Biza and IllBAZ released a collaborative album titled High Beams. The album was born out of Melodownz and Raiza Biza’s youth work together, based across the road from IllBAZ’s flat. After work, the pair would cross the road after every shift to kick it, and make music.
With the different intersecting cultures of this trio – Polynesia, Palestine and Rwanda – this album speaks to the global interconnectedness of indigenous struggles. ‘Live Stream’ (featuring Teeks) signals the political nature of the collaborators different identities, and reflects a message of indigenous solidarity and revolution. This project is a representation of Melodownz’s innate political nature which flows naturally into his songwriting.
Another 2018 release, Melo & Blues, was a rapid switch-up from Avontales. This project showcased Melo’s range as an experimental artist, proving he isn’t confined to one specific niche or genre.
Lone Wolf, the artist’s latest release, is another major time stamp in Melodownz’s life. While the writing process began in 2019, the project wasn’t released until 2022.
Melodownz speaks to the album title as a reflection of how he felt growing up, as someone who was always happy doing their own thing as opposed to following the crowd. The album is therefore a testament to finding self-confidence, and not needing to rely on others for validity or support.
The album has a staggering amount of high-powered features, both global and local. The track ‘That Love’ (featuring Troy Kingi and Avondale Intermediate Choir) is a full-circle moment for the rapper, as he had once been part of the choir in his school days.
His track ‘No Mercy’ features American rapper Denzel Curry, landing Melodownz a major international feature and projecting his music to a global audience.
Lone Wolf also boasts a collaboration with Bootsy Collins, something that was a bucket-list moment for Melodownz. The collaboration occurred during lockdown when Bootsy and his wife were snowed in. Stuck in his house for three days, the Godfather of Funk spent the time connecting with Melodownz over FaceTime and creating ‘How It Be’.
Melodownz received many garlands at the 2023 Pacific Music Awards
Melodownz was finally given his flowers by the music industry at the 2023 Pacific Music Awards, taking away Best Pacific Male Artist, Best Pacific Music Album for Lone Wolf, and Best Pacific Music Video for ‘Pray for More’ directed by Connor Pritchard.
Outside of creating, Melodownz holds a mentorship role at Te Karanga Trust, a creative community offering a range of programmes for rangatahi interested in music. Well-known names such as Church & AP came out of these programmes, with Church now being a mentor himself, alongside other artists such as Dera, Aiden Fine and Rizván.
Melodownz’s mentoring occurs in a talanoa setting, where mentees can talk in a safe space. For Melodownz, it’s special to be able to hold these spaces in the community, as well as give back to future generations to provide them better pathways than were provided to his own.
A true intergenerational artist, Melodownz’s artistry extends beyond simply making music, but is about creating art for his communities that can inspire and evoke passion.
