This time last year US singer Emmy Meli was writing songs between breaks from bartending at a golf course in Long Beach.
These days, Meli, 22, is touted as a potential popstar after having released a hit track with Sony Music and now working full time on her debut EP.
The change of fortune is down to a fraction of a song released online. In October, Meli dropped a 45-second snippet of the work in progress track called I Am Woman to her 5,000 followers on TikTok.
@emmymelimusic “I AM WOMAN” I write the best sh!t when I ain’t trying hahaha #fyp #singer #iamwoman #original #myfinALLYmoment
♬ I AM WOMAN - ❦ emmy meli ❦
Within 24 hours, the post — in which Meli is crooning empowering lyrics “I am woman, I am fearless / I am sexy, I’m divine / I’m unbeatable, I’m creative / Honey, you can get in line” — racked up more than 200,000 views.
The buzz went on to trigger a TikTok trend where women would use Meli’s voice as a soundtrack to compilations of photos matching each of the adjectives in her lyrics.
I Am Woman has now been viewed 34 million times on TikTok and Meli boasts more than 620,000 fans on the platform.
Seizing the moment
Nearly five months on and Meli still can’t wrap her head around what has happened.
"It is amazing to see how something like that explodes and becomes a phenomenon," she tells The National. "To see how the internet works, how it can reach so many people, literally overnight, and then change your whole life is crazy."
But it hasn’t been smooth sailing. While giving the aspiring artist a profile she could have only dreamt off, Meli also has to grapple with the darker side of internet fame, which includes its fair share of nasty trolls.
"I actually had a lot of anxiety and few pretty major mental breakdowns, but I think when something like that happens to you so quickly you don't have time to adjust," she says.
"It's just a brutal world on the internet and it takes some time getting used to you. It takes conceptualising because at the end of the day, you have to realise that no matter what you do, people are going to love or hate you."
Meli also had the added challenge of completing I Am Woman for a global fan base.
When posting the initial video, the song didn’t have a complete verse yet.
"It was stressful to say the least, especially when you have momentum like that as an independent artist, because there is that pressure to capitalise on that," she says.
"So [since I already had the chorus] I had to basically write the song backwards. But I have been writing songs my whole life and that paid off and it took me about two days to finish."
The proudest moment
Released on November 18, nearly a day to the month she released the TikTok post, the full version of I Am Woman fulfils its promise.
The warm synths and sturdy drums we heard on the post have been fleshed out by a throbbing base line. The new verse makes use of Meli’s dynamic vocals which ranges from a rich raspy croon to mid paced rapping and scatting.
On the two-month anniversary of the post, Meli released an official music video which featured the singer dressed in vintage polka-dot blouse and desert brown leather pants, performing in a studio backed by a sextet.
The song has reached a peak at No 28 in the US Mainstream Top 40 charts, Meli said she really appreciated its significance in the run up to International Women’s Day on March 8.
"To have my song be an anthem and uplift so many people on that day, especially, is an honour that sometimes makes me want to cry," she says.
"Because there is a little girl inside, a 7-year-old Emily, that gets to be incredibly proud of what I am doing with my life."
