Tish Melton Announces Debut EP Produced By Brandi Carlile & New Single 'Damage'

Rising singer-songwriter Tish Melton officially announces her debut EP When We're Older set for release on March 1 via CMDSHFT. The 5-track EP is a stunning introduction into the 17-year old singer-songwriter's razor sharp writing and storytelling, and was produced by nine-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist Brandi Carlile, who is a mentor to Tish.

Tish shows a keen ability to candidly chronicle relationships and complicated feelings. She tells these stories as she's living them, with a sharp eye for detail and lyricism that brings them to life. Tish has already released two singles to critical acclaim, including a profile in Variety Magazine, FLOOD Magazine, V Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, The Honey Pop, Ones To Watch, and her debut single “Michelle” landed on the Billboard First Timer's Chart.

Alongside the EP announcement, Tish released her third single “Damage,”  a heartbreaking song with a crystalline piano melody about being willing to put up with anything, even losing yourself, for someone else. Magnet Magazine premiered the track this morning:  “Though a bit of an old soul, Melton is still wrapped up in the vagaries of teen hood. Refreshingly devoid of melodrama, her perceptive personal narratives find their resonance in honesty and restraint—and they won't insult the intelligence of listeners over 25.”

On “Damage,” Melton said: “I wrote ‘Damage' when I was in a really bad place - I was confused and disoriented, obsessed with someone who couldn't give me what I wanted and willing to be treated in any way for just a little bit of their time.” Melton recorded her vocals in the studio while extremely sick, but instead of scrapping those takes, they kept them as they conveyed a vulnerable, soft desperation in Tish's higher registers… “dance around, dance around the kitchen / take it all but take it with a grain of salt / take me for granted i've planned it i'm equipped to handle your damage” she sings, as piano twinkles around her.

When Tish was 16, she played an acoustic set at LA's famed venue the Troubadour (where Joni Mitchell, Elton John and Carole King have all performed). Her performance was bookended by 5-person noisy bands, and she was nervous to go up on stage, alone with just her guitar. Her set hushed the entire room.

A video of that performance made its way to Brandi Carlile–via legendary producer Linda Perry–who instantly saw a familiar spark in Tish. Someone who was destined to sing her stories and could silence a room with them. Their musical chemistry is undeniable, rooted in mutual respect, shared taste, and an appreciation for good songwriting and musical catharsis.

Meanwhile, Tish had been making music in her bedroom for years. She got her first guitar at age 14 and spent the pandemic learning the songs of Taylor Swift and Lucy Dacus, whose clear-eyed storytelling and straightforward indie-rock sounds she admires. She started writing her own songs (and re-writing, and re-working). “As a songwriter, I've realized you can just tell stories,” she says. “They don't have to be big, dramatic moments. Personally, I learned how to write songs by simply sharing my journey and feeling how I naturally do.”

Those songs made their way to Carlile whose suspicion was confirmed – this girl has it – and she offered to produce. Together, they recorded what would become the EP during sessions in Brandi's Seattle studio and at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu.

Brandi Carlile says of Tish Melton, “Tish is so young and so brilliant. Like most lessons in life, I learned this one while I thought I was teaching it. We should guide youth in music but there's no question that it should lead. My favorite thing was excitedly trying to explain that all the ‘new sounds' Tish was into were actually the sounds of my city (Seattle) when I was exactly her age. A wonderful artist can plug you back into past parts of yourself you maybe should've stayed connected to?”

Tish Melton might be recognizable to some, featured in her mother Glennon Doyle's book Untamed in a memorable moment and lesson about sensitivity as strength. As the daughter of Glennon Doyle and Abby Wambach and father Craig, she has the unique perspective of being raised by two formidable mothers, and having a thriving and creative network of gifted storytellers.

Brandi and Tish's first recorded collaboration was in writing the theme song for her mothers' podcast We Can Do Hard Things. Tish has previously joined Brandi onstage at Mothership Weekend in 2023 as a guest performer, has played the Troubadour, with live dates to be announced. Tish is currently performing at Brandi Carlile's 5th Girls Just Wanna Weekend on January 18-21, 2024.

Photo Credit Jacq Justice

 

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