Valerie Melina burst onto the NMC scene in 2024 with the single ‘Death of me’, which concerned having such a huge crush on someone that it became unhealthy. Not unhealthy enough to stop it ranking highly in our ‘Songs of the Year’ listing, mind.
She followed it up with ‘My current obsession’ – possibly with the very same person, and that got onto the 2025 Songs of the Year list – and with ‘Greed’, a tuneful A Cappella rendition which was about both wanting the subject as they are and wishing to change them.
You do get the impression that she is still lost and trying to identify what she really is especially when embroiled in the Romance stakes and trying to discover the right path forward and that theory is reinforced by her admission that this latest song, ‘Looking for the Girl’ is “a story about a young woman trying to find herself (spoiler alert: she’s me)”.
Nah, I would never have guessed that, Valerie!
It could be the title of a Madonna song, or even a movie, starring Madge as Madge.
She adds, “I hope it will resonate with some people.” Well there are plenty of those folk who will recognise themselves in the lyrics, that’s a safe bet. The same people that are forced to address their vulnerabilities every day and there are many of them.
Valerie never fails to find a hook for her songs, which are habitually bright and breezy, and that is again the case here.
And that catchiness stands in contrast to the sadness in the lyrics as if she’s trying to say, “Look, at the end of the day I don’t care, I can easily move on to the next chapter” but you know she can’t.
There’s something disarming about the way she sings about herself in the third person, like she can’t face the reality of being in the first person:
“She was the sunrise on a summer day/She was never in anyone’s way/Just the way she was
They always made her out to be a lot/Even though she really was not”
You don’t know whether to feel sorry for her or if you should call her up and give her a lecture on the merits of self-belief.
“So now I’m looking for the girl/with the wild, wild curls
Those half-moon eyes/And that wide, wide smile”
Valerie, just look in the mirror…
That to me is the essence of really good song writing, that you can evoke mixed reactions in someone who doesn’t know you and doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry at your predicament.
Oh, and by the way…
“If you see her/Will you tell me?
If you see her/Anywhere
If you see her/Will you tell me?
If you see her/Will you tell me, tell me”
…She might be just what I’m looking for.
(Continues after the Spotify link)
Valerie has just begun a five-single deal with Rexius Records, which is helping her with visuals and marketing, leading up to a bigger release next year.
The press kit she/they sent me should be on view at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as the template for “how to promote yourself in the music business.”
Find her on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/valerie.melina.artist/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/itsvaleriemelina/
Bandcamp: https://valeriemelina.bandcamp.com/
