Melina Duterte isn't the same person she once was. Years spent producing for stellar artists across rock and pop, working with some of the most acclaimed producers in the game, and a stint touring the world as part of boygenius' backing band have transformed her into one of the most trusted and inspiring musicians in the alternative scene. Now, she's back with the first solo Jay Som album in six years, 'Belong', a record that pays tribute to influences both past and present to create something genuine, heartfelt and electric.
Compared to 2019's 'Anak Ko', a laid-back ode to lo-fi, 'Belong' is an explosive re-entry. Hints of that stripped-back bedroom-pop float into the tracklist in the form of snarling 'What You Need' and fuzzed-out closer 'Want It All', but it's in the anthemic highs and tearjerking lows that 'Belong' really fills its form.
The months spent travelling around the world with The Boys pushed Melina into a new phase of her life, one where she was ready to take all the knowledge she'd gained on the road, alongside her honed studio expertise, and return to the Jay Som universe. That journey culminates in this new album.
"People love rock music; they want an opportunity to scream and rock out"
So, she was ready to write some songs, but where do you start after so long out? "I get bored easily if everything sounds the same. I wanted there to be different genres, but still be cohesive. Until this record, I'd never thought about the live show, and I'd never listened to external voices, but now I'm thinking like, 'OK, I have to play this riff live' or 'We can rock out on stage with this outro'."
So, you want something that can convey poignant emotion but also go incredibly hard in front of a live audience? Well, as if it wasn't clear already that Melina's the coolest person alive, she went out to Nashville to work with the legends of emo-rock: super-producer Steph Marziano and Queen of Everything, Hayley Williams.
Reflecting on that time, Melina can't keep the smile off her face. "That was definitely the first time I felt like an album was a possibility, even though I hadn't gone there with the intention of writing one. Steph is just so generous and kind, and obviously she's super talented, so it made it so easy for me."
From there, 'Belong' really began to take shape. Melina brought in her best friend and long-time Jay Som guitarist Joao Gonzalez, along with a studio band that included boygenius and Chappell Roan tour drummer Madden Klaas. As if that weren't enough, Jimmy Eat World vocalist and pop-punk legend Jim Adkins joined the ride too, lending his vocals to the fierce yet tender alt-rock banger 'Float'.
"Collaboration brings me one step closer to understanding myself"
Just as Melina isn't shy about giving her co-producers their flowers, she's equally open about the musical references that find their way into 'Belong', past and present.
What's clear from all these references - she also mentions Radiohead's 'In Rainbows' as a formative album - is that Melina wears her heart on her sleeve. She may not have a formal music education, but sometimes you can't learn everything from teachers and textbooks.
'Belong' is a project that thrives on energy and authenticity. The pivot to pop-punk only works because it's grounded in something real. This is a record about connection, between collaborators, in Melina's personal relationships, but more importantly, between her and the listener.
She's already had a glimpse of what a post-‘Belong’ world might look like, having played new songs on a mini-tour in May and during a wider US tour supporting alt-pop sweetheart Lucy Dacus.
"I think of the last six years as school for me"
Melina might be a very different artist than she was in 2019, one with bags of experience, but she's not naïve to the fact that the music industry is also a very different place than it was ten years ago, or even just before the pandemic when she released 'Anak Ko'.
'Belong' might nominally be a Jay Som solo album, but it's a record stitched together by the relationships Melina has built over the last six years. It's a project rooted in platonic love, expert musicianship and a sense of community that underpins every lyric, riff and drumbeat.
Who can say how long it'll be before we hear another Jay Som record? Melina herself doesn't even know. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves. With 'Belong', she's reminded us exactly why her return was worth the wait. Although, if you don't mind, Melina — maybe don't leave it quite so long next time, yeah? Cheers.
