Melody Federer to release single “The Wonder Years”

For nomadic Texas songwriter Melody Federer, writing is something truly special for her. 

“I think a lot of my songs are my subconscious processing my experience,” she said. “Almost like I’m dreaming while awake. And when it’s ready, the idea sort of appears.”

Federer will be releasing her upcoming single, “The Wonder Years” on August 28th. Her latest single, “This Town” is out now for streaming, purchase and on the radio.

Having worked with managers with varying styles, she has truly honed her own creative process, saying that “the best songs come the fastest.

“I worked with this wonderful manager for a bit who had been a football coach and he always wanted me to go at writing songs like playing sports. Drills. Over and over. Repetition. Rewrite it till it’s perfect. So I tried that,” she said. “But what always rings true again and again is that the ones where I feel it coming and I catch it like a tiger by the tail— those are the good ones. Like shooting stars. I just gotta keep up and be ready. Sometimes I’ll have to rework the second verse or bridge.”

Her outlook on songwriting allows roadblocks to melt away, taking time to sit with the concept and see if it was truly the right one.

She’s written for a wide range of musicians including P!nk and Kelly Rowland. Federer is an accomplished artist on her own, playing iconic venues such as the Harvard Club in New York City and Paris Fashion Week. 

Piggybacking off of successes with other artists, Federer is ready to follow up her 2017 solo album, Where the Dogwoods Bloom, with some new music including her next single “The Wonder Years,” which holds a special place in her heart.

“The melody, lyrics and production all came together just right- like your favorite pair of jeans, your coziest sweater and most comfortable shoes,” said Federer. “ It all just feels right and true and genuine. Probably more than anything I’ve written or put out yet.” 

Influenced by James Taylor and Kacey Musgraves, this album — and all of her own music — is about loving life and embracing all of the beauty it holds.

“…Even with its pain and disappointment. The lonely times. The beautiful times,” she said about her work. I want them to feel that nostalgia for the beautiful moments they’ve had and remember their childhood or their first love or their current love or their lost love or the hope of new love. I want them to feel.”

Federer has been writing songs since her childhood, when her dad gamified the process, but has seen the progression in her work opting for quality over quantity now.

“He’d do this game where he’d give me different words and I’d have to string them together in a song or story that made sense,” she said. “He played guitar and piano by ear when he felt like it. The good old ‘70s stuff.”

Some of the musicians Federer hopes to work with in the future include James Taylor, Shoffy, Alicia Keys, John Legend and Smallpools. 

Photo by Alexa King