"From A Great Height." Melissa Buwembo, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A., 26 October 2016.
"I usually don't play DJ when we kick it with friends. Luckily I'm surrounded by friends who live and breathe music. I prefer letting my ears explore and once my body starts moving, that's when I take note of who the artist is and what track it is. My friends are really my source for new music."
Melissa is one of the most enthusiastic people I know. Her boundless energy, positively sunny disposition, and enviable hustle are an inspiration to myself and the many people who exist in her magnetic orbit. This has been an intensely creative year for Mel, and it's been such a treat to watch her stretch and grow her entrepreneurial muscles as she's launched Ursa Major, a women-owned sustainable apparel company. I can personally attest that the fabric is insanely soft and the cuts are fantastically flattering. Go cop yourself some while the first line is still in pre-order and before this brand blows up -- you'll be able to say you were one of the first.
Mel keeping cool with a Watermelon Refresh popsicle from Oakland's True Pops, a food brand from the mind and heart of her partner, Isaac Buwembo, who is creating incredible opportunities for East Oakland youth through his Civil Labs incubator.
What's your passion/hustle/profession?
Co-Founder of Ursa Major. Eco-friendly everyday basics. My hustle since June 2015 and launched September 2016.
What kind of music helps you focus at work?
Almost everything helps me focus. It ranges from hip hop, pop, indie rock, acoustic, oldies and it goes on.
When you’re winding down?
Winding down calls for some old time blues or jazz. Some Ella, Billie or Coltrane. Perfectly paired with a glass of red wine. Same goes for Cooking. Although I tend to bop around with some Motown classics when I cook or bake.
Working out?
Working out for me calls for some pop rap. Pretty much Watch The Throne on repeat and radio stations started from "N*ggas in Paris."
Kickin’ it with friends?
I usually don't play DJ when we kick it with friends. Luckily I'm surrounded by friends who live and breathe music. I prefer letting my ears explore and once my body starts moving, that's when I take note of who the artist is and what track it is. My friends are really my source for new music.
What’s your most memorable musical moment? This could be a live show or festival that really stuck with you, meeting a music icon, etc.
Radiohead at Thunderbird Stadium on UBC's campus back in 2008. We had already graduated university, but my boyfriend at the time (now husband) was living on campus. It was sort of a reminiscent experience to our university days, even high school, of gathering up our favourite people, walking from the apartment to the stadium and bearing the inevitable Vancouver autumn rain that was forecast. Listening to "Paranoid Android" live while it's raining is epic.
Favourite love song?
My wedding song was Michael Jackson's "Rock with You" if that gives you any indication of what I categorize as a love song. I have a lot of favourite love songs as I tend to like songs that speak to the experience of love and there are a lot out there.
Slow jam?
Slow jam-wise, I'd say Lauryn Hill's "Ex-Factor" is so sultry smooth.
Between the sheets?
Frank Ocean "Pyramids" gets the mood going, Erykah Badu "Phone Down" moves it into the bedroom...and then from there...???
Mel and Isaac breaking it down on the dance floor at their wedding in Vancouver, 2015.
You need to hype up the crowd at a house party real quick. What do you put on next?
If it were my house party, Beyoncé's "7/11." Just let me indulge in my love and mild obsession for Yoncé!
If you were stranded on a desert island with only one album, which would it be?
Janet's Design of a Decade. Just love every single track on that one and could sing along to it for daaaaayyyyyssss.
[Editor's note: Hell yes. And now let's all take an intermission to watch the music video for "Escapade." Let's have a good time!]
Best format? Cassette tape, CD, iPod, Vinyl, etc.
Streaming online these days. Love that everything, no matter how obscure it may be, can be found on Spotify, Soundcloud and the like.
What’s the most prized album/mixtape/musical memento you own? Your home is on fire and this is the only thing you can grab before it all burns down. (Sorry, that one’s grim.)
Isaac, my hubs. He has all the music knowledge I'll need in a lifetime and beyond.
Dinner with any artist, dead or alive. They're paying. Whom do you choose?
Sorry -- I'm not sorry. It's gotta be Beyoncé. And she has to bring Blue along to our Michelin Star dinner.
What's your go-to karaoke jam?
I generally tend to pick boppy, fun-time, sing-a-long hits. Mya's "Free" is definitely top 3.
Merçi, Mel!
"From A Great Height" Track Listing
- Ella Fitzgerald. "They Can't Take That Away From Me." Ella and Louis, UMG Recordings, Inc., 2000.
- Janet Jackson. "Miss You Much." Rhythm Nation 1814, A&M Records, 1989.
- Drake, Majid Jordan. "Hold On, We're Going Home (feat. Majid Jordan)." Nothing Was The Same (Deluxe Version), Cash Money Records Inc., 2013.
- Beyoncé. "Partition." BEYONCÉ (Platinum Edition), Columbia Records, a Division of Sony Music Entertainment, 2012.
- Nicki Minaj, Beyoncé. "Feeling Myself (feat. Beyoncé)." The Pinkprint (Deluxe), Cash Money Records Inc., 2014.
- Mac Miller. "Dang! (feat. Anderson .Paak)." The Divine Feminine, Warner Bros. Records Inc., 2016.
- Mya. "Free (Album Version)." Fear of Flying, Interscope Records, 2000.
- Michael Jackson. "Rock With You." Off The Wall, MJJ Productions Inc., 1979.
- Stevie Wonder. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours)." The Definitive Collection, Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc., 2002.
- The Supremes "Someday We'll Be Together." Gold, Motown Records, a Division of UMG Recordings, Inc. 2005.
- Otis Redding. "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay." The Very Best Of Otis Redding, Rhino Records Inc., 1992.
- Radiohead. "Paranoid Android." OK Computer, XL Recordings Ltd., 1997.
- JAY Z, Kanye West. "Murder to Excellence." Watch the Throne (Deluxe Version), S. Carter Enterprises, LLC. Distributed by Roc Nation, 2011.
