King Melik Embraces Intimacy on 'Sanctuary'
Photography by Naima Woods
On a chilly December night at Roc Star Studio, during a networking event for up-and-coming musicians and aspiring professionals, King Melik aka Bryce Melik Thompson, performed an impressive 12-minute set. That night, I also got the chance to introduce myself and speak to Melik about his unique melodies and musical background, sparking a curiosity in learning more about him and his artistry.
Two weeks later, I got a chance to catch up with Melik as he was getting ready for his first performance of 2023 at Schubas’ 100% Off Show, a free monthly event that showcases new local talent. Melik initiated the entertainment for the night and provided an energetic set. After playing seven shows together, King Melik’s band chemistry shined in this performance as seamless transitions from electrifying guitars and dexterous drumming pulled over 50 audience members —whose interest had been peaked—from the bar area into the showroom. King Melik’s stage presence further captivated attendees as themes of selfless love, heartbreak, and independent breakthroughs echoed in the halls from tracks like “Angels,” “Pretty Girls,” and “Sing For Me.”
Born and raised on the South Side of Chicago, King Melik’s musical journey began at the age of six when he picked up the classical violin and shortly after started studying the music of the Baroque period. In high school, he joined the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and the Musical Arts Institute. Despite finding inspiration in more modern pop artists like Ross Lynch's character in Austin & Ally, King Melik's sound has also been crafted by Mozart and Antonín Dvořák –contributing to his diverse musical palette.
In November of last year, King Melik released his EP, Sanctuary, a showcase of his extensive attention to arrangements and illustrative yet catchy lyricism. Starting the project with a more classical approach, we hear those childhood inspirations ring out with grand vocals and dramatic heart-beating synths filling the room. Full of familiar names like SONNY, Supa Bwe, and Senite, Sanctuary is a project that feels right at home. Read our Q&A with King Melik below to learn about how he first got into music and his aspirations for the future.
Hey King Melik hope you’ve been having a happy New Year! Thanks for taking the time to sit down with the These Days community. How are you doing?
Of course man, Happy New Year! Anything for Michael haha.
Where in Chicago did you grow up and were there any experiences you had that sparked an interest in being a part of the Chicago music scene?
So I was born and raised in the Calumet Heights area and have been there ever since. My first touch with music was when I was probably six-years-old after my mom enrolled me in the Merit School of Music playing classical violin. In the beginning, it felt like I was being forced to play, and over time [I] started hating it, [and] then I fell in love with it all over again. As a kid, you're being told this is what you have to do on certain days of the week, slowly becoming a routine and dulling out, and you know this time it was my choice this time to fall in love. I grew up with a lot of orchestras around me as a player in the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra; then got enrolled later into a primarily Black classical organization called The Musical Arts Institute.
On your latest EP Sanctuary, your background in classical violin clearly shaped the beginning of the project. Do you see your sound evolving in any way this year and if so, how?
The most important thing I have learned is dynamics. I feel a lot of music nowadays, especially in the rap industry, has one volume. So playing violin in addition to studying the Baroque and classical eras showed me how to use dynamics on when to build a song vs. when to play a song. Moving forward I think keeping things experimental with a high replay value, I feel music is made to constantly evolve.
As we do this interview, you will be performing your first opening show of 2023 in about an hour. Congratulations on another year of creating! How does it feel knowing that people are coming out to watch you perform tonight?
It's so exciting man! Back in 2020, we didn’t know if we were ever gonna perform again. People were saying, “It’s never going to be the same.” But tonight I will be opening for some amazingly talented black women–Kalyiah and S-O-S are gonna go crazy.
What are some obstacles you have faced in your career so far and how have you gotten through them?
Staying locked-in is really important because it’s so easy to get discouraged in this industry when you feel like you may be as talented as your peers who got opportunities. Learning to be happy for others because everyone works their asses off. Even if you feel like you’re the hardest worker in the room, so does everyone else! Being in the right place at the right time, mixed with talent and some luck, will always produce results. In addition, staying grateful and humble for every W & L and moving past that discouragement.
As you move ahead from previous obstacles, are there any new ideas you are developing for this year?
Yeah man, you make your most intimate music when you’re vulnerable. I think a lot of music now-a-days today has that missed feeling of vulnerability. However, I can implement my insecurities into my music that is also featured on Sancuatury. I am a hopeless romantic so it can be a good and bad thing sometimes when love gets me in trouble. You know how crazy love is.
Any last words you want to leave readers with?
I think being a hopeless romantic but still working hard man. You know how crazy love is, I don't have to explain. I love romance so much that it's involved in my music, so it can be a good and bad thing sometimes when love gets me in trouble–so I try to stay locked in and think about my family. I already named my future daughter Zoë, but with two dots over the ë, Thompson. For those attending tonight and my future shows, I want y’all to dance, be happy, but also feel my pain. There’s a lot of songs that will take you through a roller coaster.