Soulful teenage sibling trio MeloDious works to finish their debut album
OAKLAND -- The Bay Area is full of musical talent, but a rising young trio made up of two sisters and a brother from Oakland is making sure they make their mark.
MeloDious is a band made up of three siblings Micaiah, Memphis and Matthias Dempsey. They have been playing and singing together for at least 10 years and are still just teenagers.
"The drum is what I like to say is heartbeat of the group," said 15-year-old drummer Memphis. "I would rather not share this experience with anybody else but them. They fit me so well."
Memphis is the youngest of the Dempsey sibling, but as the band's drummer, she is the foundation of their sound. She plays music every day and credits MeloDious' love for music to their church upbringing. They remember the memories of their parents singing to them, listening to hymns and gospel music.
"[Church] shaped my sound. You know a lot of music that we do has an R&B, gospely feel," explained Micaiah Dempsey.
Micaiah plays the piano. She brings the morale and harmony.
"I feel like there's no me outside of music, you know? Music is a huge part of my identity; I consider it my orientation," said Micaiah.
MeloDious is completed by the girls' brother, Matthias. He plays guitar and bass and sings too.
Music is their connection and their joy. All three love writing songs and creating a sound that's unique.
"Memphis brings a whole bunch of joy and energy to the performances," said Matthias. "They didn't know I could write that good! There's music for when you're sad, there's music for when you're happy and music just connects people emotionally."
The three siblings have been playing professionally together for almost seven years.
Michaiah says she's never been separated from music. She got sick early last year following an adverse reaction to medication led to her to being in and out of the hospital. The trio was forced to stop playing gigs for a while. Still, music helped healed her.
"Every day, I would wake up and I would play music and listen to music. And I was so grateful that I at least had my piano, and I had my siblings and my family around me. It really taught me that even when I'm not playing music actively out in the public that it can have a huge impact on me," said Michaiah.
MeloDious creatively mixes elements of gospel, jazz and soul with their music. They call it a universal language.
"Anybody can listen to music no matter your background no matter what you identify as, as you know we all understand music," said Michaiah.
The band has been working on their debut album entitled Is it the Way for months. They hope to be performing on some of the largest stages across the country. More information about the band and their upcoming performances are available on the MeloDious website as well as their TikTok, Instagram and YouTube accounts.
