Melanated Melodies group members spoke with WXII about the significance of the a cappella group and goals going forward.
Elon student a cappella group Melanated Melodies was featured on WXII’s The Local Vibe on Tuesday, March 1.
Melanated Melodies founder Queen Assata Stephens ’22, music director Nina McDow ’23 and social chair Alyssa Wise ’25 spoke with WXII to discuss the significance of the group, which was founded with the goal to help Black students at Elon connect, and what their outlook is going forward.
“I have been working on this since the latter end of my freshman year and going through all of the struggles with COVID to found this group has been a lot but to see it come to fruition has been very rewarding. I’m excited to see how it will continue to develop once I graduate,” Stephens said.
As she nears graduation, Stephens said she hopes to see continued growth with the group, as well as more exposure with music videos and even a debut recorded album.
McDow said the most rewarding part of being a member is seeing how everyone connects through the music.
“For me, especially being music director, hearing everyone finally grasp the music is amazing. When we get the cord just right, that is something really fulfilling for me as a Black student.”
Wise said, “the best part is probably the interactions we have with the other groups and getting those opportunities to perform and really get Melanated Melodies known to the public.
“For me being the social chair, it’s a great feeling to know that there are people in the community that want to know more about us, want to hear us and represent what we stand for,” Wise added.