Wass Visits Section 36!

Photo by
Jenni Chapman Photography

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Wass is a simply wonderful singer, and I was so pleased that she agreed to visit with us and discuss her music, her goals, and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say. You may remember her from her releases as "Melissa Wasserman", but after some rebranding I'd like to introduce you to "Wass"!

So, let's see what happens when Wass visits Section 36!

I really enjoyed your recent single, “Twenty Two”. What was that like to put together?

Wow, putting Twenty Two together feels like a lifetime ago. I was in my last semester of college at Berklee in spring ’18, and I had all good friends of mine produce and play on it. That song was so fun to make. I had originally written the song alone in my room on my acoustic guitar. It was one of those songs that just came out all at once pretty much. The first idea that came was that guitar riff you hear at the very beginning…and the words just followed the emotions of what I was playing and what I was feeling. That song will always be so special to me because of the time in my life when I wrote it, and the fact that I had some of my closest friends help me bring it to life.

You’re getting ready to release an EP soon. What can you tell me about it?

I am so excited for the EP to drop I can’t even put it into words! The EP consists of 5 songs that I’ve written between 2016-2019. On the surface the songs might simply sound like sad break up songs, and they definitely are, but to methey feel like so much more than that. The EP encompasses my inner growth, learning to be truly independent and confident in myself, and knowing that I am enough on my own (which is why I picked the track “On My Own” as the title track). I purposely put the tracks in a certain order so you can really hear the journey of that growth.

You’re a graduate of Berklee College of Music. What’s the most important thing that experience did for your career?

Yes, I graduated back in 2018; it’s hard to believe it’s been over two years now. I

was just recently looking back at old pictures and videos from my time at Berklee, so it’s funny you ask; I learned so many important things that I’ll always carry with me, but out of all of them I think the most important thing my Berklee experience gave me was life long friends, and a network of people I can go to whether it’s for career related things or just to talk to someone I love and trust.

What is your favorite part about performing in front of a live audience?

One of my favorite parts about performing is feeling the energy from the crowd when I’m playing a particularly emotional song. It’s the coolest feeling when you share something so vulnerable and people can relate to it. It makes me feel less alone, and I’m sure any other songwriter would agree!

Your Instagram account is full of wonderful informal videos of your music. What do you enjoy about making and sharing these videos?

Photo by Charwritessongs

The most recent 30 day challenge I did on my Instagram was a huge step outside of my comfort zone, and very different from the regular little singing videos I post; I had been feeling super stuck in my routine (it was right when quarantine started), and feeling very uninspired musically. I saw friends posting a picture of this 30 day challenge where you would just post a song on your story that relates to the prompt for each day. That sparked my creativity and really saved my sanity for that month; I decided to use it as an excuse to make music and was able to put together little music videos, use some of my other instruments and I even wrote new songs. It was so fun!

Other than COVID, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

As I kind of mentioned before, staying inspired and creative has been a current challenge of mine. I’m thinking about doing a personal 30 day challenge of some sort, where I either work on a song every day or work on a song idea I like. I find it hard to write a whole song these days, but there are always little ideas coming into my head.

What are your immediate career goals?

A little fun fact about me, in addition to being an artist I am also a Music Therapist!

So currently I am doing that as my “day job” so to speak. I love it so much and it is so rewarding. So right now I am focusing on that, and I’m also working on my master’s degree in Music Therapy. Besides Music Therapy I am planning more releases and hopefully will be putting out music more consistently! And by music I mean anything; it can be little videos, more songs, maybe even a music video, but either way I am definitely excited for what the future holds.

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I’m so excited to be able to hear all the new music!

As always, I want to thank Wass for visiting, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview.

I know you’ll all want to follow along with Wass to see what she's up to. The best way is to check out all her social media accounts, Like Facebook and Instagram. They’re great ways to make sure you don't miss a thing. You should also be sure to check out her music on Soundcloud, Spotify, or anywhere else you choose!

You should also check out her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and samples of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Wass has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Wass, and good luck in reaching your goals!