It’s been three long years since we’ve heard from Melissa Young, and from her pre-release post written late last night it sounds like it’s been a much longer and hard fought three years for Kid Sister than for us. “At times it took my sanity and peace of mind (I don’t think I’ve gotten a week’s worth of good sleep in at least 3 years).”  Hopefully, she can sleep a little better knowing that the music she has given to us is a treasure, a bold statement of self awareness and soul bearing attestment. The new mixtape DUSK2DAWN: The Diary Of Jane Jupiter recruits the help of a host of talented producers including Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, GTA, ETC!ETC! and the pipes of L.A.’s own Dâm-Funk! This new alter ego, ‘Jane Jupiter’ personifies her artistic breakthrough and serves as flawless reflection of her struggle with every heartfelt verse. Read her personal post and get hooked up with the free mixtape below!

So like… I’m not one to “TEASE” releases… well, at least not *too* much because in this business sometimes you hardly know what’s happening in the next 24 hours much less weeks or months ahead. That said, I have something very special to give you tomorrow. It isn’t some quickly thrown together assembly of songs I thought would be a “good look” or a body of work I had others do for a check or a project bank rolled by some rich dude pulling marionette strings behind the scenes. What I’m going to give you took heart. What I’m going to give you took everything I had bottled up inside of me. It took bravery and courage. It took all the money I had in the world. At times it took my sanity and peace of mind (I don’t think I’ve gotten a week’s worth of good sleep in at least 3 years). It took getting out of my comfort zone, getting honest and saying some things I felt like I couldn’t tell anyone – and often times honestly didn’t HAVE anyone to tell. It took me getting fed up with coloring by the numbers, feeling like I could only ever do one thing and only with the permission of others. It took me getting fed up with being safe and not taking chances. It took shedding artifice and finally being vulnerable and real… and it was terrifying… and I almost didn’t make it. 

But somehow I kept going.

I put my heart, soul, sweat, blood and tears into the gift I’m going to give you tomorrow. Forty songs didn’t make it. Ten did. And after all the growing pains and tears I think I can finally say I’m proud. It was a passion project in every sense of the word and really changed the way I think about myself and my place in music and in the world. I hope it touches you in the same way it did me… and that if it does, you share it with someone you love.

Hugs,
Melisa

P.S. I probably didn’t say everything I coulda/shoulda said in this post and there are a lot of real life stories intertwined in this mix tape but I’ll save the juicy details for the next interview. See you on the other side 

P.P.S. Did I seriously tear up writing this post? Whoa… I have CHANGED lol