Sienna Melgoza On Finding Value In Her Work And Her Breakup Hit ‘Hate It When I See Ya’

An artist that you need to know!

Sienna Melgoza is not new to this – After quickly making her presence known in the music industry when she was just 13 years old, she’s been churning out incredible music ever since. Our personal favorite is her latest single ‘Hate It When I See Ya’, which is the most relatable breakup song we’ve ever heard.

We had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Sienna about her award-winning acting career, Halloween necessities, and more!

Congratulations on your latest single ‘Hate It When I See Ya’. Can you walk us through the meaning and how the record came to be?

S: “Thank you! I actually wrote ‘Hate It When I See Ya’ with my incredible producers and co-writer, Ashley Mehta, when I was 16. It was pretty soon after I had gone through my first breakup with my first love, so you can only imagine that I had a lot of strong feelings to share. This song is about someone I had been in love with for a total of probably 3+ years or so. It was the only love I had ever known at the time, and even though we had both agreed the relationship wasn’t working anymore, my love did not leave with it. The feeling this song is based on is so particular. It’s that feeling of caring so deeply about someone that you cannot stand to even be in the same room as them, because those old feelings would come back instantly, and there would be nowhere to place them because you can’t share those feelings with anyone. ‘Hate It When I See Ya’ is not a song about hate (contrary to the title). It’s a song about love that has nowhere to go.”

This single released on Halloween, so we have to ask: Are you a Halloween fan and if so, what are some non-negotiable traditions you do to celebrate the spooky season?

S: “I think Halloween is great. I will say I’m not the biggest fan of scary things, so I kind of have a love-hate relationship with October. Some non-negotiable traditions I have are going to a pumpkin patch, having at least one Halloween costume, and watching Girl vs. Monster (I watch it every Halloween without fail).”

This might be hard, but out of the songs that you have released thus far, which do you think
represents who you are as an artist the best as a first impression?

S: “I think this new release, ‘Hate It When I See Ya,’ would have to be the best representation
of who Sienna Melgoza is as an artist thus far.”

How do you think you’ve evolved not only as a person but as an artist, from your early days of
your career when you were just 13 years old to perfecting your craft now?

S: “I think I’ve come to understand the value of my work and that it’s important to speak up for what I want. Because it is my art and no one else’s. Art, but specifically through the vessel of music, is a very vulnerable thing to share. Not only because it’s valuable to listeners and my peers, but especially because it’s valuable to my soul. And if I do not protect that, it could end up becoming something I never wanted, and in turn, I also become someone I never wanted to become.“

Looking back, what is the best advice you can give to your younger self, as well as young girls passionate about music in general?

S: “The best advice I could give to my younger self and other young girls out there would be to stay true to yourself. There are going to be so many thoughts, opinions, voices, and influences trying to tell you what will work, what will make money, or make you famous. That you need to dress, act, and sing a certain way because people will only listen to you if you do those things. I am here to tell you that that is not at all true.
People crave something real. Uniqueness, individuality, and authenticity. There is nothing better that you can do for yourself and others than to discover what you love and how you can express that in the most honest way. That will be your biggest success.”

Congratulations on your award-winning role in ‘Morph’. Are you planning on pursuing your acting career further? What goals/dream roles do you have in mind?

S: “Thank you! Alongside singing, acting has always been one of my first loves. I plan on continuing to pursue acting for the rest of my life. The next big goal of mine is to star in a rom-com. A good, sweet, messy, deep king of rom-com. Besides that, my next goal would be to have continuous, reliable work in the acting industry. I would also love to be in a Broadway show or reprise a role in a live-action movie adaptation.”

Make sure to stream ‘Hate It When I See Ya’, available now on all music platforms!

Je’Kayla Crawford– Founder and Director– Je’Kayla has been a journalist for years and decided to start a publication of her own, New Scene Magazine, back in October 2020. When not helping her team and working on their print issues, you can find her watching a movie on Netflix or baking using a viral TikTok recipe.