Tenerife Singer Melania Highlights Challenges for Canary Islands Artists Seeking Global Careers
Tenerife-born singer Melania highlights the ongoing struggle for Canary Islands artists to build professional careers while balancing local roots with the necessity of seeking resources beyond the archipelago.
The Canary Islands’ music scene is currently buzzing with creativity, yet local artists still face the persistent challenge of being based on an island. A recent interview in Diario de Avisos with Tenerife-born singer Melania highlights this struggle: while she has successfully performed at major events like July’s Granca Live Fest, artists often feel they must move away to truly build a professional career.
Melania’s participation in the SGAE Foundation’s UrbanEñe showcase—an initiative designed to connect new talent with international promoters—shows how vital these opportunities are for local musicians. Melania blends R&B, pop, and Latin influences, representing a new generation of artists who combine songwriting with multidisciplinary skills like dance, saxophone, and stage performance. She credits this versatility to a lifelong passion, which eventually led her to spend seven years in Madrid to hone her craft.
The difficulty of working from the islands remains a major topic in the local cultural sector. Even as the archipelago becomes a hub for urban music, Melania notes that many professionals still feel they must leave to find the teams and resources needed to compete on a larger scale. Despite this, she remains focused on her goals, including the upcoming release of her new EP and her latest single, Cuenta, which she recently performed for fans in Gran Canaria.
For Melania, success is about more than just stage size or crowd numbers; it is about the mental resilience required to survive in a competitive industry. She believes that self-management and trusting one’s own artistic vision are essential for a long-term career. With her recent festival success behind her, she is now looking toward new horizons, particularly in Latin America, as she works to turn her local recognition into a stable career beyond the islands.