Mela Levine
Photographer: Alexis Interiano, Aries Photography Nola
Makeup Artist: Snoww Makeup Artistry
Arson Below Sea Level
Once upon a time in New Orleans, Mela Levine’s debut album was finally released worldwide…
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A bold, genre-defying introduction to her voice as both songwriter and storyteller, Arson Below Sea Level is a Bible Belt fairytale steeped in feminine flair, cheeky humor, and unapologetic Southern heat. Whimsical yet masterfully crafted, it features the talents of three Grammy-winning engineers and thirteen Louisiana-based instrumentalists — channeling the city’s undeniable musical magic in every track.
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Equal parts rock, romance, and reckoning, this record offers sharp, colorful reflections on desire, faith, and deliverance — all wrapped in Mela’s signature blend of grit and grace. Arson Below Sea Level is a story that pulls you under in the best way. Step closer, burn brightly, and let yourself be swept away…
About Mela Levine
Mela Levine is a singer-songwriter from New Orleans whose music captures the tension, charm, and contradictions of life in Louisiana. Her 2025 debut album, Arson Below Sea Level, earned recognition and support from Louisiana Entertainment, Crescent City Sounds, The American Federation of Musicians, and The Threadhead Cultural Foundation.
Known for her self-aware, unflinchingly honest lyrics and raspy vocal style, Levine blends New Orleans musical traditions with storytelling that is part fairytale, part cautionary tale. She credits her signature voice and candid, observational wit to her previous career as a professional firefighter, where she developed a perpetually sore throat and a reliance on gallows humor. Each song playfully chronicles—and highlights the absurdity of—her ongoing struggle to stay afloat in a world gone mad.
Levine lives with her beloved pet snake, Hero, and is currently crafting her sophomore album, Backfire Below Sea Level.
Photographer: Alexis Interiano, Aries Photography Nola
Makeup Artist: Snoww Makeup Artistry