For those of you who have tuned in to SiriusXM’s Big-Uns countdown recently, your ears may be familiar with a highly explosive and extremely energetic new rock band titled BURNOS.
If you haven’t, you are missing out on their fiery new track “WarShip” among other gems. Led by the powerhouse vocals of former Miami Dolphins NFL Cheerleader turned rock goddess Melissa Burnos, these talented musicians have been hard at work crafting their currently untitled debut record and putting the finishing touches on what they feel will be one hell of an incredible debut.
We recently had an opportunity to reach out to Melissa and ask her a few questions about the band’s recent success and her plans for the year ahead. Read what Melissa had to say, below!
AltWire [Derek]: First off, congratulations on making your way into the Big Uns countdown on SiriusXM Octane! Being a newer artist, that must feel incredible. How does it feel to be experiencing this sudden fame, and to get such a positive reaction to “Warship”?
Melissa Burnos [BURNOS]: Thank you so much! We are absolutely thrilled about making the SiriusXM Octane Big Uns Countdown, thanks to the support we‘ve received from SXM Octane and the fans. It feels fantastic to have such a positive reaction to BURNOS and our latest single “WarShip!” We’ve worked very hard to create our music and get it out to fans, and it’s very rewarding to see it resonating so well with people.
AW: What fueled your decision to quit being an NFL cheerleader and get into a career in music? Did you always have a musical background growing up, or was there something that one day made you realize this was your true calling?
Melissa Burnos [BURNOS]: I’ve been singing since I was a baby. I even did some singing as a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader. I’ve also been writing poetry for as long as I can remember and I naturally transitioned to songwriting. Singing and performing has been a passion of mine forever, and when I saw an opportunity to pursue a music career, I seized it and ran with it!
AW: Now that you’ve switched careers, what would you say is the hardest thing about being in the music industry? Do you find this tougher than your previous work?
Melissa Burnos [BURNOS]: To be successful in any career, it requires dedication, skill, and perseverance. The music business requires all of those things, not the least of which is perseverance! Regardless of what struggles or rejections you face in this business, you have to keep putting one foot in front of the other and never EVER give up.
AW: I read that you have a B.A. in English Literature, that’s awesome! Given your background in literature, where would you say you get your ideas and inspiration from when writing the lyrics to your songs?
Melissa Burnos [BURNOS]: Most of my lyrics are inspired by my life experiences.
AW: Your list of influences are pretty diverse, ranging from Alice in Chains to Led Zeppelin to Heart, among others. Are there any musical influences that your fans may surprised to know about?
Melissa Burnos [BURNOS]: Well, I do like traditional international rhythms and beats.
AW: What’s the writing process like on the upcoming debut record? Is the album near completion and do you have a title or release date for the record in mind just yet?
MB: The writing process has been so smooth. The guys and I really “gel” together creatively and we write very quickly. Working with Eric Friedman, Garrett Whitlock and Michael “Elvis” Baskette is really great. We all bring a unique piece of the puzzle to the table to create BURNOS’ songs. We pretty much have the album complete and are just waiting for a green light on release dates.
AW: Finally with your latest single burning up the charts, where do you hope to see yourself in the year ahead and what are your plans for 2014?
MB: I look forward to WarShip climbing even higher and continuing to reach more fans. We’ll be dropping more material soon. We are so excited about the BURNOS material and can’t wait for everyone to hear what we’ve been cooking up. We think it rocks! We’ve performed quite a bit of it live and we have gotten an incredible response. I also look forward to doing some more shows this year!
