Moon songwriter handles all aspects of her 3rd album, out Aug. 30

When Maleena Dominick released her debut record, 2020’s “Bruises to Prove It,” she was about to graduate from Moon Area High School and was fresh off the heels of winning a national songwriting competition.

Over the past four years, Dominick, 22, began to take some more creative control over the recording process. Her second album, 2022’s “Diary of Music School Drop Out,” saw her playing all of the instruments, but her father, Chip & the Charge-Ups frontman Chip Dominick, helped her with recording.

Her latest record, “For the Love of Everything Beautiful,” is 100% Dominick on instruments, vocals, songwriting and production. It was released Aug. 30 on all major digital music platforms.

Dominick spoke with TribLive about the new record and growing as a musician and songwriter. This interview is edited for length.

Q: How long have you been working on the songs that are part of the new record?

A: The first song that I wrote for this album was “Red Flags,” which I started writing in June of 2022 shortly after my last album had been released. All of these songs — aside from the one Hanson cover — are brand-new songs I’ve written within the last 24 months.

Q: Is there an overall theme to the album?

A: This album is a testament to music’s power as a companion through life’s trials—whether navigating the turbulence of relationships, struggles with mental health, or simply enduring the growing pains of life. It was created from experience with my own struggles and victories. It celebrates how music has always been there through life’s tough moments and offered something uplifting and healing, in times I needed it the most.

Q: What is your favorite song on the record?

A: It is so difficult for me to be able to pick a favorite track! If I have to choose one song to be a favorite, it would have to be “Not That Kinda Love Song.” My intention was to make a song that makes you feel like dancing. The song is very groovy and features the most fun bass line I have written. It also features the one and only part of this album that I did not play myself — the saxophone track. My good friend Brad Yoder played the saxophone, and he will be performing a set at my album release show. The saxophone was not only the final touch to perfect this song, but the final touch to perfect the album as a whole.

Q: What was the most difficult song to write?

A: The most difficult song to write by far was the title track. It was my most ambitious composition and recording process to date. It began with just a poem that I had written. I wanted to create an epic composition that gradually shifts from a slower pace and a minor key, to an upbeat and major key. Being able to successfully compose a piece with significant key changes, tempo changes, different time signatures and many other complex musical factors, is an accomplishment that I am extremely proud of.

Q: What got you interested in covering a song by Hanson?

A: Hanson has been my favorite band and my biggest musical inspiration since I was about 9 years old. How I ended up being a Hanson fan in the generation that I am in is a mystery to many people. As much as I love “MMMBop,” the music that Hanson has created since becoming an independent band has been my biggest inspiration. Their 2004 album, “Underneath,” features incredible lyricism, which has inspired me to challenge my own lyrical abilities.

Q: What do you hope listeners will take away from the new album?

A: My hope is that my listeners will have a better understanding of what music means to me. This album is an extremely personal journey, and I crafted and organized it in a way that expresses the strength music gives me through any situation I find myself in.

Q: How has your sound changed since your debut record nearly four years ago?

A: My sound has evolved a lot since my debut album, but I would not say that it has changed. My debut album is a singer-songwriter album with a lot of pop elements, and my current album is very similar. However, my musical style has evolved to be more complex, and intentional … I also studied the role of each instrument in a song so that I can craft each part more accurately. When I wrote my debut album I played bass and acoustic guitar and I sang. Now, I play bass, acoustic and electric guitar, piano, drums, and sing. This album is much more of an intentional musical composition, whereas my debut album was simply a collection of songs I had written.

For more, see MusicByMaleena.com.