After completing studies at the Caribbean Maritime University in marine and nautical studies, producer Melio Sounds had no idea that he would one day end up working with rapper Nicki Minaj.

Melio Sounds, along with German producer Bas Beats, are credited as producers on Forward From Trini, track number 14 from Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday 2 album.

Pink Friday 2 was released to much fanfare on social media last Friday, and Melio Sounds is ecstatic at the reception to Forward From Trini, which features dancehall artistes Skillibeng and Skeng.

The album also features collaborations with rappers Future, J Cole, Lil Uzi Vert, Dreake, and gospel artiste Tasha Cobbs Leonard.

Another track included on Pink Friday 2, Just the Memories, contains an interpolation from Beenie Man’s 1995 hit Stop Live Inna De Pass.

“To me, this is not just a usual release, the world has been waiting on this body of work from Nicki for about five years. So to make it on to an album done by the greatest female rapper of all time is not a small thing. I am seeing all the congratulatory posts being put up, I am keeping calm because I’m really anticipating the first week numbers,” Melio Sounds disclosed in an interview with the Jamaica Observer on the weekend.

Melio Sounds had previously worked work on the Likkle Miss (remix) by Skeng featuring Minaj.

“All of this started when Bas and I did the Likkle Miss remix with Nicki Minaj X Skeng and that banner was still being flown high. Just a few days after the release of Queen Radio Volume 1 Bas Beats sent me an MP3 to do some additional production, where I then went ahead and sampled the intro of an instrumental originally produced by Dave Kelly. I sometimes post screen recordings of the rough MP3s, but this particular post was a collaborative post on both of our (Bas and mine) pages. Nicki was already following me on Instagram from when we did that first remix. About an hour after the post was up, Nicki then commented with various emoji’s and requested that I send her the track. In the afternoon that very same day she sent me a DM saying she actually wanted this beat for her album. I sent it to her, and the rest is history,” said Melio Sounds.

He added: “I am grateful for the opportunity. Droptop is really the producer who met with her in person about the beat. Hopefully in the future we will get to collaborate live in the studio.”

As it relates to the finished product (Forward from Trini), Melio Sounds said all three acts brought their A-game to the recording.

“I believe everyone stayed true to themselves, just as how you would listen to Skeng or Skillibeng on their usual releases, it’s their own unique style of executing records. Skeng went all out to be honest. Skilli a bit more reserved and relaxed to calm and slow things down a bit in the mix of things and Nicki as usual bridging the gap between dancehall and New York rap by momentarily switching between her usual American accent and the Jamaican patois,” Melio Sounds disclosed.

The 29-year-old Melio Sounds (real name Emelio Lynch) grew up in the Seaview Gardens area.

“I got into music via mere curiosity. When my parents were gone to work or on the road I would switch the radio dial from the gospel station they left it on to ZIP 103. I would always wonder to myself: ‘This music the ZJ’s are playing, how did they get it?’

“At this time Notnice Records and Di Genius had dancehall in a serious chokehold or, as Nicki would say, ‘Them n*as was gagging the dancehall space with hits. So, after that, I did a little research on the first laptop my mother brought into the house and discovered the only DAW (Digital Audio Workstation), which I still use up to this very day; FL STUDIO (version 10 at the time) affectionately known at the time as ‘Fruity loops’, that’s where I started my journey. It took me a good 4 years to figure it out and really work my way into it with the help of YouTube tutorials,” Melio Sounds recalled.

A past student of Jamaica College, he explained the meaning behind the pseudonym Melio Sounds.

“I came up with the name Melio Sounds because I didn’t want my producer name to sound like everyone else’s. At the time of me getting started a lot of record producers had ‘on the beat’ at the end of their name. And I believe that trend would phase out and wouldn’t be a thing in the next 10 years.”

Owna Lane by Teejay, Rebel by Shenseea, Call Me If by Dexta Daps, Torpedo by Skillibeng, and Then You and Me by Vybz Kartel are some of the popular songs with which Melio Sounds has been associated.

Asked what he brings to the area of music production, Melio Sounds said: “Hits. I know what feels and sounds good before vocals are laid. So you can say I have very good ears. Sonically, I prefer major keys over minor sounding keys, so I mostly dish out happy music. Putting good rhythms and music aside, I am also very good at finding and developing young talents that no one knows and giving them a platform to showcase their talent with my aid or proper direction. So, with that said, most of my efforts are collaborative efforts, both directly and indirectly.”

Musically, what are his long-term goals and objectives?

“To just keep going; you can’t predict music or where or how far it will take you. I just want to keep doing the best music that I can and representing for my culture, dancehall, and music overall,” said Melio Sounds.