Moon teen's debut record will be released Friday

After winning a national songwriting competition for a Colorado nonprofit, Moon singer-songwriter Maleena Dominick is preparing to release her first record, “Bruises to Prove It,” on July 31.

Dominick, 18, a Moon Area High School graduate this year, said writing the album was an emotional process, and a conversation with her mother helped cement its title.

“I knew that I wanted the album to be called something related to my experiences that led to its completion. When my mom said, ‘bruises to prove it,’ that clicked in my head and I knew it was the perfect way to represent my emotions on the album.”

The record’s six tunes range from the plaintive pop of “Homesick” (“Yeah you got me homesick, homesick/But I don’t know where home is, home is/I will travel the whole world around/But sometimes things are lost and never found”) to the Eastern-leaning melody of “Something More.”

Dominick is releasing her album at a time when it will be nearly impossible to schedule shows to promote it during the covid-19 pandemic.

“I started this journey of making an album in 2018, and I set a goal to have it released on July 31, 2020,” she said. “Right now, many artists have put their careers on pause, but people are needing new things to listen to, and that’s why I wanted to stick to my original plan for releasing the album.”

Dominick spoke with the Trib a few days before the release of her debut record.

Q: You wrote 21 songs in preparation for recording. How did you narrow it down to the six songs that ended up on the album?

A: I started by asking friends, family and trusted musicians to help me select which songs would go on the album. But, ultimately, it was still my decision to make. I had to decide which songs I felt that I put my best effort in musically, as well as which songs I was emotionally the most connected with.

Q: The songs range from lighter, pop-0riented tunes like “I Can’t Find You” to more emotional songs like “Homesick,” but “Something More” really stands out because of the Eastern musical scales that inform the melody. How did you develop that song?

A: I love to get experimental with my music, and I did just that with the song, “Something More.” When I wrote this song, I had just started to experiment with … weird-sounding effects and using it in songs. “Something More” was no exception. I have written other similar songs, like my debut single, “Uninvited,” that have the same style and influence. When I was writing this song, in my comprehensive musicianship class, we were learning about modes and tonality, and I decided that I wanted to experiment with using what I learned in class in my music. I love the tonality, and I am looking forward to writing more songs using similar techniques.

Q: What was the biggest challenge in recording the album?

A: Figuring out how the other instruments would fit in. I’m not a drummer, nor am I a lead guitar player. My dad (Chip Dominick of Chip & the Charge-Ups) and a good friend of ours, Ed Gourley, helped me with the drums and lead parts. It’s difficult to write music for an instrument you can’t play, but with help from my dad and Ed, we worked to find the parts I was looking for.

Q: What are you most excited about when it comes to the record release?

A: I’m just excited for the world to hear what I have been working on the past two years. It’s been a long journey but I’m excited to hear what people have to say about my music.