Rock Star Life For West Orange Musician Isn't What You’d Think

WEST ORANGE, NJ — So much for the rock star life.

For West Orange High School alum Melody Ector, the usual routine following a show with Mikaela Straus, also known as “King Princess,” was a bit more anti-climactic than Hollywood would lead you to believe about the music biz.

“We toured all last year while I was finishing up my senior year [at the University of Southern California], so at one point it was really hard,” Ector recently told WOHS administrators.

Often, the keyboardist would finish a concert and return to the tour bus to grind through some homework or write a paper for one of her classes.

“You get used to being on a plane four times a week,” the class of 2015 graduate said. “Traveling just becomes second nature after you do it for a while.”

Ector would know. After meeting and befriending King Princess’ bandleader at the USC’s pop program, Ector has accompanied her new companion to gigs throughout the United States, as well as Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Dublin, Glastonbury, London, Amsterdam, Berlin and Paris.

The band has also played popular music festivals such as Coachella, Gov Ball, Glastonbury and Boston Calling.

Although Ector is currently living in Los Angeles as she works on her burgeoning career, the music-maker’s West Orange roots run deep. Her family still calls the Essex County town home, as does her sister, Mikaili, another rising musician who is entering her junior year at West Orange High School.

Read Ector’s 2018 blog about why she plays music.

Ector showed promise from her early years at WOHS, where she honed her chops with the aid of fine arts teacher William Farley while accompanying the school choir. Her teachers encouraged the budding musician, awarding her a faculty scholarship to attend the University of Southern California.

There, she gained a healthy appreciation for some of the classics of rock, studying the theory that powered the instruments of legends such as Muddy Waters, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Khan, Led Zeppelin, the Beatles and Earth, Wind and Fire.

“I got heavily invested in learning about synths, playing parts, and figuring out the best way to execute them in a band,” Ector said.

During her sophomore year, Ector met freshman Mikaela Straus, who kicked off an instant friendship. When Straus signed with Mark Ronson’s Zelig record label, she asked Ector to play keyboards in her band.

From there, things took off quickly. King Princess has been touring regularly since the 2018 debut of their first single, “1950.”

And that’s how you end up doing homework on an airplane with rock stars.

For the time being, Ector plans to continue touring with King Princess and other bands that need keyboardists. She also plays with a band she started, “Mother,” an all-girl outfit with musical influences ranging from rock to jazz.

Ultimately, the dream is to become a musical director for a house band on TV shows like “Dancing with the Stars” or “Saturday Night Live,” she said.

But for now, the excitement of playing in front of thousands of people is enough to keep her in the zone.

“Performing in these large venues and festivals is like a giant high,” Ector said. “I don’t get nervous, I get really anxious to go on stage… the anticipation before the show kills me.”

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