Brandi Carlile-produced teen singer-songwriter Tish Melton delivers 'When We're Older' EP

Buzzworthy Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Tish Melton is 17 going on 34.

She's also able to text Brandi Carlile and Linda Perry about writing piano ballads and guitar-led rock songs that portend the type of talent that could eventually construct anthems that sound like Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell penned them.

Her incredible rise to renown now includes the March 1, 2024, release of her new EP, "When We're Older."

It arrives among many precocious moments in the young artist's life, including bringing herself and her acoustic guitar to a thrashing open-mic night at Los Angeles' famed Troubadour.

Something between that venue's legacy in birthing success for Carole King and Guns 'n Roses is where Melton's future ideally lies.

'Exceptionally passionate' motivations

As COVID-19 settled into 2020, Melton settled into a regular diet of streaming playlists of Taylor Swift and the boygenius trio of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus.

Her parents -- New York Times best-selling author Glennon Doyle and Olympic gold medalist and Women's World Cup-winning soccer legend Abby Wambach -- had already gifted the musically curious artist-to-be with a guitar.

"I expected to be better than average because I always expect myself to be very good at things that I've never tried before -- but, instead it ended up in tears and my fingers were hurting badly."

Online lessons progressed quickly.

"Exceptionally passionate people who succeed because of luck and hard work have inspired a [purpose-driven] mindset for me," Melton adds.

From her parents' bestsellers and gold medals to boygenius' Grammy wins and selling out Madison Square Garden, Melton is inspired by an infinite potential for her artistry even before her debut EP hits the streets.

'When We're Older'

Her potential success will be inspired by tracks like "Damage," "The Chase" and "Michelle," which are drenched in an honest, simply-stated melancholia that, when blended with modern-era alt-pop stylings, arrives at "true and universally relatable" songs that aim to hit listeners "in the chest" with "powerful" emotions.

A press statement identifies themes including growing up, leaving childhood behind, and exploring teenage friendships and relationships as being influenced by these inspirations.

"Teenage crushes are almost apocalyptic," says Melton about writing "The Chase."

"You still call yourself a blond / you got a thing for holding on / but you let go of you when you let go of me / and your hair's been brown since you were 13," she sings on the angsty yet humorous rocker.

"Adults have lived long enough to know that sometimes life doesn't work out the way you want it to and that everything will be okay -- speaking for myself and people my age, we still don't always understand that."

For "When We're Older," those emotions are produced by Americana-beloved rock star Carlile. In the past half-decade, her Grammy-winning acclaim has intersected with reviving Joni Mitchell's influence, revealing Tanya Tucker's rugged outlaw wanderlust, inspiring Brandy Clark's poignant introspection and diving into her retro-fitted inspirations.

On "Sober," the immediate trust between the artist and the producer yielded Melton being able to convey how she envisioned a track to Carlile and as a producer, the Grammy-winner did very little to adulterate the vision of a creator 25 years her junior.

On the song's outro, Melton reads a book of Leonard Cohen's poetry in Carlile's Seattle studio. while Carlile responds with lyrics by Mitchell.

It is an inspirational cosign for the young artist to continue her uniquely creative path.

That journey includes her cognizance of humans' capacity to fail each other empathetically, allowing her songwriting process to assume the weight of unflinchingly honest and wisened levels of understanding.

Carlile (and her friends') influence

As a producer, Carlile's greatest role on the record has very little to do with how the records sound.

Instead, it's in deconstructing and evolving Melton's confidence from appealing to the four walls of her bedroom and gaining appreciation from her friends and family to something commercially viable that resonates on concert and festival stages.

"Tish is so young and so brilliant. I [excitedly taught her] that all the 'new sounds' [she] was into were actually the sounds of my city (Seattle) when I was exactly her age," states Carlile in a press statement.

"Legends like Brandi and Linda [Perry] taking my work seriously has allowed me to already stand on the shoulders of motivated and supportive artists and established musicians who have created a community based around the best parts of the music industry," says a grateful Melton.

Her perspective on her career-to-come -- like her view of teenage heartbreak -- arrives with equal levels of overwhelming fear and unwavering excitement.

"I have no clue what I'm doing or if I'm supposed to be here -- but I'm going to keep doing this anyway. I think it's going to end up okay."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tish Melton delivers 'When We're Older' with help from Brandi Carlile