How Tré Melvin redefined himself ahead upcoming album, 'amphetamine'

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PHILADELPHIA - Tré Melvin has brought millions of people together through his comedic projects, talented vision and voice. It only makes sense that he will celebrate his 14-year anniversary of content creation in October, with a new album titled, "amphetamine."

FOX 29’s Kamryn Scrivens had the pleasure of speaking with the multifaceted artist in a refreshing conversation that brought both nostalgia and excitement for the future.

Tré Melvin makes a big move

After living in Los Angeles for years, Tré decided to move to Atlanta earlier this year on a whim, and he says it was a life-changing decision.

"I just moved to Atlanta on a whim a month ago and the energy that I've felt here from the people…it's indescribable," said Melvin. "Atlanta really knows how to remind me of my worth and my value and my impact within the digital space, just within people's lives in general. And it makes me feel even greater."

"I'm grateful for my gifts. I'm, grateful, honestly, truly for my gift. But it's interesting, at almost 33 now, to be navigating this space where I'm trying to figure out how to not do it by myself. One of the major reasons why I decided to make the move here to Atlanta is because there's a sense of community and a sense a respect that I feel here that I haven't felt a single day in the 10 years that I was in Los Angeles. And I love Los Angeles. I'll be back for work, but it's nice to be navigating a space outside of it with like-minded people, people who are just as talented as me, people even more talented than me, and learn how to let go of control, how to let go some of the reins, let somebody else write, let somebody edit, let somebody else produce. I'm very grateful, you know, to be able to do all of it, but I'm learning the importance of building a community, building a world. It's difficult releasing that control, but it's beautiful, and it's necessary," he said.

Tré, the child

Scrivens: I feel like you take "multi-talented" to a whole other level. I mean, writer, actor, singer, comedian, producer. Have you always known that you were destined for this greatness?

Melvin: Yes. Honestly, I grew up on stage. I grew up in front of the camera, I grew up behind the camera. I began acting professionally at 12. I got my first agent at 12, and I started doing commercial work. But even before the commercial work, I grew with my camera in my hand and writing. My scripts, my plays, my books. I got my first play published, I think, when I was 12, too. Like, literally published when I was freaking 12.

Despite Tré making successful strides in the entertainment industry at his tween age, he missed out on some of the experiences his peers had.

"A lot of television and films that my friends will bring up that most of them saw, I didn't, because I always say that I was busy making films and making TV to actually sit down and watch. Granted, I did. I did watch a lot," he said jokingly, "But it's a lot that I haven't seen because I was so busy. Literally day in and day out, just creating my own stuff. I've been doing all of it since birth."

Though recent conversations have shed light on the negative experiences that many child stars have faced, Tré says he was fortunate to avoid that.

"I can't speak on anyone's individual experiences. Obviously, I empathize with everyone. I was fortunate, I believe, to build my route in Ohio," said the Dayton native. "Most of the work that I grew up doing was, you know, throughout Ohio, just throughout the Midwest. I feel very fortunate to have been able to build a base where I built it. And once I got older, and I was able to move on to Los Angeles and navigate it with a greater sense of agency than I would have had when I was so young."

Tré, the adult

From paid commercials, Dasani sweepstakes, and published plays, Tré Melvin continued to build his creativity and, eventually, he was discovered by the masses on YouTube.

However, what happens when you build your entire brand around yourself for 14 years straight? How do you separate Watermelondrea, Grandpa Leroy, etc. from the real 33-year-old Tré Melvin?

"When you think about, you know, Tré Melvin in the early digital days, you knew you could catch Tré Melvin every Friday. Now, you might catch Tré Melvin every fifth Friday. I'm constantly trying to figure out how to best prioritize my mental and not allow my personal life to bleed over into my work. It's an interesting thing," said Melvin. "It was a really difficult thing. Separating the work from the personal. Because I've been doing it myself, and I've been in the spotlight on social media. The ever-changing landscape where we're stepping into a space where it's bigger than me. It's bigger than turning on the camera and doing, saying X, Y, Z, or writing X, Y, Z, producing, giving the world X, Y, Z. I've been building a community with these people for 14 years. And earlier in my career, the digital. I blurred the lines between the people that I'm creating for and my family. The lines were just blurred. The boundaries were blurred between family and the people that actually know nothing about me."

Upcoming album

With lines being blurred and people not truly getting a sense of who he is today, it's only right that he tells you his story with his upcoming sophomore album, ‘amphetamine.'

"Amphetamine," which drops on October 28 (Tré's birthday), "delves into the internal conflict between survival and self-acceptance. The title "amphetamine" refers to a class of stimulants used in the treatment of ADHD, and in many ways, this record is my attempt to treat myself — mentally, emotionally, and spiritually."

The album is set to give a true raw and authentic look inside the mind and journey of his life.

Fans who grew up watching Tré on a weekly basis will now hear a completely different, evolved person. A person who has grown through the mental battles of doing things alone.

Scrivens: What is something that you wish someone would have told you way back when?

Melvin: Something I wish I listened to was, again, the value of understanding the value of community. I keep bringing it back to community and wolf pack. Building your wolf pack, finding your tribe. I've just been so used to doing it by myself, and I've quite enjoyed doing it by myself, but it has not served me the way that I thought it did. I enjoy learning that it is bigger than me and navigating Los Angeles for 10 years, I truly had no idea, honestly, like the value of a wolf pack. Tyler Perry has his wolf pack, Shonda Rhimes has her wolf pack. Quinta Brunson has her wolf pack. I'm coming up in a space thinking that these people are essentially doing it by themselves, you know, because there's so much that they do do by themselves. But there is always a team of people behind them. It's impossible to do everything alone.

What is Brandsonia?

"Brandsonia is a marketing agency I founded alongside three incredible friends and now colleagues of mine, people of color. The four of us all have a background in marketing and in sales. And we all are of very distinct backgrounds," Tré explained. "Speaking of community, it's very beautiful, I feel like for the first time, I'm learning what it's like to delegate. There's so many things on a business level, on a professional level, on a personal level that I'm learning about myself working with them. But the four of us are very passionate about diversity. Diversity and uplifting Black voices within the media and within marketing. Because if we don't do it, who will?," said the star.

"Me, for example, I've come up, you know, 14 years in the digital space. I have partnered with no lie, 500-plus brands around the world. I wish that I had someone who looked like me in these rooms fighting for me, fighting for artists and careers like me," he continued.

What is Roach University?

Watermelondrea is not Watermelondrea anymore.

She is all grown up now and shall be referred to as Dr. Dinkleberry.

Dr. Dinkleberry has moved to Roach View into a mansion with her rich husband!

She works at Roach University, where she is the sole professor and school dean.

"Roach University has been like an ongoing joke within my fan base for a minute now. Because at one point she wasn't just the professor. At one point, she was a student at Roach U. And I never began feeding into the joke until recently…now Roach University is an actual thing."

RU is a real online learning platform where people can learn many subjects, from spirituality to financial literacy, taught by the one and only Dr. Drea Dinkleberry.

"It's all curated by me and by Drea for now. But further down the line. I look forward to bringing on other professionals to teach their own courses."