Marloma Talks Learning to Stop Writing in Isolation and Trust the Chaos

Marloma used to write alone. Locked away with a piano or guitar, wouldn’t present anything until it met exacting standards, followed strict release timelines and marketing strategies. Everything controlled, everything polished before anyone else could hear it. Then came John Curtis-Sanchez, a guitarist and audio engineer whose approach is the complete opposite. He tries everything, isn’t afraid of vulnerability or imperfection in the early stages, lets happy accidents happen before worrying about polish.

It shifted everything. The songs she wrote still came from that place of isolation and perfectionism, but John’s production approach brought something different to the arrangements. Happy accidents in the studio, experimental choices she wouldn’t have made alone. Her songwriting instincts combined with his production sensibility created something neither could have done separately.

That’s essentially the story of Marloma, the Phoenix-based Sad Girl Indie-Pop Rock band that’s gone from a bedroom project to a full collaborative force involving 100 local creatives on their upcoming concept EP. With over 30k+ Instagram followers and a growing reputation across Arizona venues like The Marquee and Crescent Ballroom, Marloma isn’t just one person anymore. The band now includes guitarist and producer John Curtis-Sanchez, bassist and vocalist Kalleigh Gibson, keys player and backup singer Cassidy Brooke, and drummer Angelita Mia Ponce. Together, they’re making music for young women who feel too much and need to hear they’re not alone in it.

You’ve written nearly 300 songs. Take us back to the specific moment when you knew this was what you were going to do.

I have always known I loved writing songs and singing, but the pivotal moment in my life where I decided it was worth pursuing as a career path was when I was 14 years old. My friend of the same age was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and tragically passed away.

It happened so fast, I still feel completely devastated that she is no longer here to make me laugh. I tried to process my grief the way I process all of my feelings, through songwriting. My mom heard me playing the tribute I wrote and asked to share it.

When my friend’s mom heard it, she asked me to perform it at my friend’s celebration of life. I remember feeling the weight in the air as I walked up to the front and began singing her song. It felt like the one moment that wasn’t absolutely dreadful because I felt that I truly made a connection. Not just with every attendee, but with her.

I was thanking her and making a promise to keep her memory alive and in that moment I kind of really felt like she understood. I don’t know what I believe in terms of anything spiritual but I know what I felt in that moment.

So I decided that even if I wasn’t a doctor or a lawyer, creating art was an important job and I wanted to be one of the people to do it. In fact, the reason that the Marloma brand is so heavily associated with the color green is to honor her. Green is her favorite color and the color of her eyes, which I liked to call her “emerald eyes.”

If someone’s never heard your music before, how would you describe what you do and what you hope they take from it?

I would describe my music as “Sad Girl Indie-Pop Rock” because it comes from a place of deep vulnerability and I think women might resonate with it the most. I truly hope that when people listen to my music they feel validated in any harsh emotions they may try to hide. I want them to really feel the words, which is why I implement prosody in my music. Essentially, I make the melodies match any words that could describe a melody. For example, if I say the word “high” I would make the melody go higher in pitch so that it subconsciously resonates with the listener.

Walk us through how you actually create. Where does it happen? What does the process look like from the first spark to the finished product?

For me, melody lines and lyrics have always come at the same time so I never have to worry about adding music to my lyrics or vice versa in post. Most times I’m home alone and I begin to play a chord progression on an instrument like a piano or guitar. Then, the rhythms and rhymes just kind of happen. Although lately inspiration has been striking me in the car. I have a complete library of single lyrics sung in my voice memos app accompanied by the sound of wind whooshing past my car windows and grainy noise from the air conditioner.

I have to capture it in the moment so I can mold and shape the idea when I’m home in front of my instruments. I never sit down with an idea or situation or feeling in mind when I write a song. In fact, I rarely am aware enough to understand what’s going on in my own head until I listen back to my completed song. That’s when I understand what feelings and tones I’ve been hiding from myself. Songwriting is truly therapeutic.

What’s something you had to figure out the hard way?

I had to learn that some people just aren’t going to take me seriously because I’m a woman in the music industry. And as a matter of fact, if they do, I probably have to earn that respect by doing twice as much as they’d expect. Talent won’t really get you anywhere if you’re not also constantly working on building your audience, honing your skills, educating yourself and making sacrifices. I’m happy to do all of those things, but it does feel like I’m often underestimated regardless.

What are you working on right now that you’re excited about?

I just released my heaviest rock song to date on January 1st, called “Win.” This song serves as the embodiment of female rage and revenge fantasy, so I’m very excited about the music video that’s in its final stages to accompany this song. I really put my trauma on display in this video and it was honestly pretty hard to film and relive but I couldn’t be more proud of how it turned out and the message it gets across. I won’t say too much on the plot but I will say that it is the darkest visual story I’ve ever experimented with and the thesis is that our vulnerability connects and empowers us as women.

The band is also working on a concept EP that’s been in development for five years, a cautionary tale about addiction wrapped in a love letter to Arizona’s creative community. It involves animated music videos, character vocalists, extended comic book lore, and a release show that’ll include instrument raffles and theatrical elements. It’s the kind of project that takes 100 local creatives to pull off, and it’s all building toward a show that’ll rival anything Marloma’s done before.

What started as writing alone in a room, perfecting every detail before anyone could hear it, has turned into something bigger than one person could have created. Each band member brings something different. John’s Punk-Rock guitar, Kalleigh’s Country-influenced bass lines, Angelita’s Latin and R&B drumming, all mixing with alternative-pop sensibility into something that doesn’t fit neatly into any single genre. It’s a “total genre melting pot,” and it works. It’s what happens when you stop trying to control everything and let other people’s strengths shape the sound. The songs that come out of that process, the ones with the happy accidents left in, those are the ones that end up connecting.

Marloma’s music is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and SoundCloud. For more information, visit marloma.org and follow the band on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Upcoming show dates are available on Bandsintown.