Upon finishing his first year at the University of Wisconsin in 2016, Melvin dropped out to pursue music full time. Before completing his second semester, however, he went on his first tour with Big Gigantic and Louis The Child, culminating with a solo performance at the famed DoLab stage at Coachella. Melvv kept quietly working on his music in the meantime, developing his sound and curating collaborations as he continued to grow artistically. Following the release of singles "Not Me" and "Lifeline" under indie label Majestic Casual, Melvv caught the attention of Atlantic Records, with whom he signed in 2017.