To blaze it up with Melody Kush, is to inhale a hybrid strain of camming and clips, soaring high on harmonious seduction. And in her emerald Mary Jane eyes, a Tangerine Dream of cannabis-infused wonders unfolds, the rainforest greenery lit with fiery Northern Lights.
She is every delectable flavor of Purple, Blackberry, Lemon, Mango and Banana Kush, taking viewers to Candyland like a Ghost Train Haze fueled by NYC Diesel.
Make friends in the industry. Keep a schedule. Create. Collaborate. Go to expos. Share yourself, but be firm on boundaries. Invest in equipment. Be involved and stay apprised of things going on around you in the community. Adaptation is key.
And the insatiable hunger she inspires can only be sated by Animal Cookies, Lamb’s Bread and Cotton Candy … anything to keep chewing on that Sunset Sherbet and Bubble Gum bliss. That is because Kush is God’s Gift to her loyal fans, sticking to their Grape Ape memories like Gorilla Glue. Not to mention, the thrill of her colorful Fruity Pebbles has more radioactive force than Chernobyl.
Even after her Pineapple Express of Cherry Pie lust explodes in a glorious Train wreck from the Alaskan Thunder Fuck she wields on cam, Kush keeps on coming with AK-47 kapow! She is the White Widow, the Platinum OG and the Critical Mass needed to find the Holy Grail, inviting every Mr. Nice, Red Headed Stranger, Jack Herer and Space Queen to dine on her Plushberry delights.
With the generosity of a Pez dispensary, Kush drops a 9 Pound Hammer that rocks like AC/DC, and those addictive melodies flood the Dance hall with more Kali Mist than Skywalker can cut through with a Death Star.
To get our dab on with such a dank flower, XBIZ took a deep puff of Kush, in the heady glass of this exclusive Cam Star of the Month interview.
XBIZ: How did you get into camming?
Kush: Camming, in the beginning, was a way for me to meet new people, exercise my creative side and build a foundation in the adult industry. By the time I started camming full-time in 2012, I had already dabbled in adult modeling for nearly seven years. In those last two years, I moved on to write a personal erotic blog where my following truly began.
When I entered the cam world, the big dream was to have my own website, where I could continue to share my life, my content and myself. At first, camming was more of a means to an end, but my cam career quickly developed and I found a second home on Chaturbate. I still cam there to this day, and I also now have a successful website that had its first anniversary on May 31.
XBIZ: What is the “Melody Kush” brand, in a nutshell?
Kush: “Melody Kush” basically translates to “Music” and “Mary Jane” — that’s pretty much me in a nutshell, haha. If you know me, you know I’m a laid back, old soul. Beyond that, I think my brand comes off as very friendly, happy, knowledgeable, artistic, energetic, colorful, feminine … all qualities that I embody, and that I try to bring out in my work and in my social media presence.
XBIZ: Which lessons from your earliest cam model days have proven most useful in upping your game?
Kush: Three things come to mind. The first … self-care is so important. I used to often find myself working like a maniac until I completely burned out, after which I’d be useless for days. The key to a balanced self-employed/cam life starts with recognizing when you need to take a break so you can continue to be productive.
Secondly, go out there and create! Have your camera around at all times and document your life. You’d be surprised how many cool pieces of content you can create when you least expect it, so just start clicking away!
Lastly, do you! The more honest your work is, the brighter it will shine. Learn what you need to do (techniques, software, etc.) to work 100 percent independently — and never put yourself in a situation where you’re not in full control. You will make mistakes along the way, but true growth is a mistake in disguise.
XBIZ: Describe your social media strategy.
Kush: We could talk all day about strategy because there’s no “one” way to promote yourself, but I firmly believe in responding to as many people as possible on social media, even if it’s just to “like” the responses to your posts/work. Being friendly goes a long way.
I try to hone in on what time my followers are most active, and make quality posts at that time. I always post unique content across all platforms, as each one demands a different style.
Lately I’ve been trying to discipline myself to only use high quality images on Twitter and Instagram, trying to avoid the dreaded fuzzy front camera phone selfie when I can, haha (but I’m totally guilty).
I also try to use my platforms to spread awareness about on-brand/industry issues. As a community it’s important for us to share information with each other, a good example being the impact of the recently passed SESTA/FOSTA laws. I do my best to use my reach and “powers” for good!
XBIZ: Talk about your official website, MelKush.com. How did it come about and what’s the method to your madness, as far as updating it?
Kush: It was a long road from my first day on cam to the day I finally launched my site. The day I truly started to grow was the day I started planning my future independently — which meant starting over, buying a new domain and building my website on my own.
When I made that decision I lost almost everything, including all the professional content I had shot for five-plus years — it was difficult, but I was determined! I applied myself for several months working long ridiculous hours, researching, learning to self shoot, self edit and build my website, piece by piece.
Now that I’m up and running, I do my best to post photo blogs several times a week between photo/video updates, with a blend of new stuff and candid content I’ve been hoarding over the years. I also recently started doing travel vlogs, which has been super fun!
I particularly love taking/editing photo content, so really I do it for myself, and I feel like my passion can be seen in my work. Every update, I learn something new, whether it’s a new shooting technique, or a new way to edit something — learning is what keeps me motivated and allows me to level up.
XBIZ: Who are your best cam model buddies that provide invaluable personal and/or professional support?
Kush: I have a special place in my heart for Lena Spanks. She is so adorable and just an all around sweet human being, proud to call her my girl. Jenny Blighe is someone I admire for her insane work ethic — her hustle game is on point! Not to mention she’s awesome, and her content is fire!
Ryan Bread is a model that inspires me everyday. She may not know it, but she and Lucy Goose helped me out of a big slump I was in about 18 months ago. I was mentally, physically and emotionally distraught, but just by being themselves and by small things they said or did, it really helped me snap out of it and come into my own. Reading this may come as a surprise to them both, haha, but sometimes the smallest things can have the biggest impact.
XBIZ: What other revenue streams do you pursue, outside of camming?
Kush: Other than camming and subscriptions to my website, I still sell individual clips — mainly on ManyVids! Clip sites help increase visibility to my website, and people can get a small taste of my content before signing up!
Although those three things are my main sources of income, I also sell merchandise like garments and prints. I even did 2018 calendars this year! I’ve made Mel Kush puzzles before, and as a poker player I hope to create decks of MK cards in the future! I am also learning to use tubes sites to my advantage; I am part of the model program on PornHub, so that’s a new adventure for me, and it’s starting to pay off.
XBIZ: Tell us what it’s like being such a key player for XBIZ Miami, going on two years now.
Kush: I’m thrilled to be so involved! The XBIZ family has been so welcoming and eager to hear about the cam world. They recognized that it was virtually untapped when it comes to adult (non fan-based) business conferences!
With the Miami summit, we have somewhere that really brings us together to share our knowledge and experiences, unlike anything we’ve seen before. With the XBIZ Cam Awards, it’s great that we finally have somewhere for our hard work to be recognized by a powerhouse adult media entity, with a ceremony entirely for the cam world rather than just a category or two.
I appreciate their dedication to wanting to share behind-the-scenes business practices with us, and share our community with the world. Between XBIZ and Chaturbate, I am so lucky and grateful to have had so many amazing opportunities with amazing people!
XBIZ: Any advice for aspiring cam models?
Kush: If you’re going to get in the sex industry today (in any capacity really), you have to be prepared to work … hard. It is an increasingly competitive industry, and there seems to be a misconception that camming is “easy money.” It’s quite the opposite, but it really is all about what you make it.
Make friends in the industry. Keep a schedule. Create. Collaborate. Go to expos. Share yourself, but be firm on boundaries. Invest in equipment. Be involved and stay apprised of things going on around you in the community. Adaptation is key.
The cam world is very different today than it was two, five or 10 years ago. Be prepared to fight the stigma alongside your fellow sex workers and understand the impacts it may have on your life, or your future.
It took me seven years since my first day naked on the internet to make the decision to leave my nine-to-five job and commit to developing my future in sex work. By the time I took the plunge, I was 100 percent sure of what I wanted. Be that sure of yourself before you do.
XBIZ: What are your future ambitions for 2018 and beyond?
Kush: The ultimate goal for me as an adult entertainer, and my goal since day one, is to thrive financially purely off MelKush.com. I create opportunity everywhere I can and have a few projects in the works, but in the meantime I’m just trying to absorb as much knowledge and develop as many skills as possible to prepare me for whatever comes my way.
