The following interview took place last June. Unfortunately, Mustard had taken a break from the website at the time (due to the general chaos of life) and did not post it. Mustard has since caught up with Meggie! Meggie would like to share:
“I do not have any new releases coming up now, but I have had one new release since we last spoke. It’s called “Tell Me Summer Never Ends.” Every summer I used to dread going back to school because I felt I’d learned so much during my endless free time alone and with friends, so I wrote this song to honor all those skills we learn when we have plenty of time. I also wanted to remind listeners that we can create moments of “summer”––pockets of time and freedom––even among the busiest months. Recording this song, I kept adding more and more unplanned layers to the background vocals, working well past my original deadline. I’d initially planned on keeping the song small and quiet, but I soon realized the message has a freer, more celebratory spirit. So what began as a self-contained ballad turned into a mellow bop, on the sweeter side of bittersweet.
I’m also running a new series this year where I send an unreleased song to my email list every month in the form of an unlisted YouTube video. If anyone wants to hear these songs, they can email me at meggiemusic131@gmail.com. “
Please enjoy our interview from last year below! 🙂
Meggie, from Connecticut, is an indie pop singer songwriter. She has earned a Girl Scout’s Gold award by being a mentor to young female, transgender, and nonbinary songwriters. Check out our interview below!
1. “If I’ve Seen You for the Last Time” is your latest single. What was the inspiration behind this song?
I wrote “If I’ve Seen You for the Last Time” last spring when the pandemic prematurely ended my senior year of high school. In fact, the writing process spanned just before to just after we heard we wouldn’t be returning for the rest of the school year, so the song turned into a combination of reminiscing and resigning to the situation.
2. You have cited Taylor Swift, Neil Horan, and Olivia Rodrigo as some of your inspirations. What about these artists stand out compared to others?
I’ve been a huge fan of Taylor since I was eight or nine, so she has dramatically shaped the way I write songs, and probably the way I sing and perform too. I can remember pacing in my backyard the summer I was eight, singing “You Belong With Me” because it was stuck in my head. Later, I remember analyzing the melody and thinking about how it was almost the same in the two verses but with little rhythmic differences. Neil Horan and Olivia Rodrigo are much more recent influences, so in some ways I think their music just happens to be similar to how I envision mine. But I love Niall’s production, particularly on his songs with more of a live band sound. I think his acoustic guitars and drums always sound soft and dreamy, even in more upbeat songs. And Olivia Rodrigo’s album is obviously deliciously heart wrenching. I think the common thread between the three of them and most artists who most inspire me is that they all write their own songs. I can’t imagine releasing a song written by someone else because the writing is such a crucial element to me, whether I’m the singer or the listener.
3. Can you recall your first open mic night? Describe that night. How have you grown since?
I played my first open mic when I was fifteen, at a local dive bar. I brought my parents of course, and two of my friends came too, but I was probably the only woman there, and certainly the youngest person. I remember watching the video afterwards and realizing I hadn’t been singing directly into the mic half the time, but it was still a lot of fun. My mom was surprised how confident I looked (even though I was nervous) because I used to be a pretty shy kid, but there I was singing some fictional breakup song in front of a bunch of musicians.
4. How has TikTok helped you as an artist?
TikTok has been a lot of fun. A few posts here and there have spiked my Spotify following, which is always exciting. TikTok has been a great way of finding new people who like my music and showing them who I am as a person, not just as a musician.
5. What is your songwriting process?
Usually, I start with an idea for a general topic or story, which then leads to a lyric or two and maybe a melody or some chords. Then it’s a matter of sitting down and bouncing between sections and refining as I go. Sometimes though, if it’s been more than a week or so since I’ve finished anything, I’ll just set a timer for fifteen or twenty minutes and challenge myself to write an entire song in that time. I never record those songs or play them out, but it’s so important––and fun––to practice songwriting.
6. Mustard wonders if you’ve had New Haven’s famous Frank Pepe Pizza. How would you rank it compared to other pizzas?
I have! And I love it. I’m actually not a picky pizza-eater, but my family always jokes that we rarely eat pizza outside of New Haven because it’ll only disappoint.
7. You earned a Girl Scout’s Gold Award by helping mentor young female, transgender, and nonbinary songwriters. Describe what you do as a mentor.
For that project, I taught one-on-one lessons, like you might for guitar or piano. We’d warm up, do a couple of songwriting exercises, and then maybe work on a song. Outside of the Gold Award project, I also co-led a songwriting club at my high school where we followed basically the same lesson structure but in a group context, and I visited a handful of Girl Scout troops for a songwriting workshop where I led the scouts through writing an entire song together in one hour.
8. Has Connecticut fixed their potholes?
The potholes aren’t this horrific everywhere else? I’m jealous.
9. Since releasing “If I’ve Seen You for the Last Time” have any classmates or teachers reached out to you?
I actually posted an acoustic video soon after writing it, and a bunch of classmates I hadn’t seen since before lockdown left some of the sweetest comments I’ve ever gotten. One person said “you made me cry, but you also made my day.” (That comment made my day!) And then my school ended up featuring the video in our weekly news updates, and a few adults, including my eight grade math teacher, reached out to say they’d been touched by it. I’m always so honored when people take the time to not only listen to one of my songs but also to tell me how it made them feel.
10. What advice would you give to musicians looking to join TikTok?
Follow a bunch of other musicians because you’ll get a sense for the wide, wide range of “MusicianTok” and where you might fit into it. Also, don’t worry too much about the numbers. The TikTok algorithm in particular––more than other social media platforms––works in mysterious ways, so the videos that get the most views might not be the ones resonating the most with your fans. Besides that, just have fun!
11. You get a chance to write a song with Taylor Swift. What is it about?
My stomach flips a little just reading that question. If I ever write a song with Taylor, it’ll be about whatever she wants it to be about.
12. Do you have any plans to release an EP/album?
I have an EP out called “The Clock,” but I would love to release a full-length album at some point. I have lots of songs and lots of album ideas, but I’m trying not to rush it. At the moment, I’m focusing on practicing and writing as much as possible.
13. Does Gilmore Girls accurately represent Connecticut?
Believe it or not, I’ve never seen Gilmore Girls. Should I?
14. Any words of wisdom you would like to share with current or aspiring musicians?
Two things: First of all, practice. People often feel daunted by their own expectations for themselves, so they wait to play guitar until their fingers are stronger, or they wait to write a song until inspiration strikes. Whether it’s an instrument, your voice, or songwriting, you need to practice when it sounds bad. That’s what practice is most of the time, so don’t let it discourage you. Secondly, let yourself explore. I used to ignore music production, marketing, and even certain genres because I didn’t feel drawn to them, but once I learned the basics, they all inspired me and widened my creative range.
Music Shelf With Mustard 