[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”23960″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]Check our interview with talented YouTube singer/songwriter Megan Davies. While working an admin job in the music industry, she built her career on YouTube (1.1M+ subscribers/155M+ views) by posting covers and mashups, and uploading to Spotify, where she’s accumulated over 207M+ streams in just 3 years.
Megan original music hit song ‘Bad Poetry’ is out now here![/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”23961″ img_size=”large”][vc_column_text]Hi Megan, please tell us a little about you?
I’m a singer/songwriter currently living in Nashville. I’m best known for my acoustic covers that I produce and post on YouTube, but I just released my debut EP ‘Bad Poetry‘. So I’m so excited to share my original music with the world!
Describe yourself in 3 words?
Determined, Independent, Thoughtful
Where did you grow up?
Harrisburg, PA
Who was your role model as a child?
Kaki King was the first female I saw absolutely slay it on the guitar. As a young player, I wanted to be like her.
What inspires you?
Connecting emotionally with people, art, places, stories. It’s my favorite part about working in a creative field.
What is a typical day for Megan Davies?
I like to workout pretty early. After that I jump right into my work. It can be anything from recording and writing in my studio, to sitting on my couch with my laptop editing videos. I also love collaborating with people, so sometimes I’m working in others’ spaces. Nashville’s a great town for that sort of thing.
Describe your sound in 3 words?
Raw. Passionate. Honest.
Tell us about your new EP ‘Bad Poetry? And why that name?
I had built up this amazing audience on YouTube playing covers and mashups, and as it grew bigger, I became more self conscious of my own writing; I was nervous to post my own material. “Bad Poetry” is the name of a song on the project, and it represents this realization that I came to last year: like “who cares if all this is ‘Bad Poetry’?” For me, it takes the power away from the label. As long as I’m following my artistic instincts, that’s enough for me.
Now tell us about your single “Black and White?”
It’s one of my favorite songs to play live right now. I think it’s because it sings like a conversion. It’s about not always knowing who I am as a person, or at least, not in the way I expected to by now. It’s very honest, and I think represents where I am in my life right now.
When did you decide to start your career on Youtube instead of knocking doors to record labels companies?
For me it always felt like that door was closed from the get-go. I never even tried knocking because record deals always seemed like an impossibility. But I’ve always obsessed about creating and making music. YouTube was this open platform, and a great way to share what I was making. Getting my music to an audience was really all I cared about.
Your mashups are a big hit on Youtube, tell us about it?
I make most of the mashups with my younger sister Jaclyn. We arrange them together, and she has a great ear for it. The process is mostly us sitting around and jamming. It might just be good old fashion sibling chemistry, but I’m always surprised at how easy and fun it is. She’s also one of my only collaborators who isn’t pursuing music as a career, so I think our videos have a very carefree quality to them.
Do you still get nervous?
Not so much for performing, but I get nervous for anything on-camera. Mostly because I want to get it right and hate having to reshoot things. I’m a perfectionist!
What’s the magic formula for success?
Love what you do. Focus on the now and not the end game, and good things will come.
What was the last book you read?
Carrie Fisher’s “Wishful Drinking”
Who are your favorite designers?
I really like Elizabeth & James and love to mix and match from stores like Free People, Top Shop, and ASOS.
Where do you see yourself in the next five years?
Hopefully still touring and making albums. Long term careers are definitely not guaranteed in the music business, so I’d just be grateful to do what I’m doing now for the rest of my life.
(3) things you can’t leave your house without?
Water bottle, iPhone, headphones!
Your idea of a perfect Sunday is?
Sleeping in, maybe finding a friend’s pool to hang at during the day. In the evening, pouring a glass of wine and watching Game of Thrones.
Best advice ever been given?
Someone once sent me a letter with a Thoreau quote. “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you’ve imagined.” It’s my favorite, and I’ve had it hanging on my fridge for years.
What do you like to watch on tv?
Love HBO and Netflix shows. Lately I’ve been obsessed with Broad City.
Who is your favorite actor/actress?
Chris Pratt and Anna Faris.
What do you think about Social Media?
It’s wonderful in some ways. It’s is a huge part of why I get to play music for a living. However, not gonna lie, sometimes I turn it off and pretend it doesn’t exist.
Do you support any charities?
I’ve worked with the Red Cross and the American Cancer Society. My family has been hugely affected by cancer in the past, and I have faith that one day we will find a cure.
Where we can follow you?
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify
Quote: Ida Scott Taylor: “One day at a time-this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.”
Song: “Paranoid Android” by Radiohead
Holiday destination: Europe
Food: Pizza
Music: Alt Pop
Drink: Red wine in the winter, white wine in the summer
Movie: Mean Girls
Sports Team: Nashville Predators[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
