YouTube Singer-Songwriter MEGAN DAVIES Discusses Her Debut Original Music, Favorites Covers and More!

Get to know 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 will debut her original music this month!

Here’s a taste of three singles off her upcoming EP ‘Bad Poetry’, check it out HERE. It’s enchanting and whimsical, and marks a major step in Megan’s career.

After graduating from Belmont University (major: Songwriting/minor: Guitar), she worked in publishing admin while moonlighting as a songwriter and posting covers and mashups on YouTube and Spotify. Eventually, Megan was able to leave her day-job, so pursue a creative career in music full-time.

Check our these mashups:

“See You Again / Love Me Like You Do / Sugar” – 49+ MIL views 

“Love Yourself / Out Of The Woods / Roses” – 6.8+ MIL views

Connect With Megan Davies Here:

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YouTube

Learn more about Megan Davies in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time today! How has 2017 been treating you? Musically, did you approach this year any differently then you did last year?  

My pleasure!  2017 has been fantastic. This year I’ve been focused on releasing original music, on top of the covers and mashups that I’ve done in the past.

Where does this interview find you today? Is there music playing in the background? If so, what is it? What kind of music do you listen to when you are working? What music gets you instantly out of a bad mood?

I’m in Los Angeles, near Venice Beach. I came out here for a few meetings, and ended up booking an Airbnb and staying a few extra days. No music playing right now, but anything with a good groove will pick me up. Emily King’s “The Switch” has been that album for me lately.

Growing up, have you always wanted to be a musician? Can you recall your earliest musical memory?

Definitely. I picked up the guitar when I was 12 and never looked back. My earliest musical memories are all of Disney movies. I used to play the The Lion King soundtrack CD over and over.

If you weren’t a musician today, what else could you see yourself doing?

I love filming and cameras, so I might be working on the video side of things. Maybe cinematography. 

I always like to ask artists about where they came from and how that city or town has influenced them as an artist now. So how do you think growing up in your hometown has shaped who you are as a musician and the art that you create?

I was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. There weren’t a ton of musical outlets when I was growing up there, but I think it sparked a hunger in me to want to learn everything I could. I read books, tracked down guitar teachers, and eventually convinced my parents to let me attend a performing arts high school outside of my district. There was a determination born out of those years that I think has carried through to my life as an artist today.

This month you will be releasing your first original music so I am curious to know what that feels like? Has this been something that you have been wanting to do for awhile? Did anything surprise you about the process to put your EP “Bad Poetry” together?

I had been writing songs over the past few years, and always knew original music was the direction that I wanted to move in. However, it was also important for me to figure out what I wanted to say. I had built this large following on YouTube, and I wanted to make sure my first collection of songs represented me and spoke my truth.  I spent a lot of the past two years touring, performing them in front of different audiences, and reflecting on who I am as a person. It’s all informed my writing, and it feels incredible to finally share it.

This EP was an exploration and discovery process from start to finish, since it was my first full production recording project. We made the decision to use a lot of live instruments as opposed to samples. It all felt very organic, and a natural evolution from acoustic work I did on my own. There weren’t many surprises, but it was absolutely a new experience for me. 

What was the inspiration for the songs on “Bad Poetry”? Had you written them a long time ago?

I’d say the common theme of Bad Poetry is growing older but not quite feeling like an adult. I’m in my mid-twenties and there’s a lot change happening throughout my life. It’s both scary and exciting. I think when you’re growing up, you expect to have everything figured out when you get older. For me that hasn’t been the case, but I’ve just gradually become more accepting of that.

You first began your music career on YouTube posting videos of covers and mashups. Can you talk about what first got you started doing that? 

My first mashup was actually a video I made with my sister for fun. We got a lot of great feedback from people online so we decided to do a second one. After that one did well, I started recruiting musician friends of mine in Nashville. Somehow the numbers all kept growing. It was a pretty innocent start to my music career, and it all began with friends and family.

What was a video that you particularly enjoyed making? What’s been a favorite so far? Are you going to continue posting these to YouTube? And if so, are you working on anything right now? Were you ever surprised by the response that you got from these videos?

One of my favorite mashups that I’ve done is the 4-song Macklemore and Ryan Lewis mashup “White Walls/Can’t Hold Us/Same Love/Thriftshop.” It’s my favorite arrangement, and it was made entirely out of love for “The Heist” album. There are no mashups in the works right now, but I always have a few ideas rolling around in my head.  

I’ve always been proud of the videos I’ve done and have thought they were cool.  But I’m still blown away by the response we get. The internet’s reach is incredible, and I absolutely plan to continue making them. If anything, it’s a great excuse to work with my sister and friends in Nashville.

Who are some of your very favorite artists or rather, what musicians have continued to inspire you and your music? What musicians would you absolutely love to work with in the future? 

Radiohead, Imogen Heap, and Ed Sheeran are all huge inspirations to me. Coldplay is another favorite.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

I love emotionally connecting with people. It’s why I love touring and performing live. I hope people feel the music first and foremost, and can relate to it in their own lives.

What advice would you give to someone just getting started on this music path? Or even to someone young that is thinking of becoming a musician one day?

A lot of people will say this, but a music career is marathon. Focus on the small goals first and enjoy working towards them. And most of all, approach everything you do with love. I’ve found my best work comes out of that mentality.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

These songs were born on an acoustic guitar, and I released acoustic versions of all the tracks in June. If you’re curious, make sure you check out those versions to hear the evolution of the project!  And of course, thanks to everyone for listening!