Oct 19

Oct 19 Meg Myers

Life is about to change forever for Meg Myers. The 29-year-old singer/songwriter takes a leap of faith as she navigates back to her hometown in the mountains of Nashville, Tennessee after almost a decade of city life in Los Angeles. After extensively touring the nation, putting out multiple music videos & dropping her first full-length album, Meg returns to her native soil with an entirely new perspective on life, getting back in touch with her roots where her legacy was born.

Just a few short years ago the name Meg Myers might not ring a bell, but as of lately you can’t seem to walk half a block in Los Angeles without seeing her name advertised on a bus bench in support of her latest album, Sorry, which debuted September 15th of this year. Now with a 50k following, her audience watches with eager eyes, patiently anticipating her next big move. Myers takes one step backward and two leaps forward as she dives head first into her past while paving the way towards her future.

Myers’ life is truly a living daydream (with slight turbulence.) From the mountains to fast paced city life, from being a waitress to playing music festivals, it’s safe to say there’s nothing stopping the musician from chasing her dreams, regardless of any obstacles placed in her way. Meg Myers continues to flow through the stream of life, this time fearlessly swimming against the current with no intention of looking back.

When Meg picks up the phone in her Fresno, CA hotel the exhaustion in her voice is evident, but her politeness rises to the surface. Myers mentions her upcoming performance schedule, which is nothing short of absolutely hectic – the first big stop: Life is Beautiful festival in Downtown Las Vegas.

ROGUE: So you’re from Tennessee, how has your hometown shaped you?

Meg: Well, I’m from there but I’ve grown up all over the place. I’ve lived in Tennessee until I was five, but I lived in Ohio for eight years and LA now for nine years, so I’ve kinda been all over the place. I’ve visited Tennessee my whole life, because my dad and brothers have always lived there. I guess one way that it's shaped me is that I spent so much time in the country and the mountains that I really like to be isolated. I love spending time alone, I think maybe more than the average person. I prefer it, you know? I was alone for a month straight recently when I was sick and it was the best time of my entire life.

I feel like a lot of people have a hard time being alone, so it’s cool you’re on the opposite end of that spectrum.

I know! It’s strange, I don’t know what happened to me. It sucks though, sometimes, because I crave it so much but I don’t get it enough. I think that’s the main way that [my hometown] has shaped me- my dad’s like that too- he’s a total hermit guy in the mountains.

In 2012 you got signed to Atlantic, what’s your life been like since your major label signage?

It’s been amazing and insane, lots of struggles, lots of ups and downs. My music has been heard by so many more people than it would if I wasn’t
on the label. I got the opportunity to tour with a lot of bands that I love and the opportunity to play and do more touring than I would have without being on the label. I was also able to go into the studio and quite my waitressing job after doing that for nine years, so, the good has been a lot like living my dream.

That’s amazing!
Yeah, the good is that but, with the great comes the bad. The bad is that I
don’t really ever get a break. It’s very rare. I work harder than I’ve ever worked in my life and I’m tired all the time. But it’s been a whirlwind, I don’t even know where to begin. I feel really lucky but also pissed off a lot too - it’s so many extreme emotions.

I bet that felt so good to just walk away and say ‘I’m done’…
I thought it was gonna go down in a more intense way, but I just gave my two weeks notice and it was over [laughs.] So then it was like, okay, I guess now I’m not waitressing anymore, it’s so strange.

You just dropped your first full-length album, tell us a little bit about it.
There are ten songs and I’ve been working on it for a couple years now. I took a bit longer on it than I had planned to take because I’ve been touring for the past two years. So I was on tour and then the minute I was home, I was in the studio working on it. It took a while, but it ended up being a really good thing because I got to go through experiences and emotions that I wouldn’t have written about if I hadn’t been on the road awhile. I ended up expressing a lot of things that I was going through on the road in these songs and those feelings. What it means to me is ups and downs, joy and pain, just a lot of back and forth and how hard it can be, how lonely it can be and how lost and hopeless life can feel at times. Then there’s the other side and seeing the happy side of life while pulling yourself up – and that’s kind of what the album means to me. ‘Sorry’, which is the title to one of my singles, in a way turns into an apology to everyone in my life, not just my relationships, but my family and my friends. They understand, but it’s kind of like, when you’re really overwhelmed and you’re just yelling “I’M SORRY! OKAY? I’M SORRY, I’M FUCKING SORRY!” kind of like that.

I feel like I have that moment at least once a month. It’s funny, I was actually just about to ask you what your personal favorite song was off the album, but something tells me that that might be it…
I think it changes. I think that might be one of my favorite ones to perform live, but as far as what I’m most proud of? I guess I would say ‘Motel’ and ‘Feathers’.

What’s one of your biggest inspirations currently in your life?
My biggest inspiration is Ryan Adams right now. I’ve been really into him. Another artist that I’ve been really into is this French, I think he’s French? A composer named Rene Aubry. The guy has so many albums and it’s all instrumental stuff, it’s gorgeous. I mostly listen to classical music because I’m always around bands and singing and it’s the only way for me to shut off.

You mentioned something about moving back to Nashville – are you trying to
get back closer to your roots?
Yeah, I am. I’m planning on moving in December/ early January. I just gotta
get out of California – I’ve been here for nine years. I have no family here, I have a few friends that I’m really close with, but I barely see them now because I’m always on
the road. I want to go home and I want to feel ‘at home.’ I want to be only four hours
away from my dad and my brother so I can see them more. It’s just- time, you know?
It’s just been so long. There’s literally no point to being in LA anymore, I already
made my record. I think I’ll be moving half an hour/ an hour outside of the city – I
don’t ever want to live in a city again! I’m excited to just go home, be off the road
and be more secluded.

What did you take away from your 9-year experience here in Los Angeles?
Next to growing, I discovered a lot of things about myself - of course I will always be growing, but I think I did the most growing in LA. I spent all my 20’s in Los Angeles, so… there’s just been a lot of influence there, a lot of good and bad. I think the biggest thing I’ve taken away is just the realization of who I am. And who I am is not a shitty person, I’m not like a ‘flaunty’ type of person - I really discovered that from being so much “in it” that that’s very opposite of who I am, and that’s just such a beautiful thing. I spent so much time there I think I just wanted out of that world. Obviously I’m always doing that in my music and being on the road, but it’s nice to discover that I’m a good country girl at heart, that big city life isn’t for me.