Raw acoustic passion - interview with Megan Davies

Megan Davies is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. At 24, she recently graduated from Belmont University, where she studied songwriting and classical guitar. Spending her days in classes and her nights recording in her room, she has amassed dozens of demos culminating in the release of two EP’s: Writing On The Walls in 2008, a collection of acoustic songs written during high school, and Apartment Sessions in 2011 which consisted of demos recorded in her dorm room while studying at Belmont University.

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In the summer of 2013, Megan began uploading covers to YouTube – collaborating with both her younger sister Jaclyn and other singer-songwriter friends in Nashville. Since then, she has amassed over ten million views and one hundred thousand subscribers. The Coffee House on XM Radio voted Megan and fellow artist Emily Hackett’s cover of Lorde’s Royals the Best Cover of 2013. Her covers have also been featured on websites such as RyanSecreast.com and Buzzfeed.

Lorde – Royals (Acoustic Cover)

Megan is inspired by everything from commercial pop to indie folk to experimental rock. Currently she is playing shows and working on writing and recording more songs. Most of which are posted on her SoundCloud and YouTube.

When did you first discover YouTube and how big of a part of your life has it become?
I’ve always been a fan of YouTube, way before I started posting videos. A lot of what I know on guitar came from watching my favorite players on YouTube and trying to learn what they were doing. It can be an incredible learning source for so many things. Nowadays it’s become a huge part of my life, in addition to adding this whole other visual component to what I do.

With almost 10.5 million video views, you’ve got yourself a huge internet fan base. Did you ever picture yourself taking off like this?
Never in a million years. I still remember being excited when Jaclyn and my mashup of Radioactive and Pumped Up Kicks hit 1,000 views.

Radioactive / Pumped Up Kicks (Mashup Cover)

Your sister Jaclyn can be seen in a lot of your videos singing with you. Were you two singing together growing up, or is this something you discovered later on?
Yeah we sang a lot together growing up. I was always writing songs and wanting her to sing them with me.

You’re currently living in Nashville, but originally from Pennsylvania. What sparked the move and how has Nashville living been treating you?
I originally came to Nashville to study guitar at Belmont University. I absolutely love the city. There are so many talented people around, it’s inspiring to live here as a young artist.

Along with posting videos to your channel, making music and everything else, you also do shows. Where can people go to catch one of your shows?
Right now the majority of my shows are in the Nashville area. However, I’m planning to do some out of state touring in 2015. The best place to stay up to date with those shows is on my Facebook.

Your enchanting song Dive In is a smooth mixture of melancholy piano, and heartfelt lyrics. Where did the inspiration for this song come from, and what came first; the words or the melody?
Thanks for the kind words. For that song the melody and lyrics came at the same time, which is a rare thing for me. But I think because I knew what I wanted to say, that made it a lot easier. The message is about taking risks and not fearing the unknown, which is something I’m trying to do more of these days.

Megan Davies – Dive In

If you could describe your own personal sound in three words, how would you describe it?
Raw, Passionate, Acoustic

Do you feel that your sound has fully formed with a strong, definite identity, or do you see yourself evolving?
Evolving, but towards a definitive identity. This past year has been the biggest growth for me musically. When you discover an audience, it gives you confidence to be who you are. You stop second guessing yourself, and you just create.

We love your new cover of Heroes (We Could Be) featuring Landon Austin. How did you two meet each other and can we expect more collaborations with him in the future?
Thanks. Landon and I actually went to the same school, though he was a few years ahead of me. Being the YouTube newbie I am, I reached out to him when my channel started growing just to get some advice. A few months later we did two covers together, one for each of our channels. It was a fun experience, and I hope there will be more in the future.

Alesso ft. Tove Lo – Heroes (We Could Be) (Acoustic Cover)

Who in the music industry has influenced you the most throughout your musical growth?
So many. Musically I love Imogen Heap, Radiohead, and more recently Ed Sheeran. Some of my favorite guitarists are Tommy Emmanuel, Jerry Reed, and Kaki King.

What can fans expect from Megan Davies in 2015?
Lots of new music!

Finally, looking back over 2014, what memories make you the happiest?
Working with friends. I love creating on my own, but everything is more fun with friends.