A conversation with Megan Conner
Where can we find you right now and what are you up to?
Currently I'm in Nashville! I've got shows in Nashville and Virginia in the next couple of months - including a Bluebird show on August 16th. I'm releasing a single - "Somewhere Hungover the Rainbow" on Friday, July 19th and am working closely with a few fantastic artists helping to develop them as well. I'm also continuously working, writing, and releasing songs with one of my favorite projects - my duo Paperhouse which includes me and the very talented Shane Hines.
How would you define success? What is your goal?
Success to me is making an impact on people's lives through what I create and maintaining the joy of creating while doing it. Whether it's making them laugh, cry, feel sentimental, just smile, bringing back a memory... whatever it is... if it does that and moves them, I am succeeding. At the end of the day no one cares about gold records hanging on your walls or how many commas you have in the bank. They care about the lyrics you wrote and the songs that moved them. That is what I'm here to do.
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your music career so far?
To not lose sight of the creative process and to be intentional. The business can overshadow the process so much. In publishing deals sometimes you write so much, you feel like you're throwing spaghetti at the wall to just see what sticks. I had to take a step back with a cross country move in 2020. I landed my first major single and radio single with Craig Morgan while away from Nashville. Seeing the business from a different angle helped me look through a different lens and see everything from a different perspective. In Nashville, we can sometimes get tunnel vision. I am now much more intentional about who I write with, how.many times I write a week, which ideas I share in a room, and try to be intentional with giving the ideas the best chance. If I'm writing with another artist - I really try to dig into who they are and what kind of angle we can use to tell their story and set them apart. Intention over mass production is my motto now.
What is a typical day in your life as an artist? Can you describe your typical songwriting process?
Haha - are you ready for this? Every day is different in my world. Generally, these days I'm focusing more on writing, so Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays I will either teach a Row House class (indoor rowing) in the morning or go for a run and then write in the afternoon. Exercise makes me write better and opens up my brain in so many ways. Tuesdays and Thursdays I spend all day doing personal training, writing running client programs, and doing song evaluations for a few different local companies. It's all about the hustle right now. The balance of doing something other than music is really good for me. It gives me time to step away and breathe from an idea and then come back to it and make it the best it can be.
What worked for you marketing-wise? What advice or tips would you give to new artists?
What's working for me is figuring out what really rings true to me on social media. Your audience will connect with you so just be real - just be you. Don't give people what you think they want - give them what you want them to want. Give them something that is useful and inspiring. Give them a piece of yourself and your why. Give them something to connect to. I also think genuinely connecting with people on a level outside of the music business is important. Building real relationships you can come back to and foster is key. If you really care about what is going on in someone's life - there's more of a chance you'll connect on a deeper level and write a great song. Reaching out and just asking for help has also been the easiest way to connect. No one can say no unless you ask, so you're not losing anything by trying.
What is the story behind your new single "Somewhere Hungover the Rainbow"?
I've always loved the song Somewhere Over the Rainbow... This is a witty little bittersweet love found and lost song (with a little bit of drinking thrown in), and it's a play on the classic song's famous melody in the chorus. It's only two notes like the original, but we actually included the original writers of Somewhere Over the Rainbow as writers on this song, I brought this title in to my co-writers Andrew Capra and Nora Collins and the next thing I knew, we had this little rainbow bop.
Tell us about your latest or upcoming release.
Somewhere Hungover the Rainbow hits all streaming platforms on Friday, July 19th! I've also been working with my duo Paperhouse. We have some exciting things in the works and new songs coming out. Paperhouse is more in the Americana genre and it's truly my favorite music to sing and write.
Come find me soon somewhere! On social media, a show, in Nashville or online. I love connecting and hearing people's songs and stories. Thanks for listening!
