After spending the last few months building up her reputation and direction, British singer and songwriter Megan McRobbie is now ready to introduce herself to the world with the release of her debut single 'Electric Eyes'.
With influences that stretch as far back as Dolly Parton and Stevie Wonder, 'Electric Eyes' makes for very bold and contemporary introduction to the artist. With its distinct bedroom-pop direction, layered up with diverse production and her sugary sweet vocals, her debut offering is an incredibly captivating and original piece of work.
So with her new single doing the rounds right now, we sat down with her to find out more about her origins and what has inspired her most over the years.
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What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
I started off by learning to play piano and guitar, but I think the first instrument I REALLY fell in love with was the banjo. I know the sound really divides people, but when I was a kid I bought a 50p bluegrass CD (remember CD’s?) from a HMV sale and it set me off on a phase of obsessively learning to play and listening exclusively to music with banjos in it. Thankfully, the phase is long over, but I still love to play and it still makes me really happy whenever I hear it used in a song.
What has been the most prominent inspiration behind your music so far?
The artist that really inspired me to start writing music was Dolly Parton. I think the way she tells such vulnerable, personal stories through her songwriting is really raw and special. Listening to her music really taught me the backbones of writing songs and inspired me to always do so with emotion.
What kind of music did you love as a teenager?
EVERYTHING. Honestly, EVERYTHING. I was spoiled being a teenager in the 2010’s because I really did have access to such a wide range of genres and eras of music. I know that 2010’s pop has a bad reputation but I listened to it then, unashamedly still love it now and actually think that lots of the experimental, over the top production did great things for music. But mainly I was listening to lots of UK indie bands and artists that were emerging at the time as well as really getting into my parents music collection from the 60’s and 70’s.
Can you remember the first song that made you want to pursue a life in music?
It’s so cliche and cheesy but Sgt. Pepper - I remember it making me emotional the first time I heard it because I thought it was just so perfect.
When you wake up in the morning, what kind of music do you like to listen to?
The soundtrack to my morning commute is exclusively Queen and Stevie Wonder. If Freddie’s voice doesn’t get you ready for your day, nothing will.
How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?
I first started writing songs whilst going through puberty - so as you can imagine every single lyric was about some boy in class I fancied, I even used to use their names which is very embarrassing to look back on. I still write most songs about people in my life now, but I definitely take it less literally and hopefully it’s not so obvious.
What has been the most memorable moment in your career so far?
I worked for a really long time with producer Sam Harper on ‘Electric Eyes’ to find the perfect sound that we loved and I think finally getting to release it has been the most memorable moment for me because I am just really proud of it.
Outside of music, what is your biggest passion?
I studied Law at University and I keep informed on potential policies for improvements to the British justice system.
And what advice would you give to other musicians looking to start a career in music?
Write music that you love and worry less about if other people are going to like it.
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Megan McRobboe's new single 'Electric Eyes' is available to stream and download now. Have a listen to it in the player below.