Aside from receiving Mississippi State cheese as a present, musician Megan McCormick said she didn’t have an association with the university before it was announced she would open for Amos Lee during the Old Main Music Festival April 17.
“I’ve never spent any time in Mississippi, even though I’ve lived in the South for seven years,” she said. “I’m looking forward to being back on the road.”
McCormick said she began playing music when she was around 8 years old. When she was 16, McCormick began to consistently make money from professional gigs while traveling around the country teaching music camps for children.
After receiving the Public Performance Scholarship from East Tennessee State University, McCormick left her home in Alaska and moved to the South. In Nashville, her career expanded and the 23-year-old signed with the record label Ryko. McCormick said this has been her greatest accomplishment in her career thus far.
McCormick is currently working on a debut album for Ryko, which she said is slated to be released during the summer.
“Having a record due out in July makes it an especially exciting time to play at colleges or universities,” she said. “I can’t wait for this show – being there with Amos Lee is going to be so much fun.”
McCormick said her album will be all original material, ranging from heavier rock tracks to intimate ballads.
“[Old Main] will be a more intimate performance of songs from the record,” she said. “It will be a unique performance because it won’t be a full rock band.”
McCormick said she can be distinguished from other artists because she is just as much a guitar player as she is a singer and writer.
“You’ll see plenty of lead guitar [from me], which unfortunately is still an uncommon thing to see from women,” she said.
She said her intention as a solo artist is to write songs, sing them and play them with conviction.
“I always intend to ‘serve the song’ – by that, I mean writing from the heart and being honest,” she said. “My opinions and ideas alone, just like anyone else’s, are unique.”
McCormick said she believes music is an vital part of life.
“Music is an important part of someone’s identity,” she said. “Playing my music live is an experience to share what I think is an extremely personal part of someone’s life . even when the show can seem lighthearted, the interaction happening is something truly amazing.”
She said MSU students should come to the April concert for the experience.
“I think students will walk away from the show feeling awakened – maybe a new lease-on-life kind of feeling or just excited and refreshed,” McCormick said. “I think that it is few and far between to see a female rocking out on the guitar, or so I’ve heard.”