Brendan: Hey everyone, Brendan the Blind Guy here. Today I'm speaking to the incredibly

dazzling rising star, Meg Mac. How are you Meg?

Meg Mac: I'm good, how are you?

Brendan: I'm good, thank you. So at the moment you're on the album tour for your debut

album which - congratulations, it's an amazing album and it reached #2 in the Aria

charts! So how's the tour going so far?

Meg Mac: It's good. I've just been to Tasmania, and then I head to New South Wales this week.

Brendan: Aw nice.

Meg Mac: It’s ok.

Brendan: Yeah. Sweet. And so I read this morning that over 20 of the dates have sold out

already, that's impressive!

Meg Mac: Yeah.

Brendan: Yeah!

Meg Mac: Yeah it's pretty cool, yeah.

Brendan: So yeah wow. So, on your new album, tell me a little bit about the path going down

the album and the production and the kind of theme behind it all.

Meg Mac: Well, I made the album in Fort Worth, in Texas.

Brendan: Oh yeah?

Meg Mac: And I heard about this group called Niles City Sound, because they had produced

and worked on Leon Bridges' album.

Brendan: Hm.

Meg Mac: And I was obsessed with that album. And I really liked them, so I met them

backstage at the festival here in Australia and Leon Bridges was playing and then we

kind of organised for me to go over there and just spend a day in the studio and try

out a song. So I did that, I had one day with the guys, I fell in love with the studio,

fell in love with the guys and everything and then kind of booked in to make the

whole album there.

Brendan: Oh wow. Yeah great. So definitely paid off going over to Texas to do the album?

Meg Mac: I know it's a long flight, but it's worth it.

Brendan: Yeah. Well worth it. So as far as your music and lyrics go, your music is very unique

yet fits in perfectly with today's pop scene. Tell me a little bit, kind of your formula

and approach to writing the music and the lyrics.

Meg Mac: Mm-hmm (affirmative). I guess when I started - and even talking about like how I

write songs, people are always kind of surprised that the lyrics and the piano and

singing, narrative and stuff all kind of happens at the same time.

Brendan: Hm.

Meg Mac: So I kind of just sit down at the piano and just, play. And everything happens at the

same time. So I don't write the lyrics separate to the song, and then bring them and

turn them into music. It kind of all happens at the same time. And yeah usually I just

sit at the piano and it's like, I guess a very personal kind of thing. I like to be by

myself, I like to make the room dark, shut all the curtains, make sure no one can hear

me and just kind of sing for hours.

Brendan: Yep. Yeah wow. So yeah well it definitely works. It sounds like it's a very natural

process that just comes to you. Yeah. So, what started your musical career? Because I

read that you started singing from the time you could, you know, pretty much talk.

So what kind of brought you up and brought out the passion for music?

Meg Mac: Growing up with music was a big part of my family. My dad would play so much

music, and my mum played the piano, she played accordion, she's - well my parents

are both Irish but they ... music was a big part of it, and we just grew up singing, like

things. Like I learned to spell my last name, because it's a bit difficult to spell, in a

song.

Brendan: Oh, right!

Meg Mac: Just used music in everyday life, I guess. And it wasn't until I'd left school, so it

would have been like, 17 or 18, and I started playing that I discovered that you could

just play chords on a piano, and that's when I really got obsessed with ... you know I

kind of thought about it seriously.

Brendan: Hm. Wow. Yeah so music's always been a natural part to you. That's great.

Meg Mac: Yeah.

Brendan: Yeah. So in your career so far, because you're building up momentum in your career

just insanely quickly. Selling out shows all around the world, playing in festivals

here and in the U.S. and everything. So what's been the highlight for you so far?

Meg Mac: Well, I did one tour where I was the support act for D'Angelo, in America. And I got

to kind of travel around America and play the opening - opening up for D'Angelo

every night. And that kind of still has stuck with me as like, a very inspirational, a

big …

Brendan: Yeah wow.

Meg Mac: - a big part of my life and I'll always remember that forever. That's sort of been one

of the best experiences. And probably playing Splendour in the Grass. That was

really cool.

Brendan: Yeah. Fantastic. So a lot of people underestimate the struggles of touring and think

it's all rainbows and butterflies and, you know, smooth sailing the whole time.

You've, as I've said before, are building up momentum really quickly, flying all

around the world, and there's so much demand. People just want more more more.

What's kind of been the biggest challenge for you, and how have you kind of

overcome them?

Meg Mac: Hm.

Brendan: Or has it been pretty much all rainbows and butterflies?

Meg Mac: [laughs] I mean it's never all rainbows and butterflies, but I don't know, I just - I

think when things get harder, or when things, you know when things get harder, the

good things get better, if that makes sense -

Brendan: Yeah, yeah.

Meg Mac: - So it might be the big trip to get home or rehearsals, or driving, recording, all that

stuff, but then the reward at the end is that you get to play that show or you get to

sing your song, and the high you get from that makes all the hard stuff worth it. It

feel like it works out, it all balances out.

Brendan: Yeah. So I suppose the expression of, "Nothing worth truly having ever comes easy,"

and you know, makes it more rewarding.

Meg Mac: Yes. Yeah, that's how I look at it anyway.

Brendan: Yeah that's fantastic. So I read that when you were recording the album, that

apparently you were convinced that there was a ghost in Electric Lady studios during

the song, "Bright Light?" Oh no it's -

Meg Mac: Yeah, "Shining Bright.”

Brendan: Oh, complete mind blank, sorry.

Meg Mac: That's all good. That song is pretty much just me, that song. Just me on the piano and

I ended up recording that one at Electric Lady, which is where I mixed the album and

I'm in the room by myself and John, who was in the control room, started telling me

this ghost story about the sightings of this ghost in the room that I'm in, and he's like

telling me where in the room it was seen and stuff. So I'm in there by myself and it's

like, I don't know, the studio has a lot of history, I don't know if you know that much,

but you know it's like, a pretty iconic studio and it's just like, really spooky - I feel

like he did it deliberately to maybe like bring out some sort of performance in me.

Brendan: [laughs] Wow. So do you think it worked? Do you think it kind of altered the sound

of the song?

Meg Mac: I don't know. It can be kind of spooky, that song. When I play it live now, it's just got

this atmospheric sounds in the background as well, that kind of add to the spookiness

of it.

Brendan: Oh. Yeah wow. Yeah definitely keen to hear you live, play that song. In all of your

stories so far, because I'm sure you've got plenty of them, what's the first one that

comes to mind when I say, hilarious, kind of “WTF?"

Meg Mac: Hm. I don't know. I remember playing a show in America and there was someone in

the audience wearing a horse head, on their head. And it was like, really big, like

almost the size of a horse's head. And I'm singing, and it was like there was just this

horse in the audience, bopping along. I don't know, that's probably one of those

moments where I was like, weird. It was also one of the most bizarre moments I've

had on stage.

Brendan: Wow. That would be pretty hilarious. Bit distracting at the same time to, I could

imagine?

Meg Mac: Yeah. It was just kind of making me laugh every time I looked at the horse.

Brendan: [laughs] Wow. Nice. So me being a live music journalist, I love kind of analysing

points at a show of sound quality from you guys, and the sound mixers, number 1.

But also I address points like crowd interaction, their charisma on stage, and how

you interact with the crowd and such kind of-

Meg Mac: Yeah.

Brendan: - What's to expect at your shows, and how do you address those points?

Meg Mac: I guess it's like a lot of singing, there's moments where it is just me. Then it's

moments where it's the whole band, like backing singers and everything. But it's

always lots of different, I guess, I don't know what the word would be. There's lots of

different points in the show that move and change. I like to maybe tell some stories

sometimes about where the song came from, or a story about where the song was

recorded or something like that. I really like it when people sing along. So I started

the tour, I've done 8 shows now and at all the shows, people have been singing

along. It's like such a, I don't know, hard to explain the feeling you get when you're

singing, and then you can hear everyone singing back at you, and it's almost like

you're all singing the song together, and I really like those moments of the show.

Brendan: Yeah. Wow. So yeah that's definitely feeding off of the audience's energy right there.

Meg Mac: Yeah. Mm-hmm (affirmative).

Brendan: So, getting ready for your shows, like is there any kind of quirky rituals or any

special kind routines for you to get ready for your shows?

Meg Mac: Yeah I guess I would do like a warm-up to myself that probably from the outside

looks really weird, or stuff like that. I don't know I just do, I just do what you're

meant to do I guess to warm up your voice and make sure you're relaxed and doing

stretches and everything. I mean I do have this portable steamer, that I like to steam

before the show. And I always look a little bit strange with that.

Brendan: Fair enough. Yeah. Well yeah we've all got our special little rituals, some people like

to do push-ups in their tighty whities or whatever, so you know. So you're saying you

like to elaborate on the stories of your songs onstage and everything. What's the

story behind your new single, or well the single, "Low Blows?”

Meg Mac: "Low Blows" is a song that I wrote - I wrote it in Melbourne, at my home in

Melbourne, just in my bedroom. I'm one of those people that, I'm pretty quiet and in

certain situations when I start to feel uncomfortable I tend to not say anything or I

won't, I find it difficult to speak up for myself. Which I think a lot of people feel that,

I've discovered. So "Low Blows" is kind of me dealing with that, and looking back

and seeing when I should've spoken up, and just dealing with that and trying to

become stronger.

Brendan: Yeah that's great. Very inspirational message, yeah.

Meg Mac: Yeah, I guess so.

Brendan: So what's kind of happening behind the scenes at the moment, and what can us fans

expect in the near future from Meg Mac?

Meg Mac: I guess at the moment it's all about taking my album to the stage, so now my tour is

going to go for the next month or two? And then I've got some festivals coming up,

so it's lots of, like, bringing everything to life and then I'm definitely in the

background secretly working on more stuff.

Brendan: Aw Uh huh!

Meg Mac: Which hopefully I'll get to share later.

Brendan: Wow. So, can't share any of those secrets of what you're working on?

Meg Mac: I feel I've got a lot of exciting shows coming up.

Brendan: Oh okay, fair enough.

Meg Mac: I think, pretty exciting. Then the next step can come.

Brendan: Yeah. Great. And finally, what kind of message would you have to the fans,

especially ones that are kind of inspired by you and looking to follow in your

footsteps?

Meg Mac: I love, at my show, we end, like I end the show with "Roll Up Your Sleeves," and

that's one of the songs that I've definitely heard the most from people who that song

has like, helped them in some way or meant something to them. And that's one the

songs that everyone always sings along. So I end my whole show with like, so many

people singing, "Everything is going to be alright," back at me. And that makes me

feel really good, so I hope that it makes everyone else feel really good as well. And

that's always how I end the show.

Brendan: Oh wow, that's awesome. Well, unfortunately we're out of time. But it's been an

absolute pleasure chatting to you. And I can't wait to catch you at the Entrance

Leagues tomorrow night!

Meg Mac: I'm excited. My first show in the Central Coast.

Brendan: Yep. We'll I'm sure the Central Coast fans, us, well me and everyone else will

absolutely love you and want to bring you back for many more shows.

Meg Mac: I hope so.

Brendan: Well thank you very much for your chat and, yeah. I'll see you then.

Meg Mac: Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow.

Brendan: Will do.

Meg Mac: See ya, thank you!

Brendan: Bye.