Janice Sue Meghan Myers (born October 6, 1986), known professionally as Meg Myers, is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Originally from
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
, Myers moved to Los Angeles to pursue music and met Doctor Rosen Rosen, who signed her to his production company. In 2012, Myers released her first EP, ''Daughter in the Choir''. Later that year, she signed to
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
, with which she released the ''
Make a Shadow
''Make a Shadow'' is the second extended play (EP) and debut major-label release by American singer-songwriter Meg Myers. It was released on February 7, 2014 by Atlantic Records. It serves as her first release under a major label after signing to A ...
'' EP (2014) and her debut album, ''
Sorry'' (2015). She later departed Atlantic for
300 Entertainment
Theory Entertainment LLC, doing business as 300 Entertainment, is an American record label founded by Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles, Todd Moscowitz, and Roger Gold. The label's roster includes acts across multiple genres such as hip hop, rock, pop, ele ...
and released ''
Take Me to the Disco
''Take Me to the Disco'' is the second studio album recorded by American singer-songwriter Meg Myers. The album was released on July 20, 2018 by 300 Entertainment.
Background
The album includes the lead single "Numb", which was released on Apri ...
'', her second album, in 2018.
Early life
Born in
Nashville
Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and the ...
, Myers spent the first five years of her life in Tennessee's
Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains, and form part of the Blue Ridge ...
where she was raised by her father, a truck driver, and her mother, both formerly
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...
. After her parents divorced, her mother married an artist, who moved the family to
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
. Her mother and stepfather ran a cleaning business. When she was 12, Myers and her siblings were taken out of school when the family moved, this time to Florida, where they remained throughout her teen years. During this period, Myers began singing, writing songs on keyboard, and teaching herself (and learning from her brother) to play bass and guitar.
She played in a band named Feeling Numb that her brother started and named in Coral Springs, Florida.
A few days shy of her 20th birthday, Myers made the decision to move to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music. She lived in a studio apartment with her then-boyfriend, got a job waitressing at a
coffee shop in Hollywood, and performed whenever she could secure a gig. After the relationship with her boyfriend ended, Myers met Rosen, who signed her to his production company. The two began writing songs, including all of ''Daughter in the Choir'' and ''Make a Shadow''. The full-length album ''Sorry'' followed in 2015. According to Myers, her goal for her music is simple, stating that "I want it to make people unafraid to feel."
Career
2012–2014: ''Daughter in the Choir'', signing with Atlantic Records, and ''Make a Shadow''
![Meg Myers 2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d8/Meg_Myers_2014.jpg)
Myers released her début ''Daughter in the Choir'' EP in March 2012. Prior to release of the EP, she released the single "Monster", which was her first success, thanks to its music video, which was directed by A.P. Fisher and produced by
Filippo Nesci, as noted by ''LA Weekly''.
Her follow-up single, "Tennessee", was well received. In August 2012, Myers completed a month-long residency at Bootleg Bar in Los Angeles.
In April 2013, Myers released her first single via
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
, "Heart Heart Head". The music video premièred on
Jay Z
Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
's ''Life + Times''. In September 2013, Myers opened for
The Pixies
Pixies is an American alternative rock band formed in 1986, in Boston, Massachusetts. Until 2013, the band consisted of Black Francis (vocals, rhythm guitar, songwriter), Joey Santiago (lead guitar), Kim Deal (bass, vocals) and David Lovering ...
at three shows in both Los Angeles, CA and Brooklyn, NY and released a new single "Desire", which premiered on ''Stereogum''. Myers kicked off 2014 with the release of the "Desire" music video, premiering it on ''Vice''’s ''Noisey'' blog. Both "Desire" and "Heart Heart Head" were featured on her second EP, ''
Make a Shadow
''Make a Shadow'' is the second extended play (EP) and debut major-label release by American singer-songwriter Meg Myers. It was released on February 7, 2014 by Atlantic Records. It serves as her first release under a major label after signing to A ...
'', which was released on February 7, 2014, and also features "The Morning After", which premièred via ''SPIN''. Myers supported the release of her new EP with a show at LA's Bootleg Bar.
2014–2017: ''Sorry''
Following the release of ''Make a Shadow'', Myers began to draw attention at alternative radio, first by Kansas City's
KRBZ
KRBZ (96.5 FM, “Alt 96-5”) is an alternative rock station, licensed to Kansas City, Missouri and serving the Kansas City metropolitan area. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc., with studios located in Mission, Kansas and a transmitter site ...
– 96.5 The Buzz, a station known for breaking acts early on, such as the English indie outfit
alt-J
Alt-J (stylised as alt-J, real name Δ) are an English indie rock band formed in 2007 in Leeds. Their lineup includes Joe Newman (guitar/lead vocals), Thom Sonny Green (drums), Gus Unger-Hamilton (keyboards/vocals), and formerly Gwilym Sainsbur ...
. "Desire" became one of the top ten most
Shazam'd tracks in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The song was the fourth-most-played (38 times) on KRBZ Kansas City in the week ending June 15, according to Nielsen BDS.
It went on to peak at number 17 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
''
Alternative Songs
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart. Myers performed at the station's annual Afentra's Prom in April, and she joined the New Zealand pop duo
Broods
Broods is a New Zealand musical duo from Nelson, composed of Georgia Josiena Nott on lead vocals, with older brother and multi-instrumentalist Caleb Allan Joseph Nott on production and backing vocals. They released the single "Bridges", which w ...
on select dates of their Spring North American tour, which included stops in Los Angeles, Chicago, Brooklyn, Washington DC, and Boston. Myers also jumped on the summer festival circuit, having performed at the
Governors Ball Music Festival
The Governors Ball Music Festival (commonly known as Governors Ball or Gov Ball) is a multi-day music festival held in New York City. Launched in 2011 by original founders Jordan Wolowitz, Tom Russell, Yoni Reisman, the festival features an arra ...
,
Bunbury Music Festival
The Bunbury Music Festival is a three-day music festival in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, at Sawyer Point Park & Yeatman's Cove on the banks of the Ohio River. Each annual event typically features over 100 acts performing on three to six sepa ...
,
Buzz Beach Ball, and
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza (Lolla) is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991 but several years later made Chicago the permanent location for the annual music festival. Musi ...
. The ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' commented on Myers's Governors Ball performance noting "...early arrivals heard Meg Myers hurling imprecations at the destructive power of love and desire: With seething hard-rock riffs like early
P.J. Harvey
Polly Jean Harvey (born 9 October 1969) is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. Primarily known as a vocalist and guitarist, she is also proficient with a wide range of instruments.
Harvey began her career in 1988 when she joined loca ...
, and a voice that built from laments to screams, she was cathartic even under noonday sunshine." On February 26, 2015, Myers released on her Instagram a 10-second snippet of her new single "Sorry". A full version was released March 3 on Myers's YouTube channel. A music video for "Sorry" was released on April 7. Myers embarked on her first headlining tour in May 2015.
On July 23, 2015, Myers released a new single entitled "Lemon Eyes". That same day her album was made available for pre-order on
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
.
On September 15, 2015, Myers released the studio version of her new single "Motel". Three days later, she released her debut album, ''
Sorry'', which debuted at number 79 on the
''Billboard'' 200.
2018–present: ''Take Me to the Disco'', Running Up That Hill cover, and EPs with Sumerian Records
![Meg Myers 10 17 2018 -65 (cropped)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Meg_Myers_10_17_2018_-65_%28cropped%29.jpg)
On April 27, 2018, Myers released the song "Numb" as the lead single from her second album, ''
Take Me to the Disco
''Take Me to the Disco'' is the second studio album recorded by American singer-songwriter Meg Myers. The album was released on July 20, 2018 by 300 Entertainment.
Background
The album includes the lead single "Numb", which was released on Apri ...
'', which was released on July 20 via 300 Entertainment. "Numb" is about the struggles trying to fit Atlantic Records' expectations for her.
The title track for the album was released on June 1 of that year. The third single from the album, "Jealous Sea", was released on June 28. The fourth single "Tourniquet" was released July 13, a week prior to the album's release.
Myers worked with producer Christian "Leggy" Langdon on the album, recording it mostly at his studio in
Topanga
Topanga () (Tongva: ''Topaa'nga'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow s ...
. All her previous works were produced by Doctor Rosen Rosen. After completing work on the album, Myers and Atlantic Records mutually parted ways. She brought the completed album to NYC
indie label
An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
300 Entertainment.
“I met Andy
r. Rosen Rosenwhen I was really young and had never worked with anyone one-on-one like that before,” Myers told ''Pass The Aux''. “I had never had anyone pull stuff out of me like that so it was a really deep connection musically and as a friendship, like a brother. But change is the only way to grow, really,” Myers said of moving on from Rosen.
On March 6, 2019, Myers released a cover of "
Running Up That Hill
"Running Up That Hill", titled "Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God)" on some releases, is a song by the British singer and songwriter Kate Bush. It was released in the United Kingdom as the lead single from Bush's album ''Hounds of Love'' on ...
", originally by
Kate Bush
Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...
. With the release, it was also announced that she would be releasing a collection of seven original songs that were recorded as part of the ''Take Me To The Disco'' sessions (but were not included on the album) in early summer 2019. However, the EP was not released in 2019 for unknown reasons. Myers then stated during a
livestream
Livestreaming is streaming media simultaneously recorded and broadcast in real-time over the internet. It is often referred to simply as streaming. Non-live media such as video-on-demand, vlogs, and YouTube videos are technically streamed, but no ...
on her
Patreon
Patreon (, ) is a membership platform that provides business tools for content creators to run a subscription service. It helps creators and artists earn a monthly income by providing rewards and perks to their subscribers. Patreon charges a co ...
on April 27, 2020, that the project had evolved into two EPs to be released later in the year. She announced during another Patreon livestream on June 22, 2020, that the two EPs will be titled "Thank U 4 Taking Me 2 The Disco" and "I'd Like 2 Go Home Now". On July 26, 2020, it was announced during a Patreon livestream that her next single would be titled "Any Way You Wanna Love". "Any Way You Wanna Love" was released on September 30, 2020, on
Sumerian Records
Sumerian Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and London. The label was founded in 2006 by Ash Avildsen.[Sting
Sting may refer to:
* Stinger or sting, a structure of an animal to inject venom, or the injury produced by a stinger
* Irritating hairs or prickles of a stinging plant, or the plant itself
Fictional characters and entities
* Sting (Middle-eart ...]
,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
,
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...
,
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
and
Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac are a British-American rock band, formed in London in 1967. Fleetwood Mac were founded by guitarist Peter Green, drummer Mick Fleetwood and guitarist Jeremy Spencer, before bassist John McVie joined the line-up for their epony ...
. That's what I was drawn to. I love the simplicity of a great song, I just didn't realize how hard that was to capture in a recording. That's why working with Rosen is so great. It was like, 'Okay, I found this guy I can write songs with and who is really good at turning everything into pop, while still letting me be myself.'"
According to ''Interview'', "the lovelorn facets of Myers' dark, intimate music might evoke
Sinéad O'Connor
Shuhada Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor on 8 December 1966; ) is an Irish singer-songwriter. Her debut album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and charted internationally. Her second album, ''I Do Not Want What ...
or
Fiona Apple
Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She has released five albums from 1996 to 2020, which have all reached the top 20 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart. Apple has received numerous awards an ...
, but there are also moments of tumult and menace that trace back to her teenage fascination with grunge bands such as
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
and
Alice In Chains
Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...
."
Myers is also a fan of
Enya
Enya Patricia Brennan (; ga, Eithne Pádraigín Ní Bhraonáin; born 17 May 1961), known professionally by the mononym Enya, is an Irish singer, songwriter, and musician known for modern Celtic music. She is the best-selling Irish solo arti ...
. She confirmed the song "Some People" follows Enya's lead.
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Notes
Videography
Appearances in film and television
"Monster" played during the end credits to the Season 1 finale of ''
Banshee
A banshee ( ; Modern Irish , from sga, ben síde , "woman of the fairy mound" or "fairy woman") is a female spirit in Irish folklore who heralds the death of a family member, usually by screaming, wailing, shrieking, or keening. Her name is c ...
''.
"Curbstomp" along with "Go" both appeared in
''The Originals'' episodes "The Casket Girls" and "Alive and Kicking" respectively.
"Curbstomp" was used in the series ''
CSI: New York''.
"Make a Shadow" appeared on
''Teen Wolf'' in addition to the film ''
American Satan
''American Satan'' is a 2017 American supernatural musical thriller film directed by Ash Avildsen, who also wrote the screenplay with Marty Beckerman. It was released in theaters on Friday October 13, 2017 and stars Andy Biersack, Ben Bruce, ...
''.
"Constant" appeared in an episode of ''
American Idol
''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...
'' in March 2019.
"Desire" appeared in the teaser promo for the second season of ''
Hanna''.
References
External links
Meg Myers Interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Myers, Meg
American women singer-songwriters
American rock singers
Singer-songwriters from Tennessee
Musicians from Los Angeles
Living people
1986 births
Singer-songwriters from California
Sumerian Records artists
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American singers