MEG MAC

Interview

What music related activities did you participate in whilst you were at school to build your career and who inspired you through your schooling years to explore your passion for music?

What is strange is that I started to learn piano when I was at school and I hated it. I can’t read music, I’d never practise and when I finished school I discovered you could just play simple chords and write music and now I love the piano – everything I do is based around the piano now.

It didn’t make sense to me when there were so many scales and rules. That’s what is so good about writing music – there are no rules and I worked that out for myself after leaving school.

When you were in Year 12 and planning for the next step in further education and training, what were your plans at the time? Did you plan on pursuing music?

I didn’t know I wanted to make music until I started writing my own. That didn’t start until I had left school – I got obsessed with playing piano and singing all day but I had no plan and no idea where it would lead me. It just felt good at the time so I went with it.

When did you feel that you had made ‘your big break’ in the music industry?

I uploaded a song to Triple J Unearthed and that’s where everything began for me. Since that day I’ve just kept going!

Some young people who are passionate about music don’t pursue a career after school, as they are concerned they won’t have a secure job or career. What advice can you offer young people who are thinking about pursing a career in the music industry?

I guess it depends what you really want deep down. If you want to know what you’re going to do every morning when you wake up then music won’t give you that and I don’t think it matters how successful you are.

There is a saying that ‘if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life’. What do you find to be personally fulfilling about your career in music?

Touring is my favourite, playing lots of shows and  travelling. It is sometimes hard but it is the most fulfilling part of what I do when I can play my songs for people and connect with them in real life.

What advice would you give young people who have limited access to resources but who are passionate about pursuing a career in music (e.g., live in a rural area, are financially disadvantaged, have limited social support).

I used to only have a crappy keyboard when I first moved out of home, I used to record all my song ideas into my phone (I still do that) I don’t think anything can stop you from creating if that’s what you really want to do! 

Keeping in mind that careers are constructed over your lifetime, what are your career goals and plans for the future?

I never want to stop writing or making music – so whatever happens I hope I never forget how much it means to me.

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