On her new song “Rock Bottom,” she said, “It’s the first song from a collection of songs that will be released individually at various intervals. Most of the songs are connected to each other and are telling different parts of the same story, so I am excited to let that story unfold.”
Regarding her future plans, she said, “Mainly, I am focusing on releasing all the new music and touring. I absolutely love being out on the road, but I took a break from touring this year to put all my energy into releasing ‘Rock Bottom,’ since it was my first release in three years.”
“I play regularly in and around Nashville, and I’ve been traveling to play sporadic shows across the country, but I’m excited to hit the road heavier next year. Performing in front of crowds, in front of the fans, that’s my favorite thing in the world,” she said.
On her musical inspirations, she said, “I am inspired by my everyday life and the lives of those around me. ‘Rock Bottom’ was initially inspired by a JK Rowling quote that I read on Pinterest, so I suppose I find inspiration in all sorts of places”.
“It’s always funny when I’ll be out at dinner with some of my songwriter friends and somebody will say something that would make a great song title, the person who said it will always joke ‘Hey, nobody steal that’,” she said.
McVeigh continued, “In terms of motivation, music is just what I’ve always wanted to do. I know that’s a very cliché answer, but it’s true. Since I’m from the U.K., in order to move to Nashville and be able to pursue my dream full time, I had to apply for my green card, which was approved in 2017. It was an incredibly long, grueling and expensive process, but now I’m here and I never take a second for granted. Not many people get to say they live their dream every day.”
For young and aspiring singer-songwriters, she said, “Passion and dedication is everything. There are so many setbacks in this industry, so many closed doors. You’ll get told ‘no’ more times than you’ll be told ‘yes,’ so if you can live without making music then you should because there will be times you’ll feel like your soul is being destroyed.”
“If you’re willing to get your hands dirty, put in the work and music is all you’ve ever wanted to do, then absolutely music is what you should be doing,” she added.
On being an artist in this digital age, she said, “For me, it’s a combination of excitement and frustration. I love that it’s so easy now to connect with the fans, and the fans to connect with the artist, via social media. It builds on that intimacy you feel at live shows because they feel a part of your everyday life and vice versa.”
She elaborated, “When it comes to the way music is consumed, I’m still a hardcore lover of physical CDs and it makes me sad that people are more interested in streaming than even downloading music anymore. Of course, things have to change and evolve, but I think the current state of the industry makes it difficult to put a value on music since it can be so easily consumed for free.”
“On the other hand, services like Spotify are godsend platforms for independent artists, like me, because they make it possible for people all over the world to hear your music and they’re more than willing to promote independent artists on their playlists,” she said.
“So, as with anything, there are pros and cons, and it’s just a case of finding a balance, but overall I’m happy with where things are and I’m excited to be apart of the ever-changing landscape,” she added.
Digital transformation of the music business
Regarding her use of technology in her daily routine as an artist, she said, “Much to my mom’s dislike, I use social media every day to connect with my fans. I probably couldn’t function without my phone and my computer because I’m constantly sending emails, editing photos or videos, designing content and everything in between. I like to be very hands-on in every aspect of my career, so I’ve always taken the time to learn as much as I can about every facet.”
“I love sharing snapshots of my day via Instagram Stories, I like joining conversations on Twitter and just keeping that open channel of communication with my followers. It’s also important to take breaks from the screen, so I try to make that a priority too,” she added.
She listed the following artists as her dream collaboration choices: Lady Gaga, Alan Mencken and Keith Urban. “Lady Gaga is probably my favorite artist of all time. I always say she’s the ‘Queen of my life.’ Her journey as an artist and a human is so inspirational to me, she has defied the odds in many aspects of her career and has achieved things nobody thought she would,” she said.
“I am a massive Disney fan, so Alan Menken is a dream collaboration of mine. He’s written the music for all my favorite Disney movies. Keith Urban is one of my favorite country music artists, and the fact he’s an international act is hugely relatable to me,” she added.
For her fans, she remarked about ‘Rock Bottom,” “It is the first release from a collection of songs. I always knew I wanted to release ‘Rock Bottom’” first because it talks about something that is often shied away from, or rather the perspective from which I presented it, isn’t a common one to have.”
She continued, “It’s not a sad song, it’s a song about finding empowerment in our lowest moments. When I was going through a really difficult time in my life, I actually found solace in hitting rock bottom because I had this strange sense of stability in knowing this was as low as I could go when you’re that low, there’s only one way to go and that’s up.”
“I always try to be as honest as possible in my music and I hope my fans can see that in this song and can relate to it. If this song can help one person realize that hitting rock bottom is nothing to be ashamed of, it’s something everybody experiences, then I’ve achieved what I wanted with this song,” she concluded.
