Meet Trailblazer Meghan Mahowald

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meghan Mahowald.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Meghan. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
Oh man- this is probably the most common response, but I’ve been singing since I was a kid. I performed in my first musical at the age of eight and from then on, I was hooked. I was always in rehearsal and auditioning for the next musical I could find. I knew at a really young age that I was born to entertain! I then went on to foster that passion and attend the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts with a major in Classical Voice and a minor in Musical Theatre. LACHSA was such a magical place where I learned that entertaining was my career path, not just a hobby. While in high school, my Mom and I started an all-girl pop group called Runway MMC. With my mom’s career in fashion, we were able to design our own clothing line that was sold in over 400 Wet Seal stores across the country. I thought this was it! We were working with Mel B, Alex Cantrall, and getting paid to perform at fairs and fashion shows. Well, Runway MMC ended two years later when one girl dropped out, another wanted to pursue other genres, and I wanted to go to college. After I graduated LACHSA, I was 1 of 5 vocalists accepted into the Thornton School of Music’s Popular Music Performance Major at USC where I earned my Bachelor’s of Music. My freshman year I wrote, recorded and released my first solo EP and I feel like THAT’S when I found my voice as an artist and as a human. I spent the rest of my college career diving into Pop Music, Music Theory, songwriting, and performing in musicals on campus. The turning point in my career happened at USC when we had to come up with our Senior Thesis, which basically asked who we were as artists and/or creators. My Senior Thesis was based on the idea that I love Musical Theatre, I love Pop music, I love writing, I love comedy, why can’t I just do it all? I basically gave myself permission to pursue all the things I love!

After graduation I played a bunch of shows, went on tours, recorded and released 3 EPs – one as a solo artist and the other two with bands was on The Voice and created my Youtube child, Scrambled. Scrambled is my theatrical, comedic outlet where I put all of my most horrifying experiences and embarrassing moments on blast (and believe me, there are many!). I interview a guest each week who is an artist of sorts and we exchange our most embarrassing moments. I love it. It’s real, it’s honest and it’s a fresh break from the perfection we all find ourselves drowning in from social media.

I’m currently working on a new solo EP, teaching voice lessons, gigging professionally around LA and working on a mini skit series, in addition to Scrambled. You know she likes to keep herself busy!

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Oh, definitely not a smooth road! There are two events in my past that have had a huge impact on who I am today.

The first and most important being when I lost my Dad tragically and unexpectedly at the age of 12. That really threw me off course for a long time. Because my Dad was my cheerleader and such an advocate for my passion, it was hard for me to perform without him. It was almost like I lost the joy that I used to get from the arts until I went to LACHSA. Don’t get me wrong, my Mom is mostly to thank for helping me get out of that slump with the ridiculous amount of support and love she has given me since birth and continues to give me, but LACHSA gave me an outlet to re-find that joy and remind me who I am and what I was born to do. My teachers there taught me discipline and technique while simultaneously teaching me to play, explore and be grateful for the gift I was given. The one thing I was most afraid to do after I lost my Dad turned out to be the only thing I needed to save myself. Since then, music and performance have been my therapy.

Second is after graduating from USC, I had a plan and it all fell apart in my face. I had an opportunity to audition for The Voice and in hopes of furthering my band’s music, I took it. Well, things didn’t go as planned and I didn’t get a chair turn. They asked me back a second time and I STILL didn’t get a chair turn so that sucked. It wasn’t until I came back home that I felt I had really hit rock bottom. While I was gone, my band had moved on to other projects and I felt like I was left with nothing. It was heartbreaking and took me a few years to recover from. I had to come up with a new plan, really dig deep into myself, re-find my confidence and start fresh. After a lot of self-work and self-love, I ended up finding my confidence and myself in the process.

Any advice for other women, particularly young women who are just starting their journey?
When I think of advice, I imagine what I would tell a 14-year-old version of myself. Now granted, I’m still working on these myself but they are lessons I wish I was told. Get rid of the perfectionism, it’s crippling and unnecessary. Don’t expect anyone to do things for you – no one is going to care about your art more than you, so do the work! Pursue the things you’re most afraid of – fear is the ONLY thing in your way and if you’re scared of something, chances are it’s going to bring the most growth and fulfillment!

Tell us what do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
I don’t know if I would say I specialize in any one thing but I am definitely an entertainer through and through. In addition to that, I think first and foremost, I’m a vocalist. I’ve been trained classically and have spent most of my life singing and working on technique – hell, now I teach it! However, comedy and acting are a huge part of me as well.

I think what I’m “known for” and what sets me apart go hand in hand – I’m very loud, opinionated and unapologetically myself and I think those come out in my music and my art. I’m extremely goofy (no matter how “cool” I try to come off as) and I really do love people and interacting with them! That’s what has been so fun about Scrambled is I get to talk and interact with friends and artists from all walks of life. Same goes for music – my favorite kind of creating is collaborative.

I think I’m most proud of the music I write and of my Youtube show, Scrambled. I’m such a perfectionist that it’s crippling and the only time I release music is when I’m letting go of that perfection and just letting the product be a moment in time. When it comes to Scrambled, I’m most proud of the fact that this show serves as an outlet for people to connect with something real. Like we’ve all had that moment where we puked on a crush from being too drunk, or shit ourselves in public yet no one wants to talk about it!! We get so wrapped up in filters and editing our teeth whiter and only showing our best and prettiest moments and I’m proud to create something that isn’t that. Life just isn’t that serious! I’m honestly just proud of my ability to connect with people.

Do you recommend any apps, books or podcasts that have been helpful to you?
When I was really feeling uninspired and really just shitty all around, I bought and read two books that changed everything for me: You Are A Badass by Jen Sincero and The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. GREAT reads – I highly suggest anyone who is feeling low or down about where they are, is looking for inspiration or anyone who wants to make a change in their lives read them! One is a kick in the ass and the other is really eye-opening in terms of the way our mind works. Love, love, love those books.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.meggmusic.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: @meggmusic @officiallyscrambled
• Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVNynfIk5mkq9qEAz3Ua6pw

Image Credit:
Lauren Desberg, Amie Schow, Didi Beck, Claire Oring

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