Williamstown singer, songwriter Megan Knight to release second EP “State of Mind” with hometown release show on Friday, Feb. 9
Megan Knight’s music career began with a voice, a guitar and an open-mic night that would change her life. Anticipating the release of her second EP titled “State of Mind,” the 20-year-old Williamstown resident lives an unconventional lifestyle compared to most her age, spending her nights performing for audiences throughout the region, and her days songwriting.
At the age of 13, Knight taught herself how to play guitar by watching videos and tutorials on YouTube. However, it wasn’t until her parents gave her a push to perform at an open-mic night at Coffee Works in Voorhees that her talents would launch into a full-time career. By her sophomore year of high school, Knight was traveling to and from Muscle Shoals, Ala., to record her first self-titled album with Grammy-winning producer Gary Nichols at The Nutthouse Recording Studio. Knight finished her last two years of high school online, and has been recording music ever since.
“I’m so thankful,” Knight said. “I never imagined this in a thousand years, but I stuck with it. My parents motivated me and I wouldn’t be able to do what I do without them.”
Knight credits her first coffee shop open-mic night — which hired her after her first performance to return for two-hour sets — for introducing her to the cover scene, which now funds her original career. Typically, Knight performs cover songs for live audiences three to four nights per week, allowing her time throughout the day to write her own music.
According to Knight, when writing “State of Mind,” produced by Jamie Myers of Blackwood Recording Studios, she was inspired by a variety of music influences, ranging from artists such as Julia Michaels, Lana Del Rey, Zella Day and Lorde. While her first album was cross-over country, she said, her upcoming EP, which she co-produced, is more “dark alternative,” inspired by James Bond movies and the “Westworld” theme song.
“It’s very cinematic,” Knight said. “You can definitely hear a change in who I’ve become as a person from record to record.”
“State of Mind” is a collection of five songs about the “power of perspective,” Knight said, and aims to show how a person’s mindset can change their entire viewpoint on life.
“It’s pretty deep,” Knight said. “It’s about the power of positivity and about how truly your perspective can change how you see everything; you just have to look at the situation in another way.”
According to Knight, she and Myers played every instrument and conceptualized every aspect of the EP together.
“It was just us,” Knight said. “To do everything ourselves and have every single thing we wanted was incredible.”
Knight plans to continue their work together for her next album “No Evidence,” which will be recorded in Nashville and Kansas City, where Myers recently moved. The full-length album of seven to 11 tracks will be be a contrast to “State of Mind,” which was primarily written about Knight, as “No Evidence” tells an “upbeat” story of a fictional girl who finds the right path after struggling with drugs and alcohol. Knight anticipates this record to release in late 2018, early 2019.
“The story lines create themselves,” Knight said. “I go in with a completely free mind and I write all of my songs individually; I don’t try to connect them. This album coming out here wrote itself. It wasn’t intentional.”
Knight said her songwriting typically begins with lyrics, with a guitar melody to follow. Other times, she said, she’ll record hums into her phone to pair with lyrics later down the line or she’ll collaborate in the studio while experimenting with chord progressions and beats.
“My goal is to build up enough of an original catalogue, especially with this genre, to have enough material to eventually tour the country,” Knight said.
A hometown release show for “State of Mind” is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 9, at The Kathedral Event Center, located at 499 S. Egg Harbor Road, Hammonton. Surrounded by her friends, family and fans from across the region, Knight will debut her music live for the first time. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. with the show to follow at 7 p.m. All ages are welcome. Tickets are available for $10 at www.kathedral.com.
For more information about Knight and her music, visit www.meganknightmusic.com. “State of Mind” will be made available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Prime and more retail sites upon release.
