Many of us can link a certain album to pivotal moments in our lives. Whether it’s the first record you bought with your own money, the chord you first learnt to play on guitar, the song that soundtracked your first kiss, the album that got you those awkward and painful pubescent years or the one that set off light bulbs in your brain and inspired you to take a big leap of faith into the unknown – music is often the catalyst for change in our lives and can even help shape who we become.
In this Love Letter To A Record series, Music Feeds asks artists to reflect on their relationship with music and share with us stories about the effect music has had on their lives.
Meghna – London Grammar, Truth Is A Beautiful Thing (2017)
I first heard London Grammar at a home studio, and the audio engineer played me ‘Metal & Dust’. This led me to you, as I was immediately enthralled by London Grammar’s sound. I hopped onto Spotify and fell in love with each and every tune. It was through you that my desire to become a musician was reaffirmed, and with each listen I became more determined to pursue my dream. The hauntingly beautiful vocals from Hannah Reid, and the amazing instrumental work from Dot Major and Dan Rothman made you easy to listen to in any situation.
A particularly fond memory I had with you was when I was on a trip to Wales, and we took a tour bus to explore some sights. I remember it was a grey, gloomy day, and I popped in my earphones and put on ‘Hell To The Liars’. The experience was like no other. The Welsh landscape and the excitement of being overseas with you as a soundtrack made me feel like I was in a movie.
Back when I was at high school, I discovered the competition ‘triple j Unearthed High’. I had to submit a song the next day in order to be considered for the competition. It seems like I had discovered this opportunity too late. Alas, I was determined to submit something to the best of my ability, so I got permission from my music teacher to hire the school’s recording studio after school, and I got to work. I wrote and recorded ‘Pandemonium’, the style of music which was inspired from yours. I was so proud of meeting the deadline, and you definitely helped with that in terms of inspiration, so thank you.
Another great time I had was when London Grammar came to Melbourne in 2017, and I saw you live with my grandmother. We booked tickets a day before, so the seats weren’t great, but nevertheless it was an incredible experience. They played songs from you, and I was completely jamming out. Even my grandmother was, and she isn’t familiar with your songs. It was a great bonding experience for the two of us!
Wow! So many memories. Another notable one was in my final year of high school—I had to submit a recorded performance of a few songs for one of my final assessments. I chose to sing ‘Rooting For You’, and it was the highest grade I got in that class! So again, thank you for being there.
What can I say, you were there for me during high school, and you provided me with lots of creative opportunities. Whether that be writing or performing, you played a big part in my high school experience.
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Meghna is a Melbourne-based artist who’s revealed an accompanying DIY music video for her single ‘In My DNA’, co-directed by artist Eileen Zhang and Meghna.
Shot across the Melbourne CBD, the clip switches between some of the city’s iconic landmarks, including Crown Casino, Southbank and Chinatown. The analogue-tinged production cuts frenetically between the luminous cityscape and flashes of kaleidoscopic imagery.
“I wanted to create a hectic clip at night to unnerve the viewer, as I thought it would go well with the song’s content,” Meghna explains.
“The video utilises lots of neon colours contrasted with the night sky, and there is a shot of DNA to mirror the idea of ‘In My DNA’. I didn’t want the music video to be too literal but rather wanted to create ‘chaotic night vibes’ that was up to the viewer’s interpretation. The song itself is pretty confronting in terms of its lyrical context.”
Watch it below!
