CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Honest Words, the scorching debut album from recording artist Megan McCormick, is in many ways a genre-defying throwback to the contemplative music of eras past. Therefore it comes as no surprise to hear the 24-year-old newcomer name-check artists as disparate as Jimi Hendrix, Gladys Knight, Bonnie Raitt, and Steely Dan as influences. Yet the singer-songwriter-guitarist with the rockabilly pompadour, who seems poised to take her spot in the pantheon of prodigious multihyphenate musicians alongside Brandi Carlile and Tegan and Sara, is also an exciting new breed of entertainer. McCormick is gay and feels no need to be cagey about her sexuality.
"I think after seeing me perform or meeting me, most people would probably say, 'Yeah, Megan, she's definitely gay,' " McCormick says with a laugh.
In a year that has seen celebrities ranging from Sean Hayes to Ricky Martin finally come out as gay after years of evading the question, it's encouraging to hear the soft-spoken McCormick reveal that she never felt pressure from either her management or record label, Ryko, to play it straight.
"It was a total nonissue for everybody," she says by phone from Nashville, where she lives and records. "I don't think my sexuality affects my music." McCormick acknowledges that when it came time to discuss the promotion of Honest Words, the mention of her sexuality did indeed come up. "They just asked what I was comfortable with and how I wanted to include this as a part of who I am," she says. "The label has never asked me to be something that I'm not. I know that's not the case for many recording artists."
McCormick, an Idaho native who spent her teen years in Wasilla, Alaska (making her the most famous woman from there who isn't named Palin), just wants to make music. Though she studied business and marketing after fleeing Alaska to attend East Tennessee State University, she was more excited about the school's bluegrass program, and she can't imagine pursuing another career. "I highly doubt that there is an existence out there for me aside from being involved in music in some way, shape, or form," she says, "My mother is a country singer and a drummer, my dad is a guitar player, all my aunts and uncles had a band, and both my maternal grandparents are members of the Western Swing Hall of Fame."
"I think after seeing me perform or meeting me, most people would probably say, 'Yeah, Megan, she's definitely gay,' " McCormick says with a laugh.
In a year that has seen celebrities ranging from Sean Hayes to Ricky Martin finally come out as gay after years of evading the question, it's encouraging to hear the soft-spoken McCormick reveal that she never felt pressure from either her management or record label, Ryko, to play it straight.
"It was a total nonissue for everybody," she says by phone from Nashville, where she lives and records. "I don't think my sexuality affects my music." McCormick acknowledges that when it came time to discuss the promotion of Honest Words, the mention of her sexuality did indeed come up. "They just asked what I was comfortable with and how I wanted to include this as a part of who I am," she says. "The label has never asked me to be something that I'm not. I know that's not the case for many recording artists."
McCormick, an Idaho native who spent her teen years in Wasilla, Alaska (making her the most famous woman from there who isn't named Palin), just wants to make music. Though she studied business and marketing after fleeing Alaska to attend East Tennessee State University, she was more excited about the school's bluegrass program, and she can't imagine pursuing another career. "I highly doubt that there is an existence out there for me aside from being involved in music in some way, shape, or form," she says, "My mother is a country singer and a drummer, my dad is a guitar player, all my aunts and uncles had a band, and both my maternal grandparents are members of the Western Swing Hall of Fame."
Veteran Nashville music publisher David Conrad, champion of accomplished performers such as Patty Griffin and Emmylou Harris, was an early advocate for McCormick after seeing her perform as part of a showcase at the Basement, a popular Nashville music venue. "David said, 'This is so different from what I've been hearing,' " McCormick says. "'This is so not Nashville, and I really like that. Let's work together,' and that was the beginning of some very major relationships in my professional life."
Though she can play a guitar (be it electric, acoustic, bass, or lap steel) with the best of them, McCormick's most singular instrument is perhaps her voice, which can switch from a whisper to a wail in a heartbeat. Despite McCormick's fresh attitude, Honest Words often sounds like a newly discovered gem from the country-folk alt-rock world of Southern California three decades ago. Tracks like the lusty "Shiver" and the redemptive ballad "Oh My Love" wouldn't feel out of place on a Linda Ronstadt album from her chart-topping heyday in the mid '70s--albeit with slicker guitar licks.
On a break before several performances prior to launching her official tour this fall to support Honest Words, McCormick is excited to get back on the road. But she takes a moment to reflect on the reason she's making music. "I'm totally blessed and thankful," she says. "I get to have this really amazing conversation with people through music." She also downplays the notion that she might be considered a pioneer for being out at the onset of a career, but adds, "I would love to think that I've made it easier for the next person."
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Meet all 37 of the queer women in this season's WNBA
April 17 2024 11:24 AM
Here are the 15 gayest travel destinations in the world: report
March 26 2024 9:23 AM
21+ steamy photos of Scotland’s finest gay men in Elska Glasgow
February 01 2024 10:07 PM
More Than 50 of Our Favorite LGBTQ+ Moms
May 12 2024 11:44 AM
Conjoined twins Lori Schappell and trans man George Schappell dead at 62
April 27 2024 6:13 PM
Latest Stories
Kamala Harris rides wave of Democratic energy at kickoff event in Wisconsin
July 23 2024 3:36 PM
'Devastated:' A six-week abortion ban will go into effect in Iowa next week
July 23 2024 2:28 PM
Four hours, 44,000 Black women, and one Zoom call
July 23 2024 2:17 PM
Record 1.2 million people show out for Cologne’s Pride parade
July 23 2024 10:51 AM
Here's how far-right activist Leonard Leo helped fund Bud Light boycott
July 23 2024 10:27 AM
Elon Musk’s comments about his trans daughter prove why she doesn’t speak to him
July 23 2024 9:16 AM
Nancy Pelosi endorses Kamala Harris for president
July 22 2024 4:07 PM
Charli XCX declares Kamala Harris IS brat & our next President's campaign agrees
July 22 2024 3:08 PM