THE MAKING OF CHRISTMAS MORNING

Hey there!

Stephanie here. For those of you that don’t know, I help Megan out here on the blog. We work together to keep the blog running and execute all of the super fun content ideas that she has for you all. She is a joy to work with, and it’s been such a blast the last two years to be a member of her team and support the community that she has in her corner of the internet.

I know you’re used to hearing from Megan here on the blog, but today we’re switching things up a bit. The following interview is to give you some insight into Megan’s newest EP, Christmas Morning: the making of it, the inspiration behind the project, production choices, and more. If you haven’t already listened, it’s such a fun album, and Megan poured so much of her heart into creating it.

Hi, Megan! So, just to begin, can you tell me when this project began, i.e., when you decided to create a Christmas EP and when the process actually started?

I’ve always loved making Christmas music! The jazzy chords paired with jingle bells and strings, it’s such a fun genre of music to play in. It had been in the back of my mind for a while to create another album instead of just a single each year. When Cooper and I had a three-month trip we had been planning cancel, I was disappointed, but then it felt like the perfect time to start a new project. So I reached out to my friend and producer, Morgan Taylor Reid, to see if he would be down to create it together. Then by February we were out in LA to make it happen in a week.

How did you pinpoint what you wanted this album as a whole to sound like? Did you have any artists in mind when approaching these unique arrangements?

I would say for overall feel I wanted the tracks to feel bright, pop, but still timeless. When it came to “Christmas Wrapping” vocals, I was actually thinking a lot of Taylor Swift circa 1989 because she has always done such a great job bringing so much personality to her vocals in her songs. “Jingle Bells” was heavily inspired by my love for Bossa Nova music, and “Sleigh Ride “ actually had some inspo from Jacob Collier vocally (who by the way has some of the most insane vocal arrangements you’ll ever hear). What we did was like Jacob Collier lite, but still definitely inspired by his work.

I know you and your husband Cooper work together a lot, whether that’s streaming, making music, etc. He even helps us test some of the “Megan Learns to Cook” recipes! What was his primary role in the creation of Christmas Morning?

Cooper got to be a part of some of the early stages of production. He played guitars, bass, and even a guitar-ukulele combo in the intro of Sleigh Ride. He lended his vocals to some of the tracks for background vocal parts and was a co-writer with Morgan and I on “Christmas Morning,” the title track and original song on the album.

Have you been working with Morgan on most of your recent music?

My last few songs to come out were all produced by different people, but Morgan has made a lot of my songs in the past including “Mascara”. I knew he would be the perfect fit to bring that bright pop sound I wanted on a lot of these holiday tunes. It’s fun to collaborate with different people from time to time because each person always brings their own fresh approach to a song. I’m thankful to have worked with a lot of talented people (and being married to a producer is a bonus).

There’s such a spirit of play on this record. I can really hear so much of your personality in it, from the background vocals on “Sleigh Ride” to the fun and flirty horns in “Christmas Wrapping.” Do you have a favorite song on this EP? Which was the hardest to complete?

It's hard to choose a favorite, but “Jingle Bells” might be it, just because it felt like the most unique approach to a classic Christmas song. It was inspired by a lot of the Bossa Nova music I listen to, and I even did a mouth trumpet solo on the track. It started as a joke, me just playing around on the mic in the gaps of the track, but then it actually sounded pretty good so we went for it. The hardest song was probably “Christmas Wrapping.” We were all anticipating that one to be the biggest challenge of them all because part of what makes the original song so fun is the attitude of vocals and track. We ended up stacking so many vocals and making it feel super chanty and ultimately I think we paid good homage to the original while making it our own. The most challenging one was also just the most fun to make. I loved adding quirky vocal elements like the love interests vocal part talking back in the last verse (which was just me with vocal effects on — lol).

To zoom out a little bit, you music career started in your late teens. Now at 29, how would you say you’ve changed as an artist? How has this project been influenced by those experiences?

I think I just feel more sure of myself know than ever before. I wish I had this same expertise and confidence I have now back when I was my most active, but everything comes with time and I’m thankful for all that time I’ve had to grow as an artist. On stage I feel more comfy than ever and in the studio I feel more sure of myself as a writer and in voicing what I want in a song. As an artist, one thing hasn’t changed much, and that’s that I still want to create just fun and feel-good songs. I still love everything colorful and bright and want to bring that into my music.

As we close out the year, I’m sure you’re glad Christmas Morning is out in the world and you can just enjoy it with your fans, friends, and family. What would you say was the highlight of this project?

Making it happen and actually releasing it. I think before, I had lot of high expectations around releases, and if I didn't hit those goals I felt like I was a failure. But actually going through with making the project and sharing it with the world is a huge step in itself! I also loved getting to create some really fun visuals with awesome teams of people. I’ve gotten to dip my toes in a lot of different areas and wear lots of hats as my own stylist, producer, and prop department even. Which I think makes me appreciate even more all the people who have expertise in those areas. It also makes me really proud to have made these visuals with such small crews and still making something awesome.

I hope everyone can enjoy Christmas Morning and create some new memories to the music on the album. Whether it’s decorating the tree, making cookies, or going for a drive to look at lights, I hope Christmas Morning can be a part of all those special holiday moments.

That’s all we have for you today, everyone! Thanks for always supporting Megan here on the blog as well as Twitch, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok. Let us know if you enjoyed this interview, and maybe we’ll do one for Megan’s next project!