ARTIST
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Megan Santi is a unicorn. Metaphorically, that is. Literally, she is a singer/songwriter based in Nashville, Tennessee, but her unique combination of talents and skills make her just about as rare as a majestic one-horned horse. Megan is a self-proclaimed music nerd, well versed in complex theory and arranging, with a master’s degree in commercial music. Read: she knows what's up. What makes her stand out is that she melds that level of refined skill and knowledge with a fun, light-hearted and emotive style—a rare combination. She can pair complicated chord structures and unique musical devices with honest lyrics and a sing-along melody, and makes it work seamlessly.
For Megan, writing and performing original music is more than just an opportunity to record some songs or launch a career. It’s about walking with each other through a life of faith that is not compartmentalized into neat, separate boxes. "In listening to my music, I hope people are reminded that living life as a Christian is a whole-life experience," she says. "Some of my songs are clearly about trying to follow Jesus well—about personal selfishness and the attempt to be good enough for God’s love. Some of them, are just about life along the way. The whole idea of 'Love to Share' is meeting people where they are, and that living life with Jesus is an open invitation to a life lived in relationship with Him, not just trying to make life work on our own." Megan has been playing music and singing since she was small, having grown up in a very musical family. She sang in church, learned the trumpet from her father and the piano from her mother. “I’ve always wanted to be a performer,” says Megan. “So music was a natural medium to entertain people!” Though perhaps not the most practical choice on paper as say, business or engineering, Megan followed her passion and attended Belmont University for a degree in commercial voice. "Belmont’s one of those places that has the ability to simultaneously humble and empower you. I learned to arrange songs and do all kinds of geeky stuff on the computer in college, and I finally took my first dance lessons.” Her vocal training and dance experience led to performing full-time production shows after graduation, from a cruise ship to a national theater tour. "As much as I loved singing Celine Dion—who doesn’t?—I wanted to say more on stage. I decided to go back to Belmont to get my master’s in commercial music.” It wasn’t until her first year of grad school that she wrote her first song. “I was 24 and had never written a song before. My voice teacher threatened to fail me if I didn’t write a song before the end of the semester.” After the first song, more came toppling out, and Megan found she did, in fact, have a lot more to say in her music. Now those words are ready to be shared with the world. Megan is now the proud owner of a master’s degree in commercial music. She continues to pursue her passion for music and her career by arranging music for show choirs, teaching a vocal ensemble at Belmont University, and, of course, writing and performing her original songs. |