We recently connected with Megan Letts and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

From the time I was a kid, I knew I wanted to be a performer. I was gregarious and precocious — a wild little girl with not a shy bone in my body. I was a sponge that soaked up every new skill in sight. I played every instrument I could get my hands on and signed up for every theater camp available to me. I was always performing, hosting self directed plays with cousins, holding cello recitals in front of our Christmas Tree, and as a toddler, even inviting my parents to join me in the bathroom while I used the toilet so I could tell them a story or sing them a song. Thankfully my stages grew from my tiled mini-hippodrome to more public spaces. As a double PK (pastor’s kid, times 2!) I began singing in church, which taught me so much about being in musical relationship with others, and laid the groundwork for my love of music.

With my performer spirit tucked under one arm and my hunger to learn tucked under the other, I was vivacious, and confident that I could do and be just about anything in the world — A painter! A doctor! An actor! The first female president! (And like every other kid who grew up with Lisa Frank notebooks) a marine biologist! But whatever I did, I knew I would be a performer. A performer of surgeries or plays, spreadsheets or poems, on the stage or behind a computer.

So now, I do both. I perform on stages and write songs and let my creative soul flourish while also sitting behind a computer, typing hundreds of emails a day to help other artist’s careers thrive. I jokingly (but truthfully) say my 9-5 is artist management and my 5-9 is being an artist myself. As the kid who took on every summer camp and tried to learn every skill within reach, this duality serves my busy buzzing brain, and I’m grateful I can wear (all) the hats of both performer and industry buff.

Megan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I lead 6 piece indie-soul band Mama Magnolia as well as perform in various groups solo. Mama Magnolia recently released our first full length album, produced by Robert Ellis and co-produced and engineered by Josh Block (White Denim, Leon Bridges). You can listen to our music and check out our upcoming shows at www.mamamagnolia.com and at instagram.com/mamamagnoliamusic!

While music is my soul passion, I also find much joy in artist management. I am an artist manager at Red Light Management in Seattle, WA where I work with a range of artists that vary in size and genre. I joined Red Light in November of 2019, moving from Denver, CO (where I was also working in artist management). I like to describe artist management as the “central hub” for all people and processes musicians deal with to get their music out to the world. Booking agents, business managers, venue promoters, lawyers, tour managers, publishing companies, etc, etc all fall underneath the umbrella of people that we as managers deal with in the “hub”. We are the ones helping coordinate all parts of the puzzle so that the artists can focus on the actual art!

In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?

PAY THEM. Especially black and other POC who have been championing the arts since the beginning of time. The “starving artist” is no longer an acceptable excuse for those who enjoy their art to point towards when they don’t want to pay for their art and creative services. I will never forget during the pandemic when so many people said “we will never take live music for granted ever again,” yet ticket sales for many club-level and local acts continue to struggle. Spotify pays $0.003 – $0.005 per stream on average to the artist. That means that one $25 tee shirt is equal to you listening to an artists song 5,000 times! A thriving creative ecosystem needs fuel, and that fuel is often funding.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I had leaned on the women around me and ahead of me earlier in my career. For so long, there was only one seat at the table for a woman — if that — which caused a lot of competition and a cut throat environment in many musical circles I was a part of. I am so grateful to now be supported, loved and mentored by so many creative, badass, incredible GODDESSES who make me a better performer and human being.     

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mamamagnolia.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meganlettsmusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meganlettsmusic
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-letts-99215282/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/MeganNeedCheese

Image Credits
Angela Ricciotti Lauren Withrow Evan Burns Nick Negrete