Life & Work with Meg Pfeiffer of Germantown

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meg Pfeiffer.

Hi Meg, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My Name is Meg Pfeiffer, a singer/songwriter, music producer, and director. From picking up classical guitar at age 8 and learning the piano by age 13, I have built a strong relationship with songwriting. My genre bounces between rock, folk, pop, and alternative soul. A diverse range of musical styles has always inspired me, and I began my early career studying at a boarding school for music. I always wanted to write songs. After moving to New York, I landed my first endorsed publishing deal at Universal Music. I extended my career path as a songwriter with a contract at Columbia Records and signed songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Adele, Bruce Springsteen, Pharrell Williams, and Beyoncè. However, sometimes major labels prefer cover songs because they are easily consumable for a wider audience.

Columbia Records was no exception. To release my original music, I had to stop working with them. I wanted to return to my artsy roots and become the songwriter I always intended to be. Nowadays, it is very hard for any songwriter to land a big hit with an original. Back then, I didn’t have a music manager who could defend my right to publish my songs.

In 2017, my husband, a world-class Fingerstyle guitarist Luca Stricagnoli, and I founded our record label. In 2022 we relocated it to Nashville because this city has always inspired us very much. My first demo tracks with Columbia Records were recorded at the Sound Emporium Studio in Nashville. Therefore, my connection to this vibrant place is invulnerable.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I had all sorts of experiences, from magical to devastating. Sometimes, as a female songwriter, you get confronted with hard-nosed people who build up hindrances and useless restrictions that could potentially havoc on your career. The result is that your image might suffer a huge amount of irritation and embarrassment that leads to despair. You never feel good enough. I have met many people in the music industry who tried to brainwash me and turn friends against me to pull through their marketing strategies. They painted my dreams as mistakes. Manipulation was on the agenda until I sadly started believing that I was responsible for misshaping my desires. I was still very young and had no mentor or manager to trust. This misguidance has put too much weight on my artist’s shoulders. I am a team player. I want to understand everyone’s opinion. Therefore, it matters to me very much what other people feel and think.

After a few years of confusion, I finally broke out of this pattern and risked everything. Leaving a major label behind to move on all alone is similar to getting a divorce. This was very hard because I could sense a huge ignorance coming from people I knew in the music industry, such as managers, producers, and other artists. I have been declared a failure and a “burnt” singer. So, no one wanted to work with me anymore. Radios no longer played my cover versions. It was hard to find live gigs. I was at the beginning of my twenties when I released my second album with Columbia Records. There was still time left to start, develop as a songwriter, and rise again. But with a shattered image, I felt lonesome like never before.

I find it essential to talk about these experiences so that new upcoming artists know about the hardships that musicians and songwriters had to endure. Maybe it is helping someone out there right now. If so: Mission accomplished.

I finally started releasing my songs, and it all became tremendously better. I felt healthier and more creative and sensed how this inspiring, visionary person I once was slowly returning and becoming stronger. I have been taking care of every aspect of the music business for a while now. I won various bountiful awards for songwriting and producing and toured in over 15 countries, from China to the USA, Canada to England, and so on. These awards and the great feedback from radio stations and my fans have shown me that I can do it all alone – may be better than any major label.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Firstly, I am obsessed with songwriting, but I also love my work as a director. With my husband, Luca Stricagnoli, I have been working on his YouTube channel, and we obtained more than 700,000 subscribers and more than 200 million views in the past three years. Luca has been ongoingly hailed as a prodigy, and he has shared the stage with Grammy winners. I am extremely proud of his eyebrow-raising performances on five guitars simultaneously. I think he is the most exciting guitar player of all time. I enjoy filming, producing, and editing music videos or short movies for us both but also for other artists. And clearly, I am a sucker for cinematographic creations. I received a YouTube Creator Award and a WorldFest-Houston Film Award for some of my works.

Be that as it may, songwriting and music productions have always been a treasured part of mine. My latest 23-track album NOPE won a German Rock and Pop Award for Best Folk-Rock Album, and additionally, I scored an award as Best Songwriter. On this album, I talk about hardship, the death of beloved ones, and any other misadventure I have experienced in the past years in the music industry. It was my fourth studio album, so I wanted to design it on my terms, from compositions and arrangements to graphics, music videos, and artistic personality. So far, it has been my best work, and I truly believe in it. I never felt so relieved, strengthened, and free to create art. People say I have a unique, noteworthy voice, and I believe that, besides my songwriting skills and music productions, this could be one of the things that set me apart from others.

Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
In closing, I would like to dive into my newest album UNSENT, the most extensive and determined project my husband and I ever worked on. Written and recorded during the global pandemic, UNSENT will be released on 11.11.22 since we both love double numbers. Totally, our 22-track album couldn’t be more different than my darker album NOPE and Luca’s latest album, CHANGE OF RULES. Designing our first-ever duo album UNSENT, we are excited about finally merging our solo histories to deliver a record that hopefully will leave our audiences wanting more.

My dad had died of cancer, and so did Luca’s stepmother, two of our uncles, and my husky dog. Today we still have family members who fight against cancer. Therefore, this is a very important puzzle piece to our project. To that end, every download counts. Besides, 100% of the income from all downloads and streams of our album will be donated to cancer research.

Furthermore, I can reveal that UNSENT is, by this time, a multi-award-winning album, which makes the next steps quite exciting. Some notable awards include attaining a first place at the LIT Talent Awards, receiving International Songwriter’s Day Award, earning a Tracks Music Award, and a Global Music Award. We believe we never sounded stronger and more energetic. In September, we will release the first single from our album UNSENT. It will be an uplifting, HAPPY song that will hopefully do good to people.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.megpfeiffer.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/megpfeiffer
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/megpfeiffer
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/megpfeiffer
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/megpfeiffer
• Other: www.youtube.com/lucastricagnoli

Image Credits
Luca Stricagnoli & Meg Pfeiffer