Conversations with Meryl Rudy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Meryl Rudy

Hi Meryl, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I first started playing music when I was nine years old by taking piano lessons alongside my father. Two years into that I was introduced to Fearless by Taylor Swift, which inspired me to learn guitar. I was determined to write my own music because I was awestruck at the fact that a pop star like Swift was a songwriter herself. Songwriting immediately became my whole existence. I remember researching music colleges in middle school – as if I could ever attend Julliard being that I barely played classical music anymore. Flash forward a decade and a half later, and I now have a degree in Songwriting, with hundreds of songs under my belt, and live in music city where I continue to write. Over the years I’ve learned that it’s difficult for me to write in just one genre. I dabble in bluegrass, folk, jazz, rap, blues, and very occasionally classical music. But that’s part of what I love about living in Nashville; everyone has their own interpretations of genres, and there’s no wrong way to approach making music.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I’ve dealt with stage freight my whole life. I’m much more comfortable performing with my band because I know they have my back and that they believe in me. I often feel anxious performing acoustic shows out of insecurity in my singing voice. It’s not that I don’t like my own voice, I just feel more confident in my songwriting than my singing.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’ve released a series of “Featuring” EPs and singles – self-released, produced, written songs sung by other artists – because I prefer other voices on recordings than my own. The dream would be a full time songwriter. However, until that happens, I’ll continue to release these “Featuring” projects to highlight other artists on my tunes. I love them though, so I’m okay with that! I have two songs on Spotify that stick out more than others, “I’d Run to the Moon” and “Howling”. One’s a jazz featuring song, and the other is a folk featuring tune. I think they both represent me as a writer quite well. “Jazz” has become one of my favorite genres in which I write. I put that word in quotes because the songs are often an interpretation of jazz: folk-jazz, jazz-funk, indie with jazz chords, etc. My band likes these tunes because the songs are often deceptively tricky, making them all the more fun to play. “Howling” is one of my favorite song babies because even though it was born out of a lonely time in my life, it has become such a positive piece of my writing career. It’s sung by the singer of my favorite bands, David Wimbish & The Collection. These “Featuring” projects have meant so much to me, and I hope to continue making them as long as I can.

Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I’ve been lucky enough to have support throughout my life and musical pursuits. My band members constantly remind me that they believe in me and enjoy playing my music. This might seem like a small thing, but you’d be surprised how much of a difference having a band who actually likes your music makes on your overall self esteem. My band challenges me to be a better performer, creates amazing parts that cater to the song, and are all around great people to have in my corner. My bass player specifically and one of my closest friends, Josh Bean, has time and again given me confidence to keep making music. Whenever I am on stage with him, I know it will be a great show. All my stage fright leaves the room when Josh is there to back me up. And I can’t move on to the next question without mentioning my keyboard player and boyfriend, Jody Chamberlain. Whenever I am at my lowest, feeling the weight of the music industry, he supports me. He reminds me that there’s a reason people keep wanting to be on my “Featuring” EPs. That there’s a reason my band gets excited to learn a new Meryl tune. Jody reminds me that I am a songwriter no matter what happens.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.merylrudy.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/merylrudymusic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/merylrudymusic/
• Twitter: https://x.com/merylrudymusic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnxCtnQVwwH_a7VVcgcJ7cw?view_as=subscriber

Image Credits
Justine Rudy, Noah James, Spencer Reintges, Ibbi Schwartz