Meet the Beautiful Singer: GAGE

The words are moving. The delivery, haunting. Nevermine, the most recent release from Oakland based singer/songwriter, Gage, tells the story of an unrequited love gone wrong. As the first track from her debut EP, The Poet & The Party, Nevermine serves to establish Gage's songwriting abilities. A creator at heart, she has devoted herself to making art of all kinds, whether music, digital art, visuals and more. The San Jose native studied Product Design at Stanford University before deciding to pursue music full-time. With the savvy of a business woman and the soul of an artist, Gage is ready to take the music world by storm.



Please tell me your name and what you do for a living.

M: My name is Megan (although I go professionally by Gage). First and foremost, I am an aspiring songwriter, but you could say I'm a creative. I enjoy singing, acting, modeling and designing as well. I love creating things.

Tell me a little about yourself... where are you from, where did you grow up.. what was your childhood like?

M: I grew up in a conservatively christian household in San Jose. The type of house where you go to church twice a week for bible study, volunteered at another church on Fridays, prayed before every meal and handed out evangelistic yo-yos at Halloween. Church is actually where I learned guitar and first began singing in front of crowds. Outside of the church though, I never really had many close friends growing up. I had trouble confiding in people and that's where writing came in. Whenever I needed to get anything out, I wrote it down.

Why did you decide to become what you are?

M: Honestly, I don't think it was a choice for me. I tried doing the math, science and engineering route. I went to the summer camps. I did the internships. I graduated with my engineering degree. I lived that life, but I realized I didn't want to keep living it. I knew that what I had always loved doing, what I would continue doing despite whatever paid the bills, was write songs. I thought it was unfair to deny myself the possibility of discovering what I could do, how far I could go, so I finally completely devoted myself to it. The harder I worked and the more I was able to focus on it, the more I realized I couldn't do anything else with my life. A lot of people would look at my background and question why I chose this path, but now, for me, it couldn't be any other way.

What projects have you worked on. Which one was your favorite and why?

M: Nevermine is part of the first official project I'm working on. It is the first single from The Poet and The Party, a two part project I'm working to release this year. I'm taking this first project to really delve into myself as an artist. The Poet and The Party acts as a reflection of myself. While part two, The Party (to be released later this year) will center more around self-reflection and melodic/harmonic exploration, I want part one, The Poet (set to release in April) to establish my songwriting skills. I challenged myself to create stories that immerse the listener in my world. I want to play with drama. I want to be as evocative as a movie. I want listeners to find something new each time they listen, and I think I've done a good job of ensuring that.

What has been your most touching or amazing moment you've experienced as a singer?

M: The most amazing moment for me as a singer, without a doubt, has been performing live. Performing has always been about vulnerability for me. There's a beauty in being able to give yourself unfiltered to an audience, even if it's just for a 20 minute set. Every time I sing one of my songs for someone, I share a part of myself. I trust them with these pieces of me and hope they can learn something new from them, whether it's about me or themselves.

What other singers have been inspirational to you in your work?

M: I try to find inspiration everywhere I look. Right now, I'm gaining a lot of inspiration sonically from Amy Winehouse, Jazmine Sullivan, Alicia Keys, Erykah Badu, Frank Ocean, FKA Twigs and Hiatus Kaiyote. I go through periods of time where I engulf myself in new music, or at least new to me. I'll study old records by Dionne Warwick and Donny Hathaway, listening over and over, each time paying attention to a new part of the song from the instruments used to intriguing musical intervals. I've done a full analysis on practically every Tyler the Creator album, thinking about the ways he connects everything melodically and thematically.  I love incorporating and referencing work in mine, whether it's a particular riff or a lyrical allusion.

How did you get involved in the music you sing right now?

M: It took a lot of experimenting, and even then, I don't believe I could describe my ideal sound. I just love creating, so for me, it's much more about the process than the actual content. If you stay true to your process and your inspiration, the product will reflect that. I just take as many opportunities to explore my style as possible so that I'm constantly evolving as an artist.

What do you do like most/least about what you do?

M: As I said, I am a songwriter first and foremost. I love writing. Writing is what compels me to create. I've cried while writing some of my songs because, to me, there's nothing as cathartic as finding the way to say what's on your mind. On the other hand, I hate recording. There's so much that I want to be able to do with my music that finding a single version to represent a song forever seems stifling.

What skills/personal attributes are most important to being successful?

M: Creative confidence. Easily. I wrote songs and sang for most of my life, but what allowed me to get to where I am today is believing in and trusting my abilities. It took a long time for me to be able to recognize my potential. Especially when you get into a space like music, people are very quick to dismiss you. I used to be very meek about my work. I downplayed my ambition and my competence and called it humility. I still have that unfortunate bad habit sometimes, but because I am finally able to recognize the extent of my potential, it's become easier for me to share my work and myself. If you don't fully endorse yourself, what makes you think you can convince others to?

What personal advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue this career?

M: Two things. The first, practice. Someone once told me that practice makes habits. If you want to be a singer but the only place you sing is in the shower, you'll be great for a concert, but only if it's held in a private bathroom. To really be prepared for what you could be, you need to get into the spaces where you can get experience. Connect with people. Get in a studio. Go to an open mic event. Support local artists doing what you want to do. Do something to help with your craft and do if the way you expect a professional to. The second, don't be afraid to sound "crazy". If you have dreams of winning a Grammy, dive into it unapologetically. Some people will say it's delusional for me to think I could win a Grammy or work with certain artists, but I know that if I give in, I won't. People make "impossible" things happen every day.

When did you start singing?

M: My parents like to joke that I started singing before I could talk. I used to hum "Whoomp, There It Is" in my crib before I said a word. I've been singing my whole life. From church bands to school choirs, singing is an integral part of my life, and always has been.

Listen to Nevermine below:-