Hailing from Nashville, the Country Singer/Songwriter Megan Barker releases a reflective and introspective single with, "Smokin' Again."
With songwriting coursing through her veins from a young age, Megan Barker's musically talented family pushed her career and exposed her to the depths and heart that country music provides.
With her emotional single "Smokin' Again," Barker brings listeners deep into a reflective mindset where we're left thinking about repeating cycles that aren't the healthiest. Her traditional country lyrics provide a breath of fresh air, as Megan Barker mesmerizes us with her astounding vocals that sit over the track like a bright blue sky.
"Smokin' Again" delicately opens with saddened acoustic guitar melodies and Megan Barker's effortlessly warm vocals. As she begins singing lyrics of wanting to go back to that stick between her lips, Barker brings us in closer with incredible metaphors that remind us of unhealthy relationship habits and feeling comfort in places we should flee.
Reaching the chorus, the amount of heart and passion exuding from Megan Barker's captivating vocals amazes us as she harmonizes with a tender male's vocal, which inevitably heightens the emotional atmosphere and reminds us of what we need vs. what we want.
Megan Barker has done an impeccable job of portraying raw emotion through incredible lyricism that makes any listener think twice. We highly appreciate her single "Smokin' Again," as Barker brings this unspoken sense of 'it'll all be okay.'
Listen to "Smokin' Again" here.
Hello Megan and welcome to BuzzMusic. It's challenging to find words that depict how grateful we are for such an in-depth and reflective single like "Smokin' Again." Seeing as the single is vastly emotional, was it difficult for you to sit down and create such a vulnerable piece?
Thank you so much. The song is definitely vulnerable. I think anyone can relate to it because as humans, we inherently like to stay where we are comfortable. But what’s comfortable might not always be good for us. So breaking habits can be tough. I love how we captured this moment of weakness in three minutes.
Could you take us through your songwriting process for "Smokin' Again," how did you manage to develop these textured metaphors that represent unhealthy habits?
It’s a funny story actually of how the song came to be. I sat down in late June, over Zoom of course, with two friends, Bill DiLuigi & Andi Renfree. We had this other song idea we were trying to write, but it was super challenging. It wasn’t working. One of the lines in the song was “Dear God, I’m thinking about smoking again.” Bill looked up and said, “hey kids, this line might be a whole other song.” Smokin Again then wrote itself in about 30 minutes.
We've heard that your father has written songs for musical legends. How has your father's songwriting influenced your creativity for years to come?
My dad was one of the best songwriters I’ve ever heard. I know, I know. I’m sure I’m biased, but he was known for his killer hooks and wordplay. He was respected for his talent and how he could turn a phrase. Music was his life. I always said, “he’ll write songs ’til the day he dies” and that’s exactly what he did. I learned so much from him. We wrote some great songs together. It breaks my heart to think we’ll never be able to do that again, but I know he’s always with me. He taught me so much about writing a song and I just want to make him proud.
Seeing as you're a force to be reckoned with in the live music scene, has quarantine led you to re-work or tweak your live performances for the future?
Live music is such a huge part of my life. Just as big as songwriting. I played live music for a living 5+ nights a week for years. COVID has given me more time to get good at recording from home so that’s been nice. It’s also given me time to reflect. I was so busy all the time before 2020. Writing and performing. I’m definitely still busy, but it’s been great to think about the future and how I want it to look. I definitely have plans and a vision for how I want shows to look after this crazy time.
What has been keeping you inspired during one of the most challenging years?
Being able to reflect has been a blessing, but keeping busy is so important for me. I write constantly. I plan. There’s so much that goes into being an independent artist. There’s always something to do and I think that keeps me inspired. If I slow down too much, I’m not sure what’ll happen. So I keep moving. “Just keep swimming,” right?!