Meels releases her debut studio album, ‘Tales From A Bird’s Bedroom’. With evocative storytelling, lush melodies and an immersive sonic atmosphere, ‘Tales from a Bird's Bedroom’ promises to leave a lasting, profound impact. We talk to Meels about her incredible album release...
Hey Meels, how are you? We are really enjoying Tales From A Bird’s Bedroom here at IGNITE, it’s such a stunning body of work. We’re so happy to talk to you today.
Hi! I’m great and so excited to talk to you. Thank you so much for the kind words on the album !!
The title is so interesting, what is the meaning behind ‘Tales From A Bird’s Bedroom’ and how does it summarise the beautiful tracks on the album?
I was workshopping titles for the record with my boyfriend and creative partner, Henry Pakenham, and when “Tales From a Bird’s Bedroom” arose I knew immediately that was the title. Growing up my mom always called me “little bird” and there are countless bird and nature field recordings throughout the album so the name just fit. Growing up in the woodland that is Northern California I have always been compelled to use metaphors of nature and creatures in my songwriting, you can definitely hear that throughout the body of work.
Nostalgia and nature are recurring themes throughout the body of work. How do those themes arise in your daily life, to then translate so seamlessly into your music?
I am the most nostalgic person alive, when I was growing up I cried when traditions changed and when we moved. I was not a fan of change, I liked things to stay as they are. I’m more open to it now, but I always look back to the past with a painful fondness. It hurts cause I know I will never be able to experience those feelings and moments again, but I adore dreaming about the past. I think nostalgia also translates to the way I express myself through dress. I am in love with anything and everything vintage, especially the 70’s. 70’s folk artists, gunne sax dresses, bell bottom jeans, I am obsessed with it all. I lived in New York City for 5 years and after growing up in a place so rich with nature it was hard for me to be surrounded by concrete and brick all of the time. I found solace in New York’s big parks, but I never truly felt at peace there. There was always something missing. Now that I am back in California, living in Los Angeles, I get my nature fix everyday. I am less anxious and more creative. It feels good to be back in my element. Nature and Nostalgia are a part of me, and so is my music so I think they just all flow seamlessly through me.
This album was written over a long time, right? How did you finalise which tracks were to be included in your debut album?
The songs were written over the course of 5 years. I wasn’t writing each song thinking, “Oh these are definitely going on the record” because I use writing as a way of escape and therapy. If I feel like I need to write, I do, and it helps every time. I don’t often force myself to write songs. The best ones come quickly and from somewhere special in the universe, I feel like they choose me. I had about 11 songs that I chose to be on the record and knew I needed to whittle them down to about 7. I sat out on my parents deck at home, in my favourite writing spot. The one where you look up and see a circle of redwood trees and the sky blue or filled with stars right in the middle. I wheeled out a whiteboard, wrote the 11 songs on the board and thought for hours, crossing out which ones didn’t fit as well as others. I hope to release the songs that weren’t chosen someday, but they just didn’t feel perfect for this particular project.
We heard that you travelled to Nashville to record the project. What was it like working with Peter Groenwald and Mark Campbell in Nashville? How did their influence and the Nashville setting shape the final sound of the album?
I decided that I wanted to go to Nashville and make a ‘trip’ out of making an album. Doing it all in one place with the same collaborators in a short amount of time was important to me. Since I wrote the songs over the course of a few years, doing it this way was to make everything feel really cohesive. Peter and Mark have become two of my favourite people. When I got there we were strangers and we left as family. We immediately connected and were on the same page every step of the way. They helped to realise my vision. Tales From A Bird’s Bedroom isn’t just my album, but theirs too. I drew upon Nashville's influence through field recording. I was inspired by the landscape, the sounds, the birds, the cicadas. Recording it there was a huge part of how the album feels. It’s woody and lush and noisy in a natural way. It was perfect.
You mention influences like Fiona Apple and Regina Spektor. If you had to make a playlist with three songs of your own, and three songs that have influenced you, what would they be?
The rawness of their art is what inspires me the most. How honest and emotional and creative their deliveries are. If I could emulate even half of the artistry that Fiona does in my work, I will be happy. There are countless artists that I am influenced and inspired by.
The playlist would be called: The Nest
Falcon and The Loon by Meels
Love Is Like A Butterfly by Dolly Parton
Antidote by Meels
Fox Hunt by Sierra Ferrell
December 5th by Meels
Hot Knife by Fiona Apple
How do you stay motivated and inspired to write music? Any rituals you have to unwind or relax between your creativity?
I really just let the music come to me. If I’m not feeling inspired that day, I don’t write, I’ll cover songs from my favourite artists and try to get inspired, but I never force myself. I love writing outside, so if I’m already out there and nothing is coming I will lie down in the grass and meditate or listen to sounds around me and just breathe or I’ll play with my dachshund Baltimore. I started writing songs as a way to help me cope with my big feelings, my anxieties and being a young girl. My motivations to write haven’t changed. Songwriting heals.
With ‘Tales From A Bird’s Bedroom’ marking your debut, what can fans expect from you in the future? Are there any new projects or collaborations on the horizon?
I am writing music that I am so excited about. I am already ready to make the next record. I want to pivot to an even more folky-americana sound. Think fiddles, flutes and tambourines. I am also interested in tracking or running sounds through tape and really studying old Dolly Parton records. So many things to come !!
We really appreciate your time, Meels. Congratulations on the album!
Thank you so much !! I really loved chatting with you today.
