From the first time Megan Rochell touched the microphone in the church choir she knew she wanted to electrify not only her church but the whole world with her voice. Megan?s great timing led her into the hands of Nathan Morris of Boyz II Men, whom has help to develop the career of this beautiful young songstress. Now years after making her first performance in a Brooklyn church choir, she has her first single buzzing the radio air waves with the help of fellow Brooklynite Fabolous. As Def Jam?s new addition, Megan separates herself from others by creating a vivid audio dairy for her album. Scroll down and find out what you can learn from Megan?s diary?
How do you think your first single ?The One you Need? represented you to the public?
Megan Rochell: It pinpointed everything I am. It is definitely a street record and you want to get the streets first because that is where I?m from. I want people to be able to relate to me and ?The One You Need? is a competitive record and I feel like a lot of females and even a lot guys feel like they can be the one somebody needs. It basically summarized everything and its summer time so you kinda want to go with a record that is going with the time.
Everybody needs somebody in the summertime but come the fall it might not be the same person?
Megan Rochell: (laughter) True.
Church is an incubator for R&B artist and this was true in your career as well. How did you use church to help cultivate your artistry?
Megan Rochell: Well I started singing in the church when I was like six and that inspired me to have the courage to be able to sing in front of people. It kinda gave me my sound. That soulful part of me is definitely shown in my music now. I feel like the church jumped started everything I?m doing right now as far as performing, having a band behind me, it started there.
Did performing in church make it easier to perform in hostile venues like the Apollo? Most artists say if they make it pass the Apollo they made it in New York. So when you where young did church make it easier to perform in the venues like the Apollo?
Megan Rochell: Yea. That definitely played a role but what really inspired me the most to do the Apollo was the fact that I was gona be on TV. I just got tired of people coming to church to see me sing, I wanted everybody to see. I thought the best way to do that was by going on the Apollo, the most well known and watched show in New York (City).
Have you been back to the Apollo to perform since your childhood?
Megan Rochell: No not yet. I?m coming. They know I?m coming though.
Have you experience an audience more hostile than the Apollo audience?
Megan Rochell: Yea, some of these Chris Brown dates that I had. It?s an all female audience and I?m a new female artist so it?s kind of hard for chicks to vibe with chicks at first that they don?t know. So when I came out on stage I kinda got a couple of boos and stuff like that. Then seeing that I wasn?t letting it faze me, it made them respect me. I just kept doing what I had to do and was killing it and they was like ok. Toward the end of the performance they was showing me all love.
Are you still on tour with Chris Brown?
Megan Rochell: No. I?m actually working on getting on this new tour with him and Ne-Yo.
That would be crazy because they are in competition with each other?
Megan Rochell: Right. (laughter) Maybe I can play the peacemaker.
How did you hooked up with Nathan Morris of Boyz II Men?
Megan Rochell: It was God really. He intend for me to be walking down the street that day and for him to be driving at the same time. He spotted me and I walked up to the car and we got acquainted. I let him know I can sing and I sang for him. He was amazed. He wanted to work with me from that point on. He is the one that made the phone call to LA (Reid) and arranged the meeting. That?s when I went to Def Jam to sing to LA. Now I?m actually getting ready to come out with an album.
What song did you sing for LA when you met him?
Megan Rochell: When I first met LA I sang ?If I Don?t Have You? an Alicia Keys record.
That?s a tough record.
Megan Rochell: Yea. He was impressed because I was doing my thing and he was like ?Ok.?
Your first record ?The One You Need? does not show your vocal range, do you have songs on the album that will?
Megan Rochell: I have this record called ?Heartbreak? which has a Gladys Knight sample on there where I am up in the clouds hitting notes that I never thought I could hit. That is by far the most incredible vocal performance on that record. Hands down that is the one that?s gona really show it. Then I have other records where I?m more sexier and ballad type of joints. There is a mixture, so many different things on this album.
You dubbed your album a ?diary into a woman mind? and I wanted to know what men can learn by looking into your diary?
Megan Rochell: Their gona learn how to understand a woman because we are the most emotional creatures on the planet. They got to know what makes us love them and keep loving them after we?re not together anymore. A guy is definitely gona understand how women feel when their in a relationship and for that matter how they feel when they are not in a relationship about that same person.
Does the album primary deal with relationships?
Megan Rochell: Yea. The album is basically base on (relationships).
Is it make-up and break-up stories?
Megan Rochell: These are definitely your great ending love stories. It is basically me telling how I feel about you and how much I love you. How you get on my nerves but I keep taking you back.
You move from New York to Philly, did Philly?s soulful type of sound influence you?
Megan Rochell: For sure. I worked with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and their Motown Legends. They are the soul survivors and working with them brought that part out of me. Watching Jill Scott how she came up and Musiq (Soulchild) I love his style and everything he does so being in that atmosphere definitely played a major role in my music.
You were in college when you first got your record deal. Are you still pursuing your degree?
Megan Rochell: Yea I went to Rowan (University). I left, I was out. I got up out of there so fast when I got my deal.
What were you studying?
Megan Rochell: When I first got there I was studying business and then I changed it and went to secondary-elementary education.
You ready to deal with the kids
Megan Rochell: I love the kids?that is the whole thing. That right there tells you how interested I was. I was freakin doing business at first then went to elementary education. I didn?t know what I wanted to do because that?s not what I wanted, I didn?t want to be in school.
Have you always felt that singing was your calling
Megan Rochell: Exactly, that was always number one. Even when my college use to have big talent shows and competitions I was always the first one to sign my name on the paper. —— By: Interview by: Adeniyi Omisore
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