What goes through your head when you look in the mirror? Are you happy with the reflection in front of you? Speaking from personal experience, the answer is no way too often. Someone on TikTok recently said to take a picture of you as a kid every time you treat yourself poorly and imagine saying these awful things to him/her. And that hits differently. It all starts in your mind and change is always a rollercoaster with lots of ups and downs. Someone whose health journey has become a huge inspiration for me, has shared her experience for others to learn and educate themselves better. My generation grew up listening to Meghan Trainor on the radio, but it wasn’t until a few months ago that I connected with her personally; and I needed that. It’s all about timing right?
If her name doesn’t ring a bell, you are probably too young to have been around when she hit the highs in her career. A lot of people might wonder why she is not on top of the music industry today. I believe that the way she was portrayed and undervalued by the media over the last few years, played a huge part in that. To those who followed her journey and know her as the incredible singer/songwriter she is, Meghan has always been such a light and inspiration. The way she not only sings into a microphone, but writes and vocal produces her own music in her home-built studio, is absolutely remarkable. Sadly, most people don’t even know that and neither are they aware of her bright personality, kind heart and great sense of humor. There is so much more to her name than you can find diving through the world wide web.
Her fans describe Meghan or MTRAIN – her beloved stage name that never got its time to shine – as extremely down to earth, very sweet and kind. She truly cares about her fans, even checks up on them regularly and that is not a common description you will hear about a lot of known people in the industry. One of her Australian superfans Hannah had such a heartwarming experience, which shows the kind of treatment loyal and supportive fans deserve. A few years back, Hannah flew down to Sydney while Meghan was promoting her Thank You album and was supposed to attend only one show. Instead, Meghan put her on every VIP-list for all the events she was doing that week and even squeezed in a little Meet & Greet after each one. How special is that? It shows what kind of artist she is and how much she truly cares about her fanbase that has been a crucial part of her success story. Just hearing that story made me appreciate her even more.
I recently started listening to “Workin’ On It”- a podcast Meghan started with her older brother – and I really got to see the vulnerable and fierce human being she is. They talk about real topics, they share their own personal struggles and are as real as you can be. Speaking for myself, I have learned a lot throughout each episode and was able to adapt it to my own life. I feel ready and motivated to take on that change that is long overdue, to feel better mentally and physically.
Meghan is more than just “the one who sings All About That Bass”. She has been an inspiration and role model to a lot of young people who have struggled with confidence and self-acceptance growing up. Having someone to look up to who is not pretending to be someone she’s not, is extremely refreshing and oftentimes a blessing in disguise. A lot of her music might be up-tempo, but when you listen closely, there is always a message she tries to get through. A few important ones she amplifies are to love yourself, to work on becoming better and to walk away from what’s bad for you. Songs like Babygirl, Workin’ On It and Bad For Me express exactly that and can turn into anthems depending on the chapter you are currently working through.
Knowing all of that and watching Meghan be the great artist, sister, wife and mum she is, I genuinely hope that the music industry and our generation as a whole stop sleeping on her. She might have not been on your radar since your teenage years, but who says you can’t get back into her music and all the great things she is working on today? I can proudly say that listening to her podcast and getting to know her better through not only that, but her fans’ perspective as well, really opened up a whole new level of admiration. Meghan took on a new path in life, she wanted to be better for herself and her family and became more than just a female artist in the music industry. Working on yourself, her career and a healthier living surely has changed her life and has inspired a lot of others along the way. She did it and so can you. So my question is: What are you working on today?
ROARA Magazine 