by alyssa crammer
photo courtesy of megagonefree
From ukulele covers on 2020 quarantine TikTok to a 2026 Pride tour, MegaGoneFree is a Black, Queer artist shaking the music scene. Within their unique “anti-pop” music genre, they write music ranging from the topics of the damaging effects of AI, to what it's like to be in the public music scene. As an artist, Mega’s main message is to spread love and empathy, making us all feel better about the future of the music scene. We were delighted to speak to Mega about their life experience and what it's been like to be a musician in this era of music.
How has being a Black LGBTQ+ artist impacted the way you create music lyrically and acoustically?
MegaGoneFree: “My identity as a Black Queer artist is often the driving force behind my music. I find a lot of inspiration in my identity and its rebellious nature to authority. The lyrics I create are meant to be empowering to those who find it hard to express themselves fully, which is a large trope within the Black and queer community.”
As an artist, your morals and beliefs give me this sense of hope for the future of our world. Your website says you want to spread a message of “...love, open mindedness, empathy, acceptance, and hope.” What has built you into this mindful, empathetic artist you are today?
MegaGoneFree: “The way I grew up. When I was younger I was bullied and outcasted for being different. As I’ve grown, I’ve gotten more comfortable with embracing my abnormalities. I love what makes me different. I know how hard it can be to embrace who you are with everyone telling you you should be fitting into society. All I want to be is a catalyst for people struggling to accept who they truly are. I want my music to be a safe space to be free.”
Your music isn't a linear genre. It’s more a mixture of multiple genres like pop, R&B and hip hop. If you had to give a name to this genre of music, what would you call it?
MegaGoneFree: “If I had to name it, I’d call it anti-pop. Or simply just alternative. I pride myself on being free of genre, though I do have certain genres that frequently call to me. I want to be known for my versatility. A lot of the time I’m put into a box because my most popular songs fall into a similar genre, but I’m more than just that one genre. Thank you for noticing.”
What is your favorite song you've ever written?
MegaGoneFree: “Ooooooh, well my old answer was ‘Likes & Comments.’ I love the topic of that song, it still very much holds true to the way I feel about content creating to promote my music. But now I’d say my answer is ‘Mx. Perfectionist.’ I love that it’s hard core rock. I love the topic, the feeling of dissatisfaction is a major repetitive theme of my life. The lyricism itself is very reminiscent of my old style of writing from years ago, very abstract. I actually started writing that song in 2020 and there’s even a TikTok that exists with lyrics from that song from that time.”
Your newest song “I Am Not Real” revolves around the concept of AI and how it relates to how people can treat humans at times. Similar to how AI is used, people will only come to you with issues, and leave right after. How do you personally deal with people like this?
MegaGoneFree: “I’m personally still learning to navigate people like this. Logically I know how they should be handled. I know you need to have a certain level of self respect in order to recognize that you’re being used and mistreated. But growing up as a people pleaser, it’s hard to stand on my boundaries sometimes. Especially since I often get caught up in people's potential rather than the reality of the situation. How simple life would be if we could just base our emotions purely off of logic.”
To add to my last question, how do you think AI is changing the music industry?
MegaGoneFree: “AI is horrible for the music industry, or should I say for artists. I recently discovered that my own catalog is being used to train AI without my consent. It’s taking spots on the Hot 100 from true talented artists. Artistic spaces are no place for AI advancement. Unfortunately it’s not going anywhere any time soon. Our government will do nothing to regulate it currently with who is in office. All we can do is continue to use our voices and create radically human art!”
You also have a side business called GonerGLAM. It consists of many crochet pieces that relate to your art. How does this hobby play into your everyday life? Is it a part of your musical journey?
MegaGoneFree: “I learned to crochet in the fifth grade. I never would have thought I’d be able to take a passive skill I learned as a child and turn it into business. I stopped crocheting for years and then started again when I had the idea to create pieces based around my songs. My audience finds it very cool that I’m able to use crocheting as a means of music promotion.”
During COVID, you had many TikToks blow up of your covering hit songs while playing the ukulele. Has this experience shaped you into who you are as an artist? How has it affected how you make music?
MegaGoneFree: “It DEFINITELY shaped me as an artist. I wouldn’t be who I am today without those covers. Every once in a while I’ll return to my roots and make videos like them with current songs. I try to avoid doing so though, because when I do it too much it becomes what certain audiences expect from me. I only want to be known for my own music. I usually stay away from ukulele when creating music. I only really learned it because I was 16 at the time and it was an easy instrument to learn.”
You recently had your Pride tour! What was your performance like on tour?
MegaGoneFree: “It was a beautiful celebration of my entire catalog! There were also a lot of fun surprises. Like a vogue performer for ‘Take This L’ in Baltimore. And a special performance of ‘Henrietta Hudson’ NYC where I picked a guest to come on stage. And during ‘Megatron’ I called people on stage to dance. It was so fun!”
Do you have any advice for our LGBTQ+ readers?
MegaGoneFree: “Don’t be afraid to be who you are. Don’t feel pressured to be something that you’re not. Just be the biggest version of yourself that you can be, and the life that’s meant for you will fall into place around you. You just need to have trust that the path you're walking down will ultimately lead you to where you want to be.”
