Our parents always want better for us than they had. That’s just a fact, and Megan Mariah’s parents are no different. Born and raised in the Dominican Republic, Megan’s parents always dreamed of their future children having more than them. Her father’s dreams for her music started a second or so before her own. Now they’re working together to make them a reality. They’ve worked together on her latest single, “Mother,” and she said there’s more where that came from. Oh, one should mention that this aspiring pop singer is only 15-years-old and years ahead of artists twice her age…

Kendra: If you had to rewind your life to the moment you knew you wanted to pursue music, what song would be playing at that moment?

Megan Mariah: If I had the opportunity to rewind my life to the moment I knew I wanted to pursue music, the song that would be playing would be “Me, Myself and Time” by Demi Lovato. This song is about not wanting to mess up or disappoint anyone if you didn’t live up to your gift (singing). That’s how I felt and I still feel that way today because music has been something that’s always been apart of me. Being an artist is something that is still so new to me. At that moment I knew I have to give this everything I’ve got no matter if I become a huge star or not.

Kendra: Perhaps you didn’t need to go back too far because you’re only 15. Are you thinking of going to say…Berklee in a few years or are you going to just stick to making your own path?

Megan Mariah: Education is something that is very important to me because I am very fortunate to have had a better education than my parents had back when they lived in (Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic). I would love to continue pursuing music but also attend college. Attending college will give me real-world experiences that in a way I need to thrive.

Kendra: Thankfully you’re in New York City, a place where artists dream of being. Do you feel you’ve got an advantage with location?

Megan Mariah: I do have an advantage in that I live in a city known for its world of art and entertainment. However, no matter what, making it big in the music industry is very hard. I didn’t realize that until I started to pursue music. When you see artists like Becky G or Justin Bieber get discovered on YouTube, you think “Oh this can be me.” It can be you but it’s not going to be so easy and glamorous at the start. It doesn’t matter where you are. You still have to work hard and fight for your dreams.

“Mother”

Kendra: Would you ever head to LA?

Megan Mariah: In regards to my career in music I would love to head to LA to promote my music or perform but my home will always be in New York.

Kendra: Not every 15-year-old making music has the approval of their parents. However, your dad produced your latest single, “Mother.” Was he on board from the start? Excited even?

Megan Mariah: My dad has always wanted me to show the world my talent. However, I wasn’t always on board in pursuing music. I’m very shy and it is very scary taking risks in this type of career. In music, you don’t know what will happen but you have to believe everything will work out. My dad always had this vision I would be up on stage receiving a Grammy, crying my eyes out. He believed in me before I started to believe in myself.

When I told my dad I had a dream I was being interviewed by a prestigious network he said it is a message from God. He was very excited because he wanted someone from our family to continue the legacy of music that our family has in the Dominican Republic. As soon as I told him I think I want to do this the next day we started working on the song “Mother.”

Kendra: What’s the story behind “Mother?”

Megan Mariah: “Mother” is about my great-grandmother, Alessia Perez Tamarez. She was my dad’s grandmother. My dad was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. His parents tried their best to support him financially. His parents had him at 19-years-old. Due to work, they weren’t always around. Yet his grandmother was. Since the day he was born till now, his grandmother taught him everything she knows about music and she put him in her conservatory music school. She was more of his mom than his biological mom.

Therefore, he would always call her mom. When she passed away it was very hard for him because to him she would always be his mama. The only way he coped was by honoring her in a song called “Madre.” He wrote the song in Bachata. I’m proud of my roots but we decided to rewrite the song and change it to a pop version because it’s a genre I enjoy working in. And that’s how “Mother” was made.

Kendra: Are you playing shows right now or are you more focused on getting more music written and recorded?

Megan Mariah: I am not playing shows or concerts right now. Right now I’m just trying to get my name out there and focus on writing/producing new songs with my dad. At this moment we are working on a song that is the genre of Reggeaton.