Exclusive Interview: Maggie McClure Is ‘Coming Home’ With New Single And Album
It’s a very difficult thing to make it into the music industry in this day and age. You can have some good music, but could be completely overlooked because that music sounds like 50 other people in the same music scene in one major city. Maggie McClure sets herself apart from other musicians who wish they could be as good as her. It’s incredibly hard to write a song that hooks the listener from the very beginning, but it’s even more difficult to have all of the songs you write be as immersive as Maggie’s.
The Norman, Okla-bred, Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter/pianist Maggie McClure has spent a good amount of her career placing her songs on TV shows such as Dr. Phil, Cougar Town, The Real World, The Vineyard, and The Hills, as well as in feature films like Cowgirls N’ Angels. Her smooth, confessional songwriting has made her a natural for these formats. Maggie has performed more than 1000 shows throughout her career in over 40+ states in the U.S. at iconic venues such as The Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles to Rockwood Music Hall in NYC, and everywhere in between. Her original piano-driven songs empower and inspire listeners with a positive message of hope, love, and faith.
Maggie’s third and newest album, Time Moves On — produced by Justin Glasco, whose work includes Dan Wilson (songwriter of Adele’s hit Someone Like You), Gary Jules, Tyler Hilton, and Cary Brothers – chronicles her move from Oklahoma to L.A. and centers on the mental and physical bravery it takes to push yourself in an unknown city and make people pay attention and convince them to be part of your dream.
Be Right Here For You is the leading piano driven single off of Time Moves On and features Maggie McClure’s infectious pop vocals and an unforgettable upbeat chorus. While Coming Home, is a beautiful, nostalgic and uplifting story of returning to a place which is close to your heart. Maggie explains how the song was written in less than half an hour, whilst visiting Oklahoma after being away for a while. “It was most definitely a scenario of a stream of consciousness writing” Maggie confesses. Coming Home fuses driving drum beats, catchy vocals and melodic guitar rhythms, creating a happy and endearing song that we can all relate to. Coming Home will be featured on the soundtrack to the film A Cowgirl’s Story, which will be released on April 18th.
Maggie has recently opened for Sara Bareilles, Alicia Witt, Walk Off The Earth, Tony Lucca, and others. Additionally, you can hear her singing on ABC Family/Freeform’s The Mistle-Tones, as well as Disney’s Violetta, where she sang the English role of Violetta for Season 1 now airing worldwide on Disney Channel. Maggie also had the privilege of singing the National Anthem at the very first NBA playoff game in Oklahoma history with more than 18,000 people in attendance, as well as recently performing the official holiday halftime show at Madison Square Garden for the NY Knicks in along with singer/songwriter Shane Henry.
Social Underground had the chance to ask Maggie some questions about her love of music, her shows, how she writes, and more!
Social Underground: What was the initial trigger you that got into music? A specific song, voice, guitar lick, or experience?
Maggie McClure: The very first memory I have of an initial trigger that got me interested in music is when my parents got me a little Casio keyboard for my 1st birthday. After that, I had so many musical experiences, from being in dance class at age 2 to attending Music School as a toddler. Ever since, music has just been a part of me. It is a huge part of my life. I remember attending my very first concert at age 8 when my mom took me to see Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith. I loved every minute of that concert. From that point on, I started performing and writing and the rest of history.
SU: Off the top of your head, what are 5 artists that have significantly inspired your music?
Maggie McClure: Norah Jones, Bonnie Raitt, Carole King, Sarah McLachlan, and The Beatles.
SU: What is your musical writing process? Do you start with lyrics/poetry, strumming on the guitar/piano, jamming with your band, or a mix of it all?
Maggie McClure: I used to write all my songs starting at the piano. I now write every song in a different way. Whatever that specific song is calling for, I go with it. I’ve recently written a handful of songs with no instrument and just a notepad. Other songs I write at the piano still and often I like to take make my journal entries and turn them into songs. Many of my songs have been born that way.
SU: Tell me a bit about how you went into crafting your latest album Time Moves On.
Maggie McClure: With my 2014 album Time Moves On, I spent a while writing and selecting the perfect songs for the project. I worked with producer Justin Glasco throughout the entire process, from crowdfunding to pre-production, production, post production, mixing and mastering. I really knew what I wanted in my third album. All the experience of prior years and releases helped me make Time Moves On the best it could be.
SU: Coming Home really sounds like a gigantic hit when I listened to it the first time. I find it to be an incredible achievement to create a song that’s instantly likeable after you hear it for only a minute. Did you instantly know that this song was going to be a single and possibly pull new listeners into your music?
Maggie McClure: Thank you! I really appreciate that. Coming Home is a very special song that I wrote very quickly and it came straight from my heart. While I was writing it I knew it was a special song and I couldn’t wait to record it (not long after writing it I went to Nashville and recorded it along with a batch of other songs with producer Stephen Gause). I hope that all of the music I write and release connects with new listeners.
SU: What’s it like hearing your voice on television, movies and advertisements? Is it a bit surreal?
Maggie McClure: It is very surreal to hear my voice and songs on TV and in movies and commercials. It certainly will never get old. It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve experienced in my life, in all honesty. It means so much that something I made (and/or sang on) is being featured in a national/international production that so many people will hear, and hopefully those people are inspired by what they hear.
SU: What is the most memorable show that you’ve played?
Maggie McClure: Playing Madison Square Garden is pretty huge if I may say. I’m not sure that many shows can top playing the holiday halftime show at Madison Square Garden. That was quite the experience! Walking backstage and seeing all the posters of all the performers who had played there and the energy from the crowd was just incredible. I’m very grateful to have had that opportunity.
SU: What was it like opening up for Sara Bareilles, Alicia Witt, Walk Off The Earth, and Tony Lucca?
Maggie McClure: Opening for Sara Bareilles would have to be my second most memorable show that I’ve played. I opened up the show solo and the audience was amazing. The energy was incredible and even though I was performing alone, it felt like one of the strongest performances of my life. Sara was brilliant and it was so great to meet her. Since then we’ve run into each other multiple times in LA.
SU: I’ve heard of artists recording entire albums, leaving it for a month, and then coming back and starting all over. Have you ever wrote a song and loved it only to hate it later or vice versa?
Maggie McClure: I have written songs before that I came back to at a later time and found that I liked them better after some time away from them.
SU: Is there any artist you’d really love to work with that you haven’t had the chance to yet (considering you’ve worked with some great talent)?
Maggie McClure: I’d love to collaborate with Paul McCartney!
SU: What music are you currently listening to right now?
Maggie McClure: I just bought Alison Krauss’s new CD, “Windy City” and have been listening to that. I went to a record store and actually bought the physical CD. I still love doing that. Anyway, she is an incredible talent and a huge inspiration.
Find Maggie McClure on all over the web:
Follow Jeff Sorensen on TWITTER
Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post, UPROXX, BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com