Why Megan Thee Stallion Is ‘Super Hard on [Herself]’ When Songwriting
Megan Thee Stallion recently shared why she doesn’t always find it easy to write her massively popular songs.
The 25-year-old rapper catapulted into fame with songs like “Big Ole Freak,” “Fever,” and “Hot Girl Summer” back in 2019. Her fans gravitate toward her music because of its provocative lyrics. Through songs like “Savage” and, most recently, “WAP” with Cardi B, Megan uses her music to uplift women and encourage them to embrace their sexuality, which she’s often been criticized for.
Megan loves that she inspires ‘a lot of girls
Megan graced the cover of W Magazine in August 2020 for the outlet’s annual music issue. For her photo op, Megan looked stunning in a plaid skirt set with a long-sleeved midriff. She also styled her hair in loose curls with brown highlights throughout her black hair. She also added a long set of nails to the look.
During her interview, Megan admitted she doesn’t always feel confident in herself when writing a new song. She said she often thinks about her fans’ responsibilities, and she doesn’t want to disappoint them in any way.
“I love the fact that I have a voice, and I love the fact that I do inspire a lot of girls, and I didn’t realize it at first. I was just being me,” Megan revealed. “Some of the things I say, I realized that some women might really wanna say them. So I just keep all of these things in the back of my mind when I’m writing. I’m not gon’ say I feel pressure, but sometimes I will get a little tingly because I just want to put out the best music for my fans as possible. I don’t like to disappoint them. So when I’m recording, I’m super hard on myself. I’m just always like, Okay, I need to go harder than that. I’ll write and rewrite a verse about eight times.”
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Megan learned how to write music from her late mother
Megan’s knack for songwriting came years before the masses recognized her for her talent. When she was growing up in Houston, she would watch her mother, Holly Thomas’ writing process firsthand. Thomas was known as a rapper in the South Park neighborhood, and Megan would often join her mom at her writing sessions.
Before her untimely death in 2019, Thomas was also Megan’s manager and would help her hone in on her creative skills.
“I would see her get off work and then come home and write. I thought everybody’s mom was writing and being a rapper, ’cause I didn’t really hang out with other kids,” she recalled. “I only hung out with my mom and my grandma and my dad and my cousins. But when I saw her writing, it just really inspired me to do the same thing.”
Related: Who Were Megan Thee Stallion’s Parents?
Megan credits listening to music from Lil Kim and Eve as her songwriting inspiration
While she was a huge fan of Nicki Minaj in high school and was later inspired by Cardi B, Megan said she felt like she “needed to go back” and get inspired by other female rappers who came before her. She said she began listening to Lil Kim, who was one of her mother’s favorite artists. She enjoyed Kim’s edgy lyrics and wanted to implement the same theme in her own music. Megan also said she began listening to Eve, who also referred to herself as a “stallion” in the past.
“I got old enough and realized that I needed to go back and do my homework,” Megan said. “I fell in love with Kim because she’s so raunchy and raw. She has bars, metaphors, but it’s still hard, and she doesn’t have a squeaky little voice. I don’t have a squeaky voice. My voice is pretty commanding. My first time looking at Eve, it was like, ‘Oh my God, this lady is just super sexy.’ She was smooth, sensual. I just felt like that was my vibe.”‘
