Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Luttrell.
Megan, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always been drawn to music. I started with flute and bassoon in elementary school band and then picked up the guitar when I got to high school. It wasn’t until college when I joined the “Old Time Music Club” at the University of Vermont that I really discovered a love for bluegrass and classic country music.
It was around this time that I really got into songwriting as well. I’ve been singing my whole life, but I was trying to fit myself into a specific mold. I tried to sing the way I heard other people singing, and so convinced myself that I was a soprano. When I started writing country songs, I realized that what I was writing and how I was singing didn’t match. I started working on my singing and realized that I have a strong low range that I was just scared to use. I started developing this side of my voice and really came into my own.
I moved to Kansas from Vermont in 2011 and began playing some open mics and meeting people in the music community in Lawrence. I met some really supportive people who helped me book my first shows and now over a decade later, I am solidly part of the Lawrence music scene.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Like with any part of life, my musical journey has had its ups and downs. From the release of my first album in 2017 through winning Best Solo Musician in Best of Lawrence in 2020 I felt like my momentum was unstoppable. I was playing five times a week, I just started a band, was writing a ton of songs, and was in and out of the recording studio, releasing singles.
Then the pandemic happened. Live music came to a screeching halt and all that momentum I had been building stopped along with it.
I had my first child in late November 2021 and that changed everything. It became a lot harder to play shows and my priorities changed quite a bit.
In 2022 I started working full-time at the University of Kansas, which also made it harder to find the time to write music, practice, and perform. Adding a second child to the mix in 2025 has made my free time all but disappear.
I wouldn’t say this is a negative thing. My kids and my career are amazing. I’ve just entered a different part of my life. Music will always be there and I have learned to be more discerning with the shows I book. Not having to play every single opportunity that comes up in order to make ends meet it’s nice. I’ve even written a couple songs with my four-year-old son. The musical landscape of my life is changing, but not in a bad way.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a singer songwriter. I write a lot of different types of songs in the folk, Americana, classic country genres. I released my first album titled Broken Bottles in 2017 and a variety of singles since then I have a new single coming out this summer called Cassidy.
It’s been fun to watch myself grow as a songwriter. In my 20s I wrote a lot about romantic relationships and the older I’ve gotten the more I’ve been able to diversify not only what I write about but the way that I write about love and loss.
I also have a PhD in Slavic languages in literature and perform Russian and Ukrainian music.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I think being genuine and true to myself, even when that includes being socially awkward, has been important to my success. People enjoy my heartfelt and sincere performances. I feel every word of the songs I sing, especially the ones that I write. Over the years I’ve learned to embrace myself, my quickness, and my awkwardness. I think being myself writing what I know and playing the songs that I love instead of trying to fit a version of what I think people want to see in here has been a really important part of my development as an artist..
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.meganluttrell.com/
- Instagram: https://Instagram.com/meganluttrell
- Facebook: https://Facebook.com/luttrellmegan
