Megan Bülow, known professionally as bülow, is a pop singer who had success with her debut EP Damaged Vol. 1 and 2 and now celebrates the release of Crystalline. The young star is taking off with a new take on dark pop. We have loved covering her on Unheard Gems and were so thrilled when we had the chance to speak with this emerging popstar.
Unheard Gems: Welcome, Bülow, to Unheard Gems! We are so happy to get to hear from you.
Bülow: Thanks!
Unheard Gems: Just for our readers to get to know you a little bit better can you tell us your music “coming of age” story?
Bülow: My interest in music started when I was about 8. When I moved to the UK, I started busking on weekends and after school trying out songs I’d written that week. It just kinda evolved into something I started doing every day. It was very organic and gradual.
Unheard Gems: Congratulations on your newest EP Crystalline! I love it and really love that you have such a distinct sound and identity as an artist. Can you tell us a little bit about how this EP in general came to be?
Bülow: Thank you! The songs came from a course of 2 years, most of them written when I was still in school. When I write, I don’t really write thinking of a project. I write and then I find a place for it. I feel it helps me from getting stuck in a sound and from creating the same thing over and over. That’s how it was for this album. These songs found their place on the same project over time.
Unheard Gems: The hit song from this EP is “Sweet Little Lies”. What was the inspiration for this song.
Bülow: I wanted to show how powerful our imagination is. We use it all the time in little ways like daydreaming or fantasizing, and we don’t realize how powerful it really is. It can give us that break from reality, but it can also be our worst enemy.
Unheard Gems: I really find your music videos quite engaging and interesting to watch. I was wondering about your experience of making the music video for “Sweet Little Lies” and how the concept was created for this video.
Bülow: Since the song is fun, but has a dark side to it, I wanted to show that contrast even more. With creating your own realities and letting your imagination take over, it can turn ugly quick. This was a extreme interpretation of it.
Unheard Gems: In terms of the rest of this year you look like you have a pretty good list of shows scheduled! Any particular aspects of your live show fans should look forward to or what is your favorite aspect of taking your music on the road?
Bülow: Songs take on another life when you play them live! I’m excited to see which songs react and why. I learn so much about my music in live settings. Ways you don’t think when creating in the studio.
Unheard Gems: Just going back to your life growing up, you have lived quite a few places. Do you think traveling and living in different countries has impacted your music and do you think that the type of music consumed in the countries you’ve lived in has had an effect on the type of music you write?
Bülow: Moving definitely had a big impact on my music. I hated having to leave my friends and start over. And so I wrote a lot of songs out of it. I think a big reason why I like to experiment with my music has to do with me being exposed to a lot of different kinds of music.
Unheard Gems: I have to give you major praise, you are only 19 and you are already a JUNO award recipient and a multi-platinum artist not mention several other major nominations. How would you say your age has affected, if at all, your experience as an artist?
Bülow: Thanks! People think just cause you’re young you don’t know anything about life or real experiences. Not everything I write is autobiographical but the feelings are real. I don’t need to experience the exact thing to know what that feeling is like. We experience heartbreak or love in so many different levels, it’s not limited to just one way. We all have the ability to feel these emotions from different experiences no matter the age. Don’t underestimate the youth. 😉
Unheard Gems: I love hearing what the artists we talk to are listening to. Who are some artists you think deserve more attention in the music industry and why?
Bülow: My playlist is constantly changing but I think a lot of the people I’ve found at early stages that inspire me usually get some scale of recognition eventually. It makes me happy to see because it shows that good music in the end is just good music. If enough people hear it, it will react.
Unheard Gems: Lastly, for all of our readers, where can they find you and your music and is there anything else you want to leave us with that we didn’t talk about in our questions?
Bülow: Yea, you can find me on all streaming platforms! bülow with the umlaut
Interview by Hannah Schneider