Meg Mac’s music—kinda bluesy, kinda pop, kinda R&B—has the stand-up-and-pay-attention quality to it that makes you want to Shazam her songs immediately. The 24-year-old from Melbourne, Australia, is huge in her home country, and is spreading the love worldwide with her debut EP MEGMAC, set for a stateside release on April 7. (As folks lucky enough to listen to the preview, trust us when we say it is unputdownable.)

Hometown:

Sydney, Australia

Current residence:

Melbourne, Australia

OK, Meg Mac. What’s your real name?

My real name is Megan McInerney.

Why’d you shorten your name to Meg Mac?

Because everyone always says my name wrong, so this is pretty much the same name but you can't really say it wrong..

Are you excited to launch your career in America?

I am scared and excited at the same time! It seems like a very big place with lots of people, so I can't wait to get started.

What's your earliest memory of liking music?

Learning how to spell my last name in a song my mum made up for us.

What was your early musical training like?

Singing with everyone in my class at school. I loved singing so much I started doing group singing lessons after school and then by myself. I also did piano lessons when I was little, but singing was my favorite.

When did you start writing and singing your own songs?

I was 17. After I left school, I started writing music.

What’s your creative process like and who inspires you to write songs?

I play piano and sing, I like to be by myself and make the room dark and make sure no one can hear me.

I get inspiration from anything, really—friends, family, relationships, strangers, something I read or a word. Anything really can spark the start of a song for me.

But mostly it is just how I think or feel about different ideas, situations and people and how people's actions make me feel.

I always feel better after a good sing, it helps me get out things in my head that would otherwise get stuck inside there.

I read somewhere that you perform with your sister, too, do you still do that?

Yeah, she is my backing singer and she does all the shows with me, it is so much more fun with her being there. We love dressing up and performing together.

What's one thing you want people to know about you?

I think over here, I'd like people to know that I am Australian. I like being an Australian in America, everyone is nice to me.

You’re huge in Australia and sold out your last tour there. What’s the weirdest thing a fan has ever done for you?

I get asked out a lot and get marriage proposals while on stage during shows!