MAGGIE SZABO IS ON AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY

Ferris Bueller once said that life moves pretty fast and if you don’t stop to look around once in a while, you can miss it.  You can bet that when Canadian born artist Maggie Szabo went to LA and decided to stay, it was an opportunity that she did not miss.  Despite the recent success of both The Weeknd and Drake, Maggie Szabo continues to thrive in a musical city that has served her well.  The artist who has gained over 13 million views on her YouTube videos has quite the future ahead of her in the music industry ever since her move to the big city of dreams.  FERNTV talked to Maggie Szabo about her journey to success…

FERNTV:   Even though there is much focus on Toronto artists such at The Weeknd and Drake, why did you feel that it was necessary to move to LA?

Maggie:  Something about LA kind of just drew me in. I came out here initially for a writing trip; to work with new people and to be in a new environment. I find being in a new place super inspiring. After a week of being here in LA, I knew I wanted to live here so I made the decision to make the move. I love Toronto, a lot! I love where I’m from and I go back all the time, but for me, Los Angeles felt like the right place for me to be.

FERNTV:   In terms of music, what do you think is the biggest difference between the two cities Toronto and LA?

Maggie:  Toronto and LA both have such great music communities. There are a lot of similarities between the two, but many differences as well. A lot of people I meet in Los Angeles are from totally different places, which is pretty cool. I find it pretty rare to meet someone in LA who is actually from LA! In Toronto, a lot more people that I know are either from Toronto or somewhere close by. People move to LA to chase their dreams, which is pretty inspiring. It’s also a place that people come to visit from all over the world. I recently did a writing camp in Greece, and most of those people are from Europe. It’s amazing how many of them came to Los Angeles for writing trips in the last few months! I guess overall, Los Angeles attracts people from everywhere, and there is a greater number of people here in the music industry.

FERNTV:   Everyone in the music industry pays homage to Nashville.  When did you decide to go there and what did you learn the most from your Nashville experience?

Maggie:  I decided to move to Nashville right after I graduated from high school. I chose Nashville because I had gone there for a writing workshop when I was 16, so I was a little familiar with the city and I knew I liked it a lot. Nashville was such an amazing place for me to work on my songwriting. That town revolves around writing amazing songs. What I learned most was the art of great lyrics, catchy melodies, and the power of a song.

FERNTV:  Tell me who grounds you and motivates you to keep going and working hard in the music industry?

Maggie:  My dad has always been my biggest motivator when it comes to my music. I’ve been doing music all my life, and ever since I was a kid, he’s been there pushing me along and supporting me to keep fighting for it. It’s a tough business, and I don’t think I would have been able to withstand everything if it wasn’t for him.

FERNTV:  How did you meet DJ Schiller and tell us a little bit about him and your future project with him?

Maggie:  I was performing at an event in Los Angeles and Schiller happened to be in the audience. He introduced himself after I got off stage, and we started talking about music. He had recently come from Germany and was in the middle of working on his new album. He is such a warm and welcoming person, very encouraging, and we got along really well. We started getting together to write, and as we continued to finish songs, we ended up recording them. The whole process was pretty amazing. His style of music wasn’t something I was totally used to working on, so I learned a lot from it. I applied what I do to his style, and I love the material that came out of it. He’s an amazing artist; so creative and what he does is very unique. I’ve never heard a style of music quite like his.

FERNTV:  How do you think you have used the internet effectively to market your music?

Maggie:  As an artist, it’s changed the way I’m able to share music. I can instantly upload a video or track and share it with anyone who is willing to listen. For me, Youtube has been a great outlet for me to market my music. Not only can I be creative with the writing and recordings of my songs, but I can be creative with the videos I make to my music.

FERNTV:   Is there someone that you would love to work with such when it comes to an album or a single?

Maggie:  I would LOVE to work with Macklemore, Eminem, Justin Timberlake or John Mayer. I love the style of music that Macklemore and Eminem make with other vocalists. I think it’s a really amazing combination of melody and rap. I’ve always been a huge fan of both John Mayer and Justin Timberlake also…from their soulfulness to their songwriting; I would love to work with them.

FERNTV:  Who has supported you the most when it comes to your transition from Toronto to LA?

Maggie:   My dad has been the biggest supporter, even all the way from Canada. It was really intimidating and scary moving to such a big city by myself, especially not really knowing anybody here. Being able to call up my dad and have him understand what I was going through made such a big difference. It can be a crazy business, and he’s been there for me since day one so he’s seen it all. When I’m going through something, he’s the first person I go to.

www.allaboutmaggie.com