Meagan Van Dyke is a multi-talented performer. She’s been in College of the Desert musicals In the Heights and Little Shop of Horrors; she was an on-air Disney Channel host; and she performs in Trio NV with Nick Sosa and Doug Van Sant of the Flusters. Catch Trio NV every Saturday night at the Miramonte Indian Wells Resort and Spa. For more information on Trio NV, visit www.facebook.com/trionvmusic. Meagan was kind enough to answer the Lucky 13; here are her answers.
What was the first concert you attended?
I’m a little embarrassed to say the Backstreet Boys was my first concert, but the boy-band pop-scene was huge in the late ’90s, and I was just another 10-year-old who succumbed to the sounds of five guys singing love songs.
What was the first album you owned?
Boyz II Men’s II. I can remember listening to it on repeat in my bedroom. I always find myself attached to lyrics that are romantic and poignant, and when you pepper in flawless harmonies, I’m a fan for life.
What bands are you listening to right now?
I have a very eccentric playlist, but I’m currently listening to Brandi Carlile, Janelle Monáe and H.E.R.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone love, but you don’t get?
I enjoy a lot of different music, but I’ll never understand the culture of heavy metal. If I can’t understand the words because the lead singer is screaming, I’m shutting it off!
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
Ben Platt. He’s a Broadway star and has one of the most mesmerizing voices I’ve ever heard. I’d love to just sit and listen to him sing.
What’s your favorite musical guilty pleasure?
I’m a musical-theater nerd. My guilty pleasures are the soundtracks for most Broadway musicals. Currently, it’s Dear Evan Hansen and Waitress. I’m also a huge fan of just about anything from the ’80s. Foreigner, Journey, Hall and Oates—they still get blasted in my car.
What’s your favorite music venue?
The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. There’s nothing better than enjoying music under the stars.
What’s the one song lyric you can’t get out of your head?
“Let ’em live while they can. Let ’em spin; let ’em scatter in the wind. I have been to the movies; I’ve seen how it ends, and the joke’s on them.” Brandi Carlile’s song “The Joke” has a strong message, and if you haven’t listened to it yet, you should!
What band or artist changed your life? How?
I’m definitely inspired by the Motown, funk, soul and R&B eras. Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Donna Summer, Smokey Robinson, Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill are all musicians who have changed my life as an artist.
You have one question to ask one musician. What’s the question, and who are you asking?
I’d ask Diana Ross what inspired her to be the amazing performer that she was and still is today.
What song would you like played at your funeral?
An ’80s classic, “Don’t You (Forget About Me),” by the Simple Minds.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black. The entire album is a classic, soul-pouring novel that I never get tired of.
What song should everyone listen to right now?
“When Will Then Be Now?” by The Flusters. Support local music! (Scroll down to hear it!)
