Canadian singer, songwriter, and producer Meredith O has followed an unconventional path into electronic music, building her creative identity through persistence, experimentation, and an intensely personal relationship with songwriting.
Photo credit: Meredith O – Official
Her releases span house, deep house, and techno, with appearances on labels including Freeze Records, Fall From Grace, Rawthentic, and Terminator Records. Along the way, she has collaborated with artists such as Todd Terry, Alexander Technique, Demuir, and Oscar P.
Beyond the studio, Meredith has spent more than two decades working in construction and design, an experience that has shaped her independent approach to creativity. Returning to music with renewed determination in her forties, she has focused on developing her production skills, taking greater control of her work, and finding the confidence to express herself on her own terms.
In this conversation with Electronic Groove, Meredith reflects on the emotional roots of her music, the lessons learned through collaboration, and the challenges of navigating the industry. She also discusses her life outside the studio, the importance of creative independence, and why music remains central to her sense of identity.
EG: Meredith, welcome to Electronic Groove. Where are you joining us from today?
Meredith O: Great to be with you! I’m just outside of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, today, about 45 minutes east of the city.
EG: Looking back, do you remember when music stopped being something you simply enjoyed and became something you needed to create?
Meredith O: I think music was the one thing that always called me. The struggle and fight to create was more the challenge. Finally, this past year, I have been able to control the music more that flows through me and not be weighed down by the lack of ability and working with others who may have more experience. But I found that I would only get 10% of the return from my time invested in the pursuit of music.
EG: Your work moves between different styles of electronic music, from deeper house to more driving productions. What determines the direction you take when creating a track?
Meredith O: 100%, the music drives the vocal and emotional tone and direction of the track. I love all aspects of the music and having that take me down the path where I go. I don’t choose one over the other and love the open direction and the wonder behind it all. I don’t set out to make one type over another genre, and I love it all. When the song is finished, it tells me where it belongs.
EG: Your approach to songwriting seems closely connected to the music itself. How do melodies and rhythms influence the stories you tell?
Meredith O: The music is actually how I am influenced by the storytelling or the lyrics I write and how I present them to the music. I hear the vocals pop up into my head as I listen to the music. Then, as I like to put it, I throw the vocal “spaghetti” at the wall and see what sticks, and build the story from those key parts that just appear. I am not one to write songs without music, like a poem. 100% of my songwriting and storytelling is from the music telling me the story and bringing what I hear in my head to life and making it all make sense.
“100% of my songwriting and storytelling is from the music telling me the story and bringing what I hear in my head to life and making it all make sense”
EG: There is a raw emotional quality to your vocals. When you are recording, what feelings are you trying to capture or communicate?
Meredith O: I always found I can’t sing without emotion. I’m very emotionally intelligent, and I embrace that and trigger feelings through sounds and the way I sing my music and the tone of how I wish to embrace that. We are all individuals, and I am so blessed that I never really felt I had a tone like others. I’m not classically trained, but I loved artists like fellow Canadian Alanis Morissette for her emotionally charged raw vocals. But I also loved Whitney Houston and all things ’90s R&B, so there is everything from heart and soul to even anger and my cries for help. The music is meant to be my therapy first. Then to be shared. I think vulnerability is my strength.
EG: Your recent releases reflect different sides of your musical identity. How much of what is happening in your personal life finds its way into those tracks?
Meredith O: My music is definitely such a blessing that people are relating to the music and loving the songs and connecting to them. I make the songs for myself first as an outlet for pain and growth and great times, as a way to connect myself to this world. I feel music is the best way I can connect with the outside world as well, but only if I am true to myself. We always look for answers, and sometimes that comes in being in the moment and letting the creative control the outcome.
EG: When you are working on a track, how do you recognize that moment when an idea becomes genuinely exciting rather than something predictable?
Meredith O: I think when making music and songs, there’s definitely a chase. Once you start to feel you’re onto something, the obsession builds more and more. But I feel it’s a fast, swift hit of excitement that drives the song’s meat and potatoes, because it’s all about the energy and the unknown. There is almost a danger to it because if you don’t work fast enough to capture it, you might lose it. Then, from there, the theory part of it refines it more, and some things don’t make the cut from the almost drug induced focus in the production chair. I think sometimes it almost feels wrong because it’s so freeing to have such control of your own voice to give to the world.
EG: You have worked with established producers, including Todd Terry and Alexander Technique. Has there been a particular moment of recognition that changed how you saw yourself as an artist?
Meredith O: It’s so humbling to work with amazing producers who see the vision with me and want to join the project. I love having people who are way better than me take my vision to a whole new level, or to even have them say they like it and want to be a part of it. So inspiring to keep going! I think the most humbling moment was when Todd Terry asked me to redo the vocals for ‘Missing’. They didn’t make the cut years ago, but that brought the chance to bring ‘Forget About My Love’ to the table that I wrote. Lost opportunities are never lost if there is something else to bring to the table. So much respect for all the producers who give me a chance to try and that they are protective of me, knowing I’m still in my infancy of producing and owning my voice.
“I think sometimes it almost feels wrong because it’s so freeing to have such control of your own voice to give to the world”
EG: Collaboration can be rewarding, but it also comes with challenges. What experience has most changed the way you approach relationships and business in the music industry?
Meredith O: Don’t trust them just because of the people they work with or the time they have spent in their career.
I’ve had my share of ego driven producers who have tried to keep me down, stolen from me, or even taken credit for my work and worse. You still have to be open to trust, but the key is to educate yourself. Don’t go in blind and naive. Know what you are there for and have it be clear across the board. It’s hard when sometimes that’s not even good enough and you can still get screwed, but man, the more you control, the less likely you are to look like a victim and be treated as such. It’s a privilege to make music with a fellow artist. There should be a creative respect level there, but definitely control the business side. Take responsibility for your own art, and you will go further long term.
Meredith O’s ‘Music Turns U On’ is out now on NiteLite Music. Stream and download your copy here.
