Interview With Synthwave Pop/Video Game Composer Megan McDuffee

Music

Oct 2

Synthwave Pop/Videogame Composer Megan McDuffee may not be a household name (yet); however, the odds are good that, if you are a fan of synthwave pop music, play video games, watch television, or have heard any film trailers, you have probably heard some of her music. If you are unfortunate to have not heard any of her music yet, she is a musician who really deserves more attention, and I recently had the privilege and honor of sitting down with her to learn more about her and, hopefully, expose her awesome music to a wider audience.

Megan McDuffee (b. 1986) stated that she has never known a time in her life when she was not musically inclined. From a young age, she was fascinated with xylophones and keyboards. By the age of eight, she was taking formal piano lessons, and at the age of twelve, she joined a choir, both of which continued throughout high school and college. She stated that she also composed her first music around this time, using an old Casio Keyboard and writing lyrics.

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Megan McDuffee — Image Source: Music News

Megan transitioned from writing and composing music for personal enjoyment to start releasing her music around 2011-2012. She first scored some music for short films such as Andie (2011), The Green Bandits (2013), Remembrance, and Lightning Bugs in a Jar (2015). She also worked on trailers for major films such as Annihilation (2018) and The Predator (2018). She has worked on music for various hit television series such as Temptation Island, The Bachlorette, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and America’s Got Talent.

She has also composed music for various video games such as Centipede Recharged, Black Widow: Recharged, Breakout: Recharged, and River City Girls (2019). She highlighted River City Girls, a gender-swapped remake of the classic video game River City Ransom, as one of her favorite projects that she had the most fun working on. She also stated that she has gotten lots of positive reception for her work on that game. She also composed music for follow-ups River City Girls Zero (2022) and River City Girls 2 (2022). She discussed some of the challenges of composing for video games, such as the need to tailor the music to visual experiences and work in loops. She also highlighted the importance of ensuring that the music enhances the player’s experience.

Megan has also produced several of her own albums and EPs and collaborated with other synthwave pop artists such as Mitch Murder, ALEX, and Moonrunner83. She has also done some of her own music videos, among which Streets (2019) is her favorite one, which came out of her collaboration with Moonrunner83. She emphasizes the importance of good collaboration and the mutual understanding she has with her collaborators. Her most recent release, Crimson Legacy (2024), which she considers a significant personal achievement. She also stated that she has a “top secret” video game project she is working on that she could not discuss during the interview.

In terms of musical influences, Megan listed John Williams (Star Wars), Trevor Jones (Labyrinth), Danny Elfman (Beetlejuice), Depeche Mode, and Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails as her major musical influences. She also mentioned that she loves electronic music, particularly from the band Infected Mushroom, and their “psychedelic trance” genre. She also wants to someday collaborate with the band Massive Attack. Her music is often described as “dark, catchy electropop with hip-hop influences,” much like her influences suggest.

Megan’s music can currently be found on all major streaming and digital music distribution platforms such as Bandcamp, Apple Music, and Spotify. She also has her own webpage, as well as a YouTube channel, which features her music and music videos. She is very personable and friendly, and she makes herself accessible via her social media platforms. She stated that she makes an effort to respond to all of her fans’ messages as much as possible, which helped make this interview possible.

She also strives to maintain a healthy work-life balance, keeping a regular weekly schedule of 9 am-6 pm, with a lunch break and time for dinner with her husband in the evening. As far as one of her future goals for her musical career, she has previously stated that she wants the chance to appear in a feature film, portraying an artist or lounge singer in a “dark and vibey club scene.”