INTERVIEW: Meghan Pulles & Mary Knoblock Discuss The Release Of The “Vigil Mass” Album!

Charismatic emo-positive singer-songwriter Meghan Pulles & renowned Neo-Classical Composer & Electronic music artist Mary Knoblock (Also, CEO/Founder of Produced by a Girl & Aurally Records) recently collaborated on the “Vigil Mass” album that explores a new take on the festive music scene.

This album contains a variety of tracks (covers & originals) & has accumulated over 100k streams within the first month of its release.

Meghan & Mary have kindly taken the time to speak with Fierce & Fabulous Revolution regarding the creative process behind the album, working together, & what this album means to them. You can find the full interview below.

Hey Meghan, thank you for this interview. Can you start by telling readers who might be unfamiliar with your music a little bit about yourself?

Meghan: I am an emo-positive singer-songwriter who writes music in the folk and pop realms although I don’t like staying in a specific genre so sometimes I say “genre-hopping”. I have been writing and releasing music professionally for the past 4 years and I am just about to release my debut solo album in October of this year. I play guitar, mandolin, banjo, piano, ukulele, and just got a theremin- I always love to pick up new instruments that make me write in a different space. I write music to heal my own emotions and inspire and encourage others to heal and become aware of theirs.

MK: Sure! I’m the CEO and Founder of Produced by a Girl and Aurally Records! I’m also a Neo-Classical Composer and Electronic music artist! I’m based in Portland, Oregon and have a platform at Produced by a Girl for all singers and songwriters and musicians/artists in the music and entertainment industry! Meghan is one of the first artists who joined Produced by a Girl and we’ve been music sisters ever since. 🙂

Not long ago, you both teamed up on the album “Vigil Mass”. How did the idea for this collaboration come together?

Meghan: Vigil Mass was such an inspiring moment for us. After we recorded Winter Rose, we just kind of knew there was more inspiration to come and we had to get it out. We decided that there was an avant-garde project that was coming out of it as well as paying homage to the “vigil mass” vibes of Christmas tide.

MK: Vigil Mass was an inspired moment after our first-holiday album ‘Winter Rose’ started expanding into more avante-garde songs and compositions. We were talking about the feelings around the holidays and how some of the mass services are more sombre and peaceful at the same time. We wanted to capture that aura of the holidays and keep it centred around the historical songs that were written long ago and some newly inspired ones too.

The album includes some originals as well as some “spookier” covers. What inspired you to create this tracklist variety?

Meghan: It does! I think we wanted to keep this tracklist a bit more avant-garde, Mary found some really unique Christmas carols that had barely been done and we just had a lot of fun reinventing them and learning their history about them. This album really does have more of a “churchy” feel than Winter Rose and I think we captured that beautifully.

MK: The aura of vigil mass and other religious holiday services around the world inspired my production for this album and I was trying to capture that sole singer in a church house or grotto.

How did you find the experience of working alongside each other on this album?

Meghan: Working with Mary was a dream, she is such an amazing artist that is soo supportive, and was/is soo supportive of my production journey which means the world because I just started producing. I really love working with her and we really just gel well together.

MK: Meghan is a gem! I loved working with her. She’s such a talented songwriter and singer. I was totally inspired by her musicality and she was a dream collaborator!

Do you think we could see you working on some more music together in the future?

Meghan: Absolutely, there is soo much more to come!!

MK: Yes!

What does the album personally mean to you?

Meghan: This album really celebrates the emotions of the Winter Solstice, and Yuletide season to me. It’s a silent night. It’s a Vigil Mass. It’s a goodbye to something that has been haunting you..

MK: This album brought comfort and solace in my winter solstice.

If listeners could take anything away from this album, what would you like it to be?

Meghan: I would love listeners to be inspired by this project, and to not be afraid to make “weird art” because it can really really connect to our history as humans.

MK: A space of solace to process their emotions during the winter season!

Are there any further upcoming releases planned for either of you that we could hear in the near future?

Meghan: I will have something special coming out in February and then the first single off my debut album in April and some other surprises down the line. 🙂

MK: I just released a new electronic album ‘Angels’ and am planning on a new album soon to be announced later this spring/summer.

If you could offer advice to someone who was looking to pursue a career within the music industry, what would it be?

Meghan: Just keep going!! Write through all of the no’s, not everything you write is going to be perfect but cherish those moments when everything flows, find someone to be inspired by and that makes you be a better musician, and work on the confidence- it’s a journey!! Celebrate the small wins ❤

Finally, is there a message that you would like to share with readers of Fierce & Fabulous Revolution?

Meghan: Thank you for listening to our music!! You can find me on @meghanpullsmusic on IG, Tiktok, @meghanpulles89 on Twitter, Facebook.com/megpulles, patreon.com/themagicpull.

MK: I hope you’re inspired by our album ‘Vigil Mass’ from my winter solstice to yours, may have a magical 2023! Please find me on socials @producedbyagirl and on Spotify @maryknoblock.

You can check out “Vigil Mass” on Spotify below or via Apple Music here.