A little more than halfway through our interview, a departing onlooker interrupts to let megiapa know that she’s doing a good job. An intrusion on its face, albeit an overtly kind one, allows the Ohio-born, Los Angeles-based producer to take a beat and re-center herself for the home stretch. You can’t control time, and for megiapa, the process of creating her new album, Intentions, was a masterclass in surrendering to that reality.
There’s a slew of moments on Intentions, both formal and emotional, that represent a chance to regroup and move forward. These resets seem well-earned, considering that the album presented a challenge unlike any that megiapa had faced as an artist—one that was entirely self-inflicted. It’s an album that forsakes the reclusive individualism that had largely characterized her previous output. During the five years she spent working on this record, she forced herself to slow down and open up to the warmth of instrumentalist collaborators, grafting stems from keyboardist Kafari and bassist The Growth Eternal onto tracks that previously existed as COVID-era production exercises.
The Art of Collaboration and Vulnerability
Intentions was birthed among tectonic shifts—a move from Chicago to Los Angeles and the ending of a long-term relationship—prompting wholesale changes to her artistic focus. “It was like, ‘This is your last chance to do this,’” megiapa admits. “I keep talking about it like it’s my last thing I’m going to do, which is extreme and dramatic—but it sums up a big chunk of my life.”
The process of revisiting old songs was a significant hurdle. Unlike her previous work, which focused on speed and instinct, this record required her to sit with the music, open up old sessions, and allow others to contribute. “I knew it would be a challenge to open songs back up, revisit them,” she explains. “But are you accepting a challenge that you gave yourself? So, let’s go back there. This is what artists do.”
Finding a Voice
When asked about her evolution as a vocalist, megiapa remains humble, often identifying first as a producer. “I’m a producer. I happen to sing,” she notes. Despite her reservations, her vocal presence on Intentions is undeniable, drawing inspiration from legends like Patrice Rushen and Aaliyah. Her journey into singing has been one of self-discovery, moving from the constraints of her childhood choir to the creative freedom of her own studio.
Ultimately, the album serves as a testament to the power of letting go. Whether it is the influence of Sun Ra’s philosophy or the simple necessity of navigating life’s uncertainties, megiapa has learned that the best outcomes often come from the things we cannot plan. “The more that I leaned into something that was not planned, the better things turned out for me,” she says. As she looks toward the future, she carries the lessons of the past five years with her, proving that while you can’t control time, you can certainly make the most of it.