Victoria McDougall Visits Section 36 Music!

Victoria McDougall is the latest visitor to Section 36 Music! She is a talented singer who is fresh off the release of her second single. You'll want to give that one a listen as soon as you can. I was so excited she wanted to visit with us and discuss her music, challenges, and a bit more. I'm sure you'll love what she had to say.

So, let's see what happens when Victoria McDougall visits Section 36!

I really love your recent single, “Commonwealth”. What can you tell me about it? 

I wrote Commonwealth last year sitting on a bench outside my dorm building on Commonwealth Avenue during my first year of university. I was kind of just reflecting on life and how hard I had worked to get where I was. My first couple months of university were really pivotal for me as an individual, and I started to realize there’s not one distinct path I had to follow in life, and it felt so freeing. Then there was the other side of the coin, constantly comparing myself to the people around me and what they were all doing, that created this constant internal struggle for me. This song was my way to express the constant back and forth of “am I good enough? Is this the right place and path for me?”, but also how I knew deep down that I was exactly where I wanted to be and was where I was supposed to be. It’s about not letting yourself sweat the small stuff, and having faith that you can pursue your dreams amidst all the second guessing and doubts. 

Do you have a favorite memory from the recording process? 

I recorded this song back in my hometown on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia at Lakewind Sound Studios. It was an August afternoon, we had spent a couple hours recording, it was all going great. Then, after we were pretty much finished recording guitar and vocals, the producer, studio owner, my friend who was playing guitar on the track and I just sat in the studio for about an hour talking about Berklee, our aspirations for the future, and everything music related. There’s something so special about being able to connect with other musicians, and I will always cherish that whole day and the conversations we had. 

You are attending Berklee College of Music. What made Berklee the right choice for you? 

Attending Berklee was a hard choice for me. I’m from Canada, so it was a pretty big move, I knew I wouldn’t know a soul here, and I didn’t know if I was ready to make that big of a change in my life. A couple weeks before I had to make my decision, my parents and I decided to drive 13 hours and visit the school. I knew as soon as I got there it was the right place for me. I already felt a strong sense of community and passion oozing out of the place, but what really drew me in was the range of options at this school. They did a tabling event with all the different majors to choose from, and there were more than I had ever imagined. I never realized how many directions you could go with music, from film scoring to music business management, which is what I’m majoring in now! I’m someone who likes to try a bit of everything, so I knew it would be perfect for me. 

What do you enjoy most about performing on stage in front of an audience? 

The connection I have with an audience is the absolute best part of performing. When someone comes up to me after a performance saying it has made some sort of impact on them, I know my job is done. There was this gig I played at a bar over the summer, and the only people in there were this couple from a cruise ship that was in town. They were absolutely loving it, I played some of their requests and they sang along, they even got up to dance twice. It was a truly amazing experience, and goes to show it doesn’t matter if you're playing for 2 or 200 people, it matters the impact you make on them. 

If you could cover any Disney song, which one would you choose? Why? 

I would love to do a cover of “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana. Moana has been one of my favorite princess movies since it came out, and this song especially has always felt particularly special. The message of the song speaks so deeply to me, about feeling like there’s something bigger, that you have a calling that you just need to follow. It is also just such a beautiful song that I’ve always loved singing! 

What are your immediate musical goals? 

I definitely want to put out more music soon, I’m in the process of planning some releases for the summer. As of this semester, my goal is to work and write with as many artists as possible! I think working with other writers is one of the best things you can do to improve and expand your artistry, and it’s always so cool to create something that you would have never created on your own!

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I'm very excited about even more music! 

As always, I want to thank Victoria for visiting with us, and for sending along the pictures to accompany the interview. 

I'm sure you’ll all want to follow her and see what she has going on. I would follow her on Instagram and Spotify to make sure you don't miss a thing. 

Thanks again Victoria, and good luck reaching your goals!