Meredith Shaw

“Writers use their experiences with life’s pain… what could you possibly write about?”

At age 20, Meredith Shaw grappled with her mother’s profound statement. She needed more “life” to find her song. Years later, after children, a divorce from her husband, a successful academic career, a doctorate, and her mother’s battle with Alzheimers, Meredith finally tackled her music head on. Who knew that it could be so rewarding, yet complex and painful?
Raised on a Missouri farm, Meredith educated herself early on the powerful women in music, such as Tammy Wynette, Carole King, Loretta Lynn, Linda Ronstadt, and Dolly Parton. While attending the University of Missouri, she felt the desire to break from the norm of college life and move to Nashville to pursue songwriting. But she heeded her mother’s advice and stayed in college. Instead, Meredith’s love of music led her to radio, where she spent years working on-air, soaking up the industry, artists and songs as much as possible, learning what she could from the experience. Eventually, she had children, married, finished multiple degrees while working at the university she attended, and embraced the life before her. However, the desire to write and sing still burned inside.

In 2018, Meredith’s life shifted again, dealing a blow which made her more passionate about her pursuit of songwriting. With many experiences to draw from, she began penning her first songs in over 20 years, which were greeted with adoring, local fans. Encouraged by this, she posted a song to social media in the spring of 2020, which would eventually become her debut single “Whiskey Situation.” The song drew attention from not only thousands of viewers, but also Nashville industry talents, and Meredith is now flexing that artist muscle with whiskey in tow. A fiery blend of traditional country and current production, Meredith’s music is passionate, empowering, relatable. You can find her singles “Whiskey Situation” “Drove it Like He Stole It” and “The Other Other Woman” on Spotify, iTunes, or wherever you stream music. Meredith recently played the 2022 Roots N Blues fest, where she opened for Tanya Tucker and also was one of the featured speakers for the inaugural “That’s What She Said” even in Columbia. Look for her self titled debut album to be released later this summer.