THUNDER BAY — Megan Nadin was sitting in her childhood bedroom Wednesday afternoon – or "floating," as she put it – because she'd never imagined she'd have a career that would require her to give media interviews.
Neither did the Thunder Bay woman, 33, ever expect to perform on stage as the opener for a concert by country music icons such as Pam Tillis and Lorrie Morgan.
The show is scheduled for Sunday evening at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium.
Nadin's set will be 30 to 40 minutes long with an intermission, and will be her first appearance at an event in her hometown since last August when she hosted a songwriting showcase.
She recently released her latest single, In Another Life, which her publicity manager describes as a deeply emotional ballad exploring love, heartbreak and self-growth.
According to her online biography, Nadin kept her love of singing and song-writing behind closed doors for nearly two decades, but this changed while teaching children English in a small village in Cambodia.
"Her ultimate goal is to amalgamate her passions of music, advocacy and activism to create a platform that allows her opportunities to create change and be a voice for those much like the children in Cambodia that inspired her musical journey," the biography states.
Nadin's stature has grown considerably since she moved to Nashville in 2020.
She had already released her first single, Gypsy Sea, two years earlier at the age of 26, and had won a spot in the CBC Searchlight competition.
A performance of her original music in a showcase later caught the attention of an artist development program in Nashville.
In 2020, Nadin accepted a writing contract with seven-time Grammy winning producer Keith Thomas, followed by the release of her debut EP, This Was Then.
After a three-year musical hiatus, she released singles Make It Out Alive and High in 2024, which led to appearances on two Nashville TV stations.
In an interview Wednesday, she said "I'm now producing — I've always written my own stuff and I've always been producing without knowing I was...It's easy to have imposter syndrome — so it took me awhile to really understand that I am."
Nadin said the event in Thunder Bay this weekend will be her most significant performing opportunity to date, and she's grateful the chance came her way out of the blue.
"It's a really unique thing. The universe is crazy. I was invited to a writers' round (where a group of songwriters in a circle take turns singing their songs) and I ended up in the greenroom with some of their special guests. I quickly got to meet Pam Tillis, and she was very kind. My mentor told her a little about me. That was in February."
She said it was just a few weeks ago that her mentor reached out to her with the news that she was being invited to open for Morgan and Tillis in the Thunder Bay stop on their Grits and Glamor tour.
The auditorium is also allowing her to sell merchandise at the concert.
Nadin said she understands tickets for Sunday's concert are selling briskly.
"People shouldn't be afraid to pursue whatever they want, no matter how old they are," she said. "I could write songs behind closed doors, like I've always been doing, but I'm only sharing it to inspire others to believe that anything is possible."
