Megan McKenna, a former reality star, turned singer, and author of the bestseller “The X Factor,” discusses motherhood, her love life, and the song that means a lot to her.
Megan McKenna is feeling more confident and settled since becoming a mum, she tells us. The Essex-born star may have made a name for herself on reality TV, but these days she’s better known for her stunning singing voice and delicious cooking, in what appears to be a complete career change.
Now living in Germany with her footballer husband Oliver Burke, 28, and their nine-month-old son, Landon, it’s clear that 32-year-old Megan – who tied the knot with Oliver in June – is feeling at ease in her new life, as she sits down with OK! for an exclusive interview.
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“Motherhood has undoubtedly improved my freedom. I no longer worry about the little details. As we chatted at the London landmark The Shard before taking the stage with acclaimed songwriter Toby Gad, you have the most amazing gift already, so everything else is fine.
The former Ex On The Beach star has been carving out a career in music since winning The X Factor: Celebrity in 2019. In the show, fronted by Simon Cowell, Megan debuted her original song This, which later went to No.1 on the iTunes charts, and made it into the UK Official Charts.
And now that Landon and Oliver have quality time with her, she’s ready to get back into the business. She says, “I moved to Berlin and took a break from music for obvious reasons, so I’ve had a lot on my plate.” I took a break, to be honest, because I don’t enjoy doing things halfheartedly. I want to do what I do because I have a lot of passion for it.
She continues, “This performance is exciting because it’s my first since becoming a mother.” Grammy-winning musician Toby performed alongside other well-known guests, including Paloma Faith, along with other celebrities.
She adds, “I would say definitely The X Factor helped with people realising that I’ve grown up a lot,” she says of the talent contest, which came after her drama-filled stints on Celebrity Big Brother and TOWIE.
“People saw that I could write music and not just a karaoke singer. Because of my own stories, I write so passionately, which is why I won The X Factor.
Megan’s song, This, is often used on social media for engagement and pregnancy announcements, including her own special pregnancy announcement with Oliver in April last year, which came after various fertility struggles for the couple. “I hear my song all the time and get tagged in so many videos using it. It’s really lovely,” she says.
Of course, not only is she embracing the brave new world of motherhood, Megan is also embracing a different culture, as the family-of-three made the move to the German capital to be close to Oliver’s football team, German Bundesliga club Union Berlin.
When we inquire about living abroad, Megan says, “I’m not in Germany full-time, though.” “We moved there, but I’m flying a lot, back and forth”!
It’s obvious that her parents are the only ones who care about her.
She confirms, “My mother has always been so encouraging of me.” She is also my closest companion. Because I travel a lot, having family close is everything. Thank God for FaceTime in the inbetween moments! Even using social media to stay connected to UK friends and family, I believe I’d find it difficult to stay connected.
Megan’s proud parents were in attendance for her performance at The Shard, where she performed Fergie’s Big Girls Don’t Cry alongside Toby, the song’s author. But, according to Megan, they’ve also witnessed her experience the difficulter aspects of her musical journey.
Winning The X Factor: Celebrity meant that the Barking native was awarded a record deal by music mogul Simon Cowell, but she admits that things didn’t quite go to plan.
It was difficult because the label shut down after I won, so it was. I worked so, so hard, so it was difficult. However, our relationship was good. He actually called me to tell me that the label was closing, which was crazy because it’s not typical for Simon Cowell to call you. I’m sorry, but you need to find a new home, he said. However, it’s not simple to do.
Megan says she’s prepared to take on the industry once more now that Landon is a little older, despite what might have seemed like a huge setback. “Many times are changing, and releasing music without a record label is a breeze,” he said.
Meanwhile, she’s being kept very busy with plenty of other ventures, including her blossoming culinary career. With a Sunday Times bestseller cookbook (and autobiography) already and millions tuning into her mouthwatering recipe videos on social media – in which she whips up everything from comfort food classics to gluten-free dishes – Megan has made quite a name for herself as a cook.
“I adore cooking. It seems so natural to me. It’s normal to share my recipes because I always prop my phone up and film while doing it. I look horrendous the majority of the time! I always consider, “Oh, maybe I should try and put some lipstick on,” but at the end of the day, I realize, “Oh, that’s impossible!” She exclaims, “I love cooking, I love singing, Landon, and I love Ollie,” before continuing. Really, that’s all I need.
Source: Mirror
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