It was in 2006 when the now 24-year-old, Meghan Tonjes started posting videos on YouTube and soon became a sensation on the site. Today, her videos have collectively received over two million views.  She even caught the attention of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton who is known to further the careers of up and coming artists, as he did for Lady Gaga and Mika.  It was actually on his website when I first found the link to her YouTube page.

In 2009 Tonjes released her debut album, “Be In Want.”  After one listen I was mesmerized.  Tonjes’ songs exemplify everything I love about music—lyrics torn from the pages of a diary and chords that remind me of a rainy day, accompanied by a voice that is gorgeously haunting.  You would never guess that she is a self-taught guitar player of five years.

Among Tonjes’ musical inspirtations are Jason Mraz, Joshua Radin, Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos.

And while her music does draw heavily from these artists, especially Radin, everything has her own unique signature.

The drive behind, “Be In Want” is Tonjes’ lyrics.  If you are a fan of Taylor Swift as a songwriter, then Tonjes is definitely an interest to you. Her lyrics are personal and from the heart.  Accompanied by an amazing voice, there is nothing stopping her.

Her way with words is especially seen in the song, “Saved,” which is about a religious struggle.

“I hope your God keeps you warm. With his fire and brimstone and words you love screaming out loud.  Wearing a cross ’round your neck. To remember forgiveness and love. But you always forget,” Tonjes sings with a melancholy guitar accompanying her low voice.

Tonjes’ appeal only grows as you watch your way through the hundreds of uploaded videos on her YouTube channel.

It is covers like “Telephone,” by Lady Gaga and Beyonce and “Summer Love,” by Justin Timberlake, which illustrate her talents.  In these covers, she uses  a Styrofoam box, plastic hangers, perfume spray and a box of candy hearts as instruments to recreate the sounds in the actual songs.  It is amazing how she mixes everything together.  You would never be able to tell that these random objects were used if you just listened to the music instead of watching the video.

The channel also has features like “Request Tuesdays,” where Tonjes posts covers of songs requested by viewers, along with “Weekly Gleek,” posts where she covers songs from the TV show Glee. In addition, Tonjes also created a channel to discuss body image issues on YouTube called, Project Lifesize.  She created the project after she received hundreds of nasty comments concerning her weight.

If you are still unsure that Tonjes is all that I make her out to be, I will leave you with one piece of advice.  Log onto YouTube and listen to her lovely cover of Miley Cyrus’ “Fly On The Wall.”   Anyone who can make that song enjoyable should not need to prove anything else.

It was in 2006 when the now 24-year-old, Meghan Tonjes started posting videos on YouTube and soon became a sensation on the site. Today, her videos have collectively received over two million views.  She even caught the attention of celebrity blogger Perez Hilton who is known to further the careers of up and coming artists, as he did for Lady Gaga and Mika.  It was actually on his website when I first found the link to her YouTube page.

In 2009 Tonjes released her debut album, “Be In Want.”  After one listen I was mesmerized.  Tonjes’ songs exemplify everything I love about music—lyrics torn from the pages of a diary and chords that remind me of a rainy day, accompanied by a voice that is gorgeously haunting.  You would never guess that she is a self-taught guitar player of five years.

Among Tonjes’ musical inspirtations are Jason Mraz, Joshua Radin, Sarah McLachlan and Tori Amos.

And while her music does draw heavily from these artists, especially Radin, everything has her own unique signature.

The drive behind, “Be In Want” is Tonjes’ lyrics.  If you are a fan of Taylor Swift as a songwriter, then Tonjes is definitely an interest to you. Her lyrics are personal and from the heart.  Accompanied by an amazing voice, there is nothing stopping her.

Her way with words is especially seen in the song, “Saved,” which is about a religious struggle.

“I hope your God keeps you warm. With his fire and brimstone and words you love screaming out loud.  Wearing a cross ’round your neck. To remember forgiveness and love. But you always forget,” Tonjes sings with a melancholy guitar accompanying her low voice.

Tonjes’ appeal only grows as you watch your way through the hundreds of uploaded videos on her YouTube channel.

It is covers like “Telephone,” by Lady Gaga and Beyonce and “Summer Love,” by Justin Timberlake, which illustrate her talents.  In these covers, she uses  a Styrofoam box, plastic hangers, perfume spray and a box of candy hearts as instruments to recreate the sounds in the actual songs.  It is amazing how she mixes everything together.  You would never be able to tell that these random objects were used if you just listened to the music instead of watching the video.

The channel also has features like “Request Tuesdays,” where Tonjes posts covers of songs requested by viewers, along with “Weekly Gleek,” posts where she covers songs from the TV show Glee. In addition, Tonjes also created a channel to discuss body image issues on YouTube called, Project Lifesize.  She created the project after she received hundreds of nasty comments concerning her weight.

If you are still unsure that Tonjes is all that I make her out to be, I will leave you with one piece of advice.  Log onto YouTube and listen to her lovely cover of Miley Cyrus’ “Fly On The Wall.”   Anyone who can make that song enjoyable should not need to prove anything else.