Maygen & the Birdwatcher

In every sense, Maygen & The Birdwatcher has celebrated 2024—a leap year that slightly stretches time—by building upon the multi-faceted work they’ve done in the last few years.

Coming off two 2023 wins from Midwest Country Music Organization—one for their video performance of “Where Good Things Grow,” which they recorded as part of their contribution to the efforts of non-profit South Dakota Grasslands Coalition to raise awareness of the importance of these precious ecosystems—this band of eclectic musicians combines entertainment values with music that’s firmly rooted in folk and country. Maygen & The Birdwatcher also garnered the 2023 Entertainer of the Year award from Midwest CMO for their work ethic and their commitment to the music community and fanbase.

Maygen & The Birdwatcher took that philosophy on the road for their 2024 Leap Year Tour, running February through October, traveling across the United States to new cities far and wide—giving their increasing number of fans the opportunity to join in on the live-show experience and hear their latest music.

About their latest music: The group led by singers and songwriters Maygen Lacey and Noah Neumann did indeed take advantage of 2024’s extra time by recording a collection of songs they have had on their hearts for a year—a deeper, more contemplative combination of lyrics, and explorations of sound. Released August 2, it’s a set of six songs called, appropriately enough, Leap Year. They recorded in the dead of winter, in Cleveland, Minnesota with engineer and ace guitarist musician Erik Koskinen, at his Real-Phonic Records. Leap Year is a pause and a breath before Maygen & The Birdwatcher move into another level of their musical journey next year.

The music on Leap Year examines real-life issues—the feeling of being unsafe, unloved, and invisible in today’s American society. “Right Where You Belong,” the third single track from Leap Year, was inspired by Mark Laita’s Soft White Underbelly YouTube channel. As she says, Maygen Lacey was touched by the many stories of people—mostly as young children—who “just never had a person or a place where they can feel safe, or a place where they can just breathe and be themselves.”