Megan Talay’s fate was sealed the first time she heard Pink Floyd. After hearing “Wish You Were Here,” she was inspired to take up the guitar at only twelve, and was making the New York City nightclub rounds – from the Knitting Factory to the Bitter End – with her first band by the time she was 16. Heading down south to take part in the University of Miami’s renowned Bruce Hornsby Creative American Music Program, Talay had a creative epiphany, and finally began to move away from the electric sounds of her youth and hone her skills as an acoustic singer songwriter.

Now all of her hard work and years of practice have found her back in New York, the city that nurtured her love for music. From working as a session player to touring with a few bands, including a Guns N’ Roses tribute band, it’s remarkable she’s had time to work on her own debut, but her EP, Piece by Piece, was released this past October, and showcases a hardworking, talented young woman ready to claim her place in the spotlight.

In a recent cover, Talay put her spin on a song from band that inspired her throughout her high school years, the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In her bluegrass-tinged cover of “Otherside,” the clear, high tone of Talay’s voice sends the track soaring in double time, a unique twist on the dark, deep, ambling pace of the original. Talay is a speed-demon on the guitar, and bassist Chris Anderson adds subtle but key harmonies to reframe a nineties alt-rock hit in a completely new, exciting light.

Watch Megan Talay’s video for “Otherside” below, and look out for her Piece By Piece EP, out now.