Back in early February (aka 3.7 million years ago, news-wise), I had the opportunity to chat over the phone with singer-songwriter Tyler Meacham, whose pop-infused Property EP was one of my favorite albums to come out of Richmond last year.

It was such a fun and engaging conversation — the kind that makes you want the resulting article to be out in the world as soon as humanly possible. A month and a half — plus one worldwide pandemic — later, sharing it feels bittersweet in all the ways Meacham described in her Instagram post from Thursday. Social distancing represents an existential disruption for performers everywhere, and it’s especially devastating for musicians who had been (and still are) working to gain the type of momentum that leads to liftoff for a career as an artist.

Nevertheless, I have two pieces of incontrovertible good news:

Good News #1: If I’ve learned anything from listening to Meacham’s music, seeing her perform live, and speaking with her about her craft, it’s that her gift is as real as it gets. Her drive, her savvy outlook on what defines pop music (one of my favorite parts of our chat), her remarkable ability to take her own experiences and mold them into pieces of art that are broadly affecting — that stuff endures, and while I can’t say what the world is going to look like a year, month, or week from now, I’m certain that those are the characteristics you find in artists who thrive in the long run, through ups, downs, and whatever else is thrown at them.

Good News #2: There are so many ways to keep the momentum going for musicians right now. Here’s a quick list of ways to make your Meacham fandom felt:

• Read our River City Magazine article.
• Tune in for her streaming show tomorrow at 1 p.m. EST.
• Shop her limited-time Bonfire merch sale. (I’m currently deciding between the “Say Yes” t-shirt and the cozy-looking “Moving On” sweatshirt.
• Spin her awesome Property EP via your preferred method, then tell a friend (from a safe distance) how awesome it is.
• Check out her newest single, “Hardly Feels Like Home,” below. I think we can all connect with that idea in one way or another right now.