Megan Washington's journey from a passionate music student at Griffith University's Queensland Conservatorium (The Con) to an acclaimed Australian musician, songwriter and voice actor has been one of talent, perseverance and artistic evolution.
Her career has spanned multiple creative disciplines, from ARIA Award-winning albums to composing for television and film, and most recently, co-directing a feature film adaptation of Paul Kelly's classic song How to Make Gravy.
The film, which she co-directed with her filmmaker husband Nick Waterman, premiered on Binge in December 2024, starring renownedactor Hugo Weaving and featuring several original songs by Ms Washington.
Staying true to the original song's narrative, the pair carefully crafted a world that remained faithful to Paul Kelly's lyrics while making the story accessible to new audiences who were unfamiliar with the song.
"All the details for the film's world, plot and narrative had to come from a single song, but we tried to invent as little as we could," Ms Washington said.
"The song was the stars we sailed by - we used it as a map to the world and created the planet from there."
The project garnered significant industry attention, earning multiple Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Award nominations, including a win for best original song for Fine with Brenan Maclean and The Prison Choir.
It was far from her first foray into the screen world, having made music for Australian television series Fisk, writing a musical called The Deb which was turned into a feature film by Rebel Wilson, and of course her role voicing teacher Calypso and creating several original songs for kids' favourite TV show Bluey.
While she didn't meet Bluey creator and fellow Griffith University alumnus Joe Brumm until well after they had both graduated, Ms Washington remembers her time there with fondness, saying it challenged her to think about music very deeply and introduced her to different ideas of what music could be.
"The Con was really where I turned from a singer into a musician," she said.
"I loved all the lectures and classes but my favourite subject was world music because I loved learning all the different forms and ways other cultures create sound and music.
"I learned how the spontaneous freedom of jazz works, how the meticulous precision of Indonesian Gamelan works, how the Blues work, how showtunes work, how music is made of both silence and sound, and understanding there's always something deeper going on, beyond what it sounds like.
"As a young singer, this training helped me to get to know myself and my instrument, and also gave me the skills to look after my voice so I can keep making the sounds I like, whether writing songs for myself to sing, or writing a song for a character."
From her early days studying jazz and world music to writing songs for one of Australia's most beloved children's shows, Ms Washington's career has been defined by bold creative choices and an unwavering commitment to her craft.
Her influence on Australian music and storytelling continues to expand, proving her journey, from Griffith University to the global stage, is still unfolding.
Explore a world of creative expression and innovation and see where Megan Washington studied at Griffith University's Creative Arts Open Day on Sunday 18 May, 2025.
