Arts & Entertainment

Avon Lake's Megan Zurkey is Sexy, Single and Yes, She Can Sing

The multi-talented 23-year-old is featured in Cleveland Magazine as one of the area's most eligible singles.

Megan Zurkey is one sexy single. But don’t just take our word for it. Zurkey, a 23-year-old singer and former Avon Lake High School “Merple,” was one of only 20 men and women in the Greater Cleveland area singled out by Cleveland Magazine for its February cover story.

To become a Sexy Single, nominees must be more than just a pretty face.

“There are many attributes that contribute to someone’s sexiness, so we’re always looking for that extra something,” Carly Toyzan, Cleveland Magazine’s associate editor said. “That might be passion for the city, a career, a hobby or something else. With Megan, for example, you can tell she has great energy, and she’s passionate about music, her job and Cleveland.”

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Kristin Payne, who works with Zurkey at Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, nominated Zurkey for the honor. Tayne submitted a paragraph on her friend of three years who she felt was Cleveland’s most eligible bachelorettes.

“She’s very pretty and outgoing,” Payne said. “She’s a hard-working person and a musician. I thought by getting some exposure she could find someone who is good for her.”

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Zurkey, a member of the Avon Lake High School Class of 2005, had the edge on several fronts. In high school, she was a member of the Merples, an elite group of 16 of the high school’s best singers. Her talent is no surprise: Zurkey’s father is Bill Zurkey, the longtime chorale director in the Avon Lake School District.

After high school, she attended Bowling Green State University where she majored in communications with a minor in marketing.

“I participated in their choir and in the fall of 2005 won Bowling Green Idol,” she said. Two years later she won the Toledo Idol contest.

She has put that singing talent to good use, putting out two CDs (listen for yourself on her website, http://www.meganzurkey.com and performing her pop/rock songs all around the Cleveland area.

Zurkey doesn’t just perform, she also writes her own music and lyrics. That process includes composing on guitar, which she learned in college, and piano.

“I’ve been playing piano since I was a very young age,” she said, adding it was her mother, Sandy Zurkey, who introduced her to the ivories. “I use piano and guitar to write songs; it comes out differently depending on which I’m using.”

Her music, available on iTunes and emusic.com, is a passion she hopes will remain with her through life.

“I don’t want to be famous,” she said. “I’d like to continue to sing and perform and write. It would be awesome to have a famous singer perform one of my songs. But I do love being on a stage and performing.”

Zurkey’s day job is the perfect fit for a young rocker: She works in the membership department of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame spending her days amid the relics of the world’s most famous musicians.

“It’s a lot of work, but it’s really cool to be surrounded by that all day,” she said.

Her work and music keep her busy, busy enough that landing a boyfriend is not a priority.

“I date,” she said. “I’m not necessarily looking for anything serious. I’ll go with the flow. Friendships can turn into more.”

Being selected one of Cleveland Magazine's Sexy Singles isn’t lost on Zurkey.

 “It’s such an honor; it’s Cleveland Magazine,” she said of the publication known for its best-of lists, including its annual “ranking the suburbs.”

 The article provides a nice snapshot of Zurkey, including turn offs (“smokers, for sure”) and deal breakers (answering your cell while on a date). The admitted extrovert told Avon Lake Patch her ideal date is catching a baseball game at Progressive Field on a warm summer day.

 “It’s the perfect date,” she said. “You can talk, get snacks and after you can walk around. There’s a ton of places to go after.”


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