Indie Music Women

Giving a voice to women in the indie-music business

Delivering Career-Boosting Information, Connections, and Attention to Talented Women Artists

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Featured Artist of the Day: Deborah Crooks

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Deborah Crooks / Photo credit: Sam Madnick

Indie Music Women’s Artist of the Day is…

Deborah Crooks (@deborahcrooks)

Deborah’s lyric-driven music draws on folk, rock, and Americana, as well as her studies of natural history, writing, and yoga.  Her latest record, the 11-song collection, The Department of the West was described as “imaginative, cinematic, informative and last but not least … entertaining.” Along with her solo work, the California native co-founded the band Bay Station and its “Love the Bay” Music & Sailing video series.

– Bio courtesy of Deborah Crooks

Deborah shared with me what it means to her to be an indie music woman artist: “The freedom to create authentic work and express my unique perspective of life in these times.”

You can hear Deborah’s single, “Let the River do the Running” on our Spotify playlist and watch the video on our YouTube playlist.

Featured Artist of the Day: Karen Emeny

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Karen Emeny

 

Indie Music Women’s Featured Artist of the Day is…

Karen Emeny (@karenemeny)

I don’t wanna sleepwalk through life.

It’s a confession and a mission statement, and it’s the driving energy behind Karen Emeny’s brand new EP, The Right Mistakes. The lyrics are taken from the lead single, Meant For This – a proud and upbeat throwback to late ‘90s pop-rock written with Canadian songwriting legend Emm Gryner (who also sings harmonies on the track). The song and the album are an expression of Karen’s hard-won belief in herself, in her music, and in doing things her way.

Karen is a life-long music lover who started playing guitar as a child and wrote her first song at age 12. She released her first EP, Finding The Words, in 2009. Since then, she has continued to hone her craft as a writer and live performer. She is an artist who knows how to write a hook and how to express herself in lyrics that are honest and poetic.

The Right Mistakes will help Karen build on a growing career that has already seen her share the stage with artists such as Gryner and Chase Rice, and work with acclaimed songwriters including Lynne Hanson, Joe Hash, David Reuter, Kristen Parisi, and others.

Karen shared what it means to her personally to be an indie music woman artist:

“Being an indie music female artist gives me a voice. It gives me the opportunity to share my thoughts, ideas, and perspectives in a universal way. I am grateful for the ability to share this piece of myself with listeners with the hope that they, too, relate to some of my personal experiences and stories shared through song.”

You can hear Karen Emeny’s latest single on the Indie Music Women’s Spotify playlist.

Featured Artist of the Day: Lauren Davidson

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Lauren Davidson

Indie Music Women’s Artist of the Day is…

Lauren Davidson (@laurendavisonmusic)

Lauren Davidson is unconventional, inimitable, and unmissable. Blending New York City vibes with the rich tones of Contemporary Country Music, she has created a genre all her own, and audiences and critics just can’t get enough.

Audio Fuzz Magazine describes Lauren as “an early Patsy Cline or Linda Ronstadt; with that I can do this myself attitude” while Digital Journal dubbed her “the most underrated female artist” on the scene. She has made countless radio appearances, played shows with Old Dominion, Carly Pearce, Russell Dickerson, Maddie & Tae, Michael Ray, and this year performed at the creme of New York venues, Madison Square Garden, as part of PBR’s “Unleash The Beast” tour. She is, without a doubt, New York’s own “Urban Country” queen.

Never one to forget her roots, Davidson has created “Urban Country Jam” (UCJ). UCJ presents country music mini-festivals, set in major Cities, that join together emerging country artists with fans and industry professionals, providing artists with an important platform to garner the exposure they deserve. All the while she has made her own live show one of the best around, hitting up top-tier venues both in NYC and across the country. Lauren and her band have shared the stage with veteran performers Justin Moore, Rodney Adkins, and The Marshall Tucker Band among many others.

Additionally, she has strung together a series of radio appearances that include NY Country 94.7, The Boot, Taste of Country, Raised Rowdy, the Ty Bentli show, WSM Radio, and many more. Lauren’s single “Soaking Up Every Second” was released to critical acclaim in 2019 with features on Popdust, Whiskey Riff, Taste of Country, and Spotify’s New Music Nashville, to name but a few. Taste of Country called the track “an unabashed celebration of making the most out of every moment,” and Popdust described it as “a smooth-as-silk combination of Lady Antebellum and Kelsea Ballerini, gently [mingled with] her own powerhouse gusto.” 

When she’s not selling out shows or performing along with A-List acts across the US, Lauren is in the studio crafting her latest EP. The release, entitled “Love Ain’t Fair”, will feature five unique takes on the prototypical ‘love song’. In keeping with her brand, Davidson promises these will be “anything but traditional”.

Lauren shared with me what it means to her personally to be an indie music woman artist:

“It is everything. Being a woman in the music industry, in any industry, comes with a struggle but it’s also so empowering to band together with other women and share our stories through music.”

You can hear Lauren’s single, “Comfort” on Indie Music Women’s Spotify Playlist.

Featured Artist of the Day: Nikki Hays

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Nikki Hays

Indie Music Women’s Featured Artist of the Day is…

Nikki Hays (@ItsNikkiHayes)
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Nikki’s journey into music began at Studio One Dance Chicago when she was just six years old and continued while attending elementary school at St. Sabina Academy where she danced as well as sang in the school’s gospel choir.  Even then she wanted more and while she didn’t know it, her inner will was beginning to surface.  “My older sisters were members of Walt Whitman and The Soul Children of Chicago, and those kids can really sing so of course, I wanted to join,” Nikki recalled.  “One problem though – I couldn’t sing!  In fact, my sisters would sing together, and their harmonies were so tight.  I’d join in and they’d tell me ‘just listen, don’t sing!’   I was hurt, but I was determined — so every day I’d go in our basement and just sing.  I admit, it sounded really bad at first.  My parents would just shake their heads then ask me to please close the basement door!”

Nikki kept at it and auditioned for The Soul Children again and was turned down.  Disappointed but still determined, she kept singing.  Her vocals and her confidence slowly began to improve which led to a third audition, and she was finally selected.  “I was turned down three times before finally becoming a Soul Child, and I’ll never forget the moment I was finally in!,” she said.  “I was only 9 years old, but I learned the value of hard work and the power of focus.”

Industry producers began to take notice and in 2010 Nikki recorded her first solo project.  In 2013, she landed a final five spot in the “Who’s Next? Worldwide Online Talent Search,” sponsored by six-time Grammy Award-winning producer; engineer; vocal producer and songwriter Kuk Harrell (Rihanna; Justin Bieber; Cher; Eminem; Beyoncé and others).  Since then, Nikki has recorded with Grammy Award-winning artist Malik Yusef (G.O.O.D. Music); Tour keyboardist to the stars Marcus Kincy (Camila Cabello; Mary J. Blige, P. Diddy; Nick Jonas); and others.

In 2016 Nikki penned her first single titled Chance of Rain, which further introduced Nikki’s fresh, vocal sound.  In 2018 she released Move, a mellow R&B vibe that conveys the physical fervor of love and the anxieties we may face we are drawn to someone.  Move became a favorite among both fans, the music industry, and the media, landing the track on the CW’s All American, an Independent Music Award nomination for best R&B song, and other accolades.

Nikki returned with a vengeance in 2019 with her follow-up single titled Stingray.  An incredibly dynamic vibe as mellow, melancholic verses build into driving choruses of empowerment, Nikki uses Stingray to share her own story of an emotionally abusive relationship and the painful journey of regaining control of her life.  “While no one really wants pain of any sort, we learn who we are during times of struggle,” she said.  “Yes, it can be agonizing when you’re in the midst of it, but it’s also necessary in order to discover and embrace your power.”

Nikki’s love for 90’s music and her propensity to share that clandestine part of her spirit, both lyrically and vocally, continue to be a part of who she is.  Her musical influences are wide-ranging – from Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder to Sade and Toni Braxton, who shared Nikki’s cover of her hit, You’re Making Me High with her Twitter followers.

Nikki is known by her endearing and infectious personality and for anybody who meets her, once hearing that mellifluous voice, it’s nearly impossible to not become a Nikki Hayes fan.

More music, including her first EP The 12th House, will be released soon, where fans will get an even greater intimate portrait of her life and her dreams via “that voice.”

– Bio courtesy of Nikki Hays


Nikki shared with me what it means to her personally to be an indie music woman artist:

“As a woman, I’ve experienced quite a bit as I’ve gone through life and I’ve written songs that other women can identify with and it’d be great to share it!”⠀
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You can hear Nikki’s single, “Gotta Go To Sleep” on the Indie Music Women’s Spotify Playlist.  ⠀

 

Featured Artist of the Day: LYDAH

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LYDAH

 

Indie Music Women’s Featured Artist of the Day is…

LYDAH (@lydahmusic)

Born in Puerto Rico, Lydah is a 90s baby at heart who fuses r&b, pop, rock, and latin influences in her soundscape. She grew up as a shy child, being able to release from her shell through musical theater and acting. She gives thanks to her choir directors, music teachers, and family for shaping her as a musician.

Lydah’s musical journey began with singing and slowly progressed into learning the bass guitar at age twelve, as well as the guitar, piano, and ukulele. Her influences include female artists like Alicia Keys, Billie Eilish, Sade, Melanie Martinez, and Sabrina Claudio, among others.  She has a Bachelor’s degree in Radio & TV Production.

In May 2020, Lydah dropped her first single “Knew About U”, as well as a self-directed music video. She plans on releasing additional singles throughout the rest of the year, in English as well as in Spanish.

Lydah shared what it means to her personally to be an indie music woman artist:

“I’ve always felt the importance of having a community that recognizes and supports female artists. We tend to wear a lot of hats and I believe every woman has the power to achieve her goals. It took a very long time for me to finally get over the self-imposed barrier of not being able to share my art with the world. It can be tough with the outward negativity associated with being an artist – the criticism, envy, amongst other factors. I know what it’s like to not feel supported, to feel like I need to constantly suppress my feelings. I think we all have a unique voice and we should feel like we can express ourselves however we please. If I can inspire at least one woman to believe in herself, I’ve done my job.”

You can hear Lydah’s single, and watch her music video for “Knew About U” on Indie Music Women’s Spotify and YouTube playlists.

© 2020, Indie Music Women