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Giving a voice to women in the indie-music business

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Featured Artist of the Day: Alexandra

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Alexandra       (Photo courtesy of Alexandra)

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

Alexandra (@alexandralawtonofficial)

Alexandra is an up-and-coming pop-R&B artist. Her music pays homage to the great divas that came before her, whilst simultaneously blending it with a fresh, contemporary sound. Her songs aim to empower, inspire, and resonate, engaging with topics that are inherent to the human experience: love, heartbreak, identity, loss, and reflection. She does so in a way that is original and new, yet nostalgic and familiar, and achieves this all with her impressive vocal ability and song-writing skills.

– Bio courtesy of Alexandra

Alexandra shared with me what it means to be an indie music woman artist:

“Being an indie female artist means I completely and totally claim control over my voice and artistry in a male-dominated industry that has a monolithic perception of women. Being independent means that no one owns me and I play my own game. There is something so truly empowering, emboldening, and fierce about this paradigm. It’s not about actively being rebellious or consciously straying from the norm. Rather, it’s the contrary; it means, as an artist, that I am not suppressed by any standard, expectation, or agenda. There is nothing to rebel against or stray from as there are no rules to begin with. It’s a dimension of absolute freedom.”

You can hear Alexandra’s single, “Valuable” on the Indie Music Women’s Spotify Playlist.

Featured Artist of the Day:

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Caitlin Lavagna / Photo credit: Charlotte Ware

 

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

Caitlin Lavagna, Singer/Drummer of Big Wednesday.⠀(@caitlinlavagna / @bigwednesdayband)⠀
Photo credit: Charlotte Ware @charlotteware ⠀
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Post-romantic Indie for lovers and dancers. A London-based quartet focused on crafting feel-good yet heartfelt Indie-Pop tunes. With rock & roll energy and a knack for instant pop hooks, the band blends retro guitar music with honest, soulful songwriting.⠀
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Caitlin shared with me what it means to her personally to be an indie music woman artist: ⠀

“When I sing on my drum kit, there’s just no other feeling like it. It’s very difficult to explain. The musicality and power from all of my limbs moving in sync (or not) with each other whilst my voice belts into the microphone in harmony with the band above the booming music is exhilarating. I love the control, concentration, and ‘showWOMANship’ it takes, alongside there being challenge and dare in every beat, new tempo and groove. ⠀

If me being a woman makes me stand out for being an indie artist and drummer then… cool. Ultimately I do believe that any female can and does drum and create indie music as well as any male musician. That said, I do understand that being female and playing the drums makes me unique especially. 

One of my hopes and ambitions is that me being in ‘Big Wednesday’ inspires and encourages female drummers and indeed female Indie artists to be themselves, join bands, create original music and dress how they want to dress whilst doing so. They should know that being female doesn’t make them any different. Music is a universal language that we all understand, enjoy and use as communication irrelevant of gender, race, ethnicity, class, or age.”⠀

Featured Artist of the Day: PILLARS

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PILLARS (Photo credit: Marieke Macklon)

 

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

PILLARS (@pillarsmusic)

Honesty and vulnerability sit at the heart of the music of PILLARS, the 25-year old making her mark in the world of electronic music. Her moniker reflects this, inspired by the Christian pillarists who spent time in the mountains on a journey of self-discovery, secluded from the rest of society.

Shedding her past as an acoustic singer-songwriter, she developed her first home studio in 2014 and never looked back. It was a challenging time, as she came to terms with the diagnosis of an eating disorder, but music was PILLARS’ remedy – an outlet and escape during her recovery and darkest moments. Out of this time came her 2017 EP, Honest People, an intimate account of experiences with mental health, with each song written at a different stage in her recovery.

Having only recently decided to continue her journey as PILLARS unsigned, she is evolving into what she describes as heartbreak bedroom pop. Looking to the future heralds a bolder, resilient aesthetic pervading all aspects of her artistry. The musical renaissance of PILLARS is underway.

– BIO provided by PILLARS

 

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

“It’s always been important for me to have creative control. There was a period of time where I felt my creative autonomy was slipping away from me – as my team grew bigger, more and more opinions came into play and being the control freak I am – I freaked! I recently went back to square one and became independent again. It’s been great because I now have freedom in how I make and release my music. Sure, there are difficulties that come with being independent, but there’s no greater feeling than being a woman in charge! Especially when it’s nestled within an industry still dominated by white males!”

 

You can hear PILLARS’ single, “Blame”, on Indie Music Women’s SoundCloud 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.  ⠀

 

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