Growing up with Faye Webster

Soul-baring reflections of fleeting loneliness were penned in lockdown-induced isolation, though not an entirely unfamiliar approach for the introspective artist. Faye pens lyrics like “I didn't know that I was capable of being happy right now. But you showed me how.” on “In A Good Way.” is a defining opener, showcasing her true talents. Webster not only showcases her evolution as a musician but shares her growth as an individual.

‘I Know I’m Funny haha’ is now available to buy and stream on all platforms.

Check out our exclusive interview with Faye below.

Congrats on the new album! How have you been feeling since its release?

Pretty good. I feel, like, mostly just feeling good to have it off my chest finally, you know? But it feels nice.

You also now share a birthday with this album. Did you get any particularly memorable gifts that day?

I was in New York, so I feel like everybody gave me my gifts when I got home. But my label took us out for my birthday and they gave me $100 worth of Pokémon cards, and it was sick.

Any good ones?

I did. I got a really rare card.

You mentioned recording the new album on GarageBand because of COVID restrictions. Was it hard to separate work from home life? Did you feel a constant pressure to create?

I definitely was struggling because I feel like I had all the creativity sucked out of me during the pandemic. But, it's not that hard to mix work or work around home and work, just because I don't do anything else for a job. If I'm not just fucking around at home, it's like, I should be working. I don't know. It's not like I have other responsibilities, which sounds really sad, but I don't know, I prefer it, which is why I was recording vocals at home and why I did that in my last record. I just feel like I only want to be in my safe space when I'm working. I also like going to the studio with my band, but I feel like when it gets down to the really personal parts of it — like how I want to represent the songs that I wrote — I just need to be my safe space at home. That's how I get the best representation of it.

How do you feel you and your music have changed since ‘Atlanta Millionaires Club?’

I don't know, I can't really pinpoint it. But obviously, every artist slowly goes through an evolution, and I just feel like that's kind of just what happened with this record — really every record. I feel like there's songs on this record that could have been on AMC, but then there's songs that couldn't have been and it would have been weird and it would have been too quick of evolution. Yeah. I think just, like, growing.

When's the last time you cried in a good way?

Probably since I wrote that song, or maybe after that. Probably from something that Booth told me though. I feel like crying in a good way, to me, is crying out of pure happiness — like laughter doesn’t count. I cry laughing every day, but it's very rare to actually be so happy that you're like, ‘Oh my god.’ But yeah, probably one time since I wrote that song.

I know one inspiration behind the album was Animal Crossing. I actually visited your island last summer.

No way! It’s such a small world.

Yeah, but I know a bunch of other fans went too. Has the game served as an outlet to connect with fans during a time when that connection was so limited?

Yeah. That game was always so therapeutic to me. I was definitely just on it day and night, all day. And it was really fun to see other villagers, even if I went to somebody's island. Have you ever used Nookazon?

I haven't.

It's just like, you find something online that you want and you message them on Discord and they give you a code to their island. It's like, ‘I've really been looking for this guitar. I'll trade it if you have a grill.’ It's like, ‘Yeah, I don't want my grill. Let me get the guitar.’ Then you pull up to their island and they have it all blocked off so you can't go into their island. And you walk up to this little table and they put it on the table and you put it on the table. That game was so cool. To play with other people especially — I feel like that's why it kind of lasted so long for me. So I put too many hours, literally nothing left to do — I mean, before they expanded it and adding swimming and new crops and stuff — but yeah, never forget.

If you could request one song from 'K.K. Slider' right now, what would it be?

I guess it would be ‘7PM.’ There's one from City Folk that I'm obsessed with as well, but I don't want to get the name wrong. But definitely ‘7PM New Horizons.' So genius to name an album after every time of the day.

I like ‘Bubblegum’ too.

Oh my god! Ooh, and ‘Cruisin’!’ I love ‘Cruisin’.’

What's your favorite lyric that you've written from this album?

Probably something from the title track, but I don't know what. I don't know because "favorite lyric" is like — I don't know if it's supposed to be like, ‘Oh, I'm proud. That was clever.’ Or if it's like, ‘Oh yeah, good to get that off my chest.’ Or just like, ‘Yeah, this is my favorite to see.’ I don't know. But maybe my lyric about my landlord, just cause that felt good to get out of my system.

You made it onto Barack Obama's ‘end of the year list’ for music last year. If you could choose one dream person — besides him — whose playlist would you want to end up on?

Off the top of my head, I would say Hilary Duff.

‘Metamorphosis’ is a classic. What's it like directing your own music videos? I know you studied photography. Is there anyone in film you looked up to for inspiration as well?

Yeah. I work with this person named Hunter Airheart in New York on a lot of videos. I also work with Matt Swinsky who's in Atlanta. But yeah, I feel like that's kind of the only time that they cross over. Like, ‘Oh, I have this vision and it would line up perfectly to this music.’ That's the only time that I feel like I can really put the two passions together. But also it's just really fun to work with my friends and collab because I trust these people so much and I like their ideas. It's been fun. I think it's fun.

Do you and your band have any traditions while touring?

Yeah. It really depends on who goes because it's different than my recording band — just because everybody's always in like five other different bands. But my tour manager has always been going with me and we always bring a TV on the van and play Overcooked.

What's that?

It's this game. I don't think it's cross-platform, like you can't play with somebody on Switch who has a PlayStation, but I think you can get it on all systems. It's this game where you cook under a certain time and you have to do certain orders. I've never worked in the restaurant business — just as a hostess — but all my other friends won't play with me because they’re like, ‘Bro, this gives me so much anxiety. Like, this is my life.’ It's a restaurant business game but it's really cute and fun, like graphics and stuff.

What else are you looking forward to in getting back to touring?

I just miss seeing people from stage, like physical faces which I haven't seen — nobody's been able to see. But I feel like numbers and online, it’s not the same gratification. So I'm really excited to see real people

Like, your band or the fans or just everyone?

Definitely the fans. Well, I see my band all the time. But definitely the people who come through to the shows.

What do you have to say to those fans who are now enjoying the album and might see you on tour?

That I'm glad they're still here and that I didn't lose them yet. And that I'm happy that they have been a part of my growing process. And if you relate to the way that I express myself, that makes me happy because I feel like that's kind of all that I want to get out of it — to just be a relatable person.

Music

Jesse Jo Stark Is in a Genre of Her Own

April 19, 2024

In the midst of a total solar eclipse, I got the chance to talk about music and style with Jesse Jo Stark.

As I’m on the phone with her from New York, Stark is on a tour bus with The Veronicas, driving through the Colorado mountains to enjoy some time off in between shows. The Veronicas have just started their Gothic Summer North American Tour, and Stark is opening the show. What’s special about this tour for the lifelong music obsessive is the sense of powerful feminine energy encapsulating the tour. “We just started [tour], but it’s been really lovely. I’m obsessed with the fact that we’re all women — it feels like a very powerful crew. The Veronicas are lovely, the crowds have been so fun, and the venues are beautiful. It’s gonna be a good month.”

Photography Sophia-Liv Maguire
Styling Marc Eram
Interview Angelina Hazzouri
Talent Jesse Jo Stark
Hair Antoine Martinez with PARADIS using Roz Hair
Makeup Sydney Szramowski
Photo Assistants Mia O’Neal, Rashaun Richardson
BTS Ms Josephine
Creative Producer Olivia Roper-Caldbeck

This is Stark’s second time touring since the release of her full-length debut album DOOMED in late 2022, which was very well received and led to Stark’s first sold-out international headlining tour on behalf of the album. Previous to her solo tour, she’s opened for various notable acts, such as Guns N’ Roses and Jane’s Addiction. I asked Stark, who’s been writing and playing music since age 11, what it was like to prepare for her first sold-out headlining tour. Unsurprisingly, before any tour, Stark goes into what she describes as “bootcamp mode” — dancing every day, vocal training, rehearsing with her band, and of course, working on her outfits. “That’s the sort of homework I love,” she says, smiling. (Even though we’re on the phone, I can tell she’s smiling when she talks about the outfit part. I’d smile too if I had her tour closet.)

What’s unique about Stark as a musician is that she has ultimately created her own universe by embracing every aspect of her creative upbringing, her raw talent, her fascinating influences, and her unwavering beliefs in not needing to fit into a certain box when it comes to her art. She creative-directs and styles all her own looks, referencing an ever-evolving list of influences that range from Vegas showgirls to Halloween to old films to her parents in the 90s. “I think when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from,” she tells me, “but now it’s just my blood. I constantly reflect on my childhood and everything I was taught and everything I saw. My brother and sister and I are constantly pulling influences from our parents from the past. I think, more than ever, I’m heavily influenced by them.”

Stark, the daughter of founders and owners of the self-made American fashion brand Chrome Hearts, and now its creative director and designer, is someone who always knew what she liked, but as she describes it, had to ‘go through the motions’ that come with growing up and knowing one’s identity. Today, her self-efficacy is palpable — and it’s inspiring.

...when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from, but now it’s just my blood.

When she’s on tour, Stark is growing with herself and with her art — she’s not afraid to take life as it comes and learn through the process. With every show, regardless of whether it was on her DOOMED tour or this tour with The Veronicas, Stark understands the importance of human connection through music. Seeing faces of music lovers like herself, meeting those who have traveled to see her, and visiting familiar and unfamiliar cities has reminded her that she loves being on the road. “The growth that happens on tour is so important to me as an artist.” Sometimes we have to leave behind what’s familiar in order to rediscover what’s important, and Stark is a proponent of this growth mindset.

Growth doesn’t just happen on tour with Stark — this evolution of herself happens within genre as well, and for Stark there’s no such thing. Since her first release Driftwood in 2017, the artist’s sound has shifted year after year, but in a harmonious way that still feels central to her gothic Americana roots. When asked if she’ll experiment with genre in the future, Stark confidently answers, “I think I’ve only experimented with genre. I don’t think anyone knows what genre I am.” (She calls herself a “horrific hillbilly” — a perfect descriptor.) Steadfast in her belief that we as humans can constantly evolve in our work, Stark thinks it’s antiquated to fit yourself into a certain box and focus on one specific trade in order to succeed. “If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time. I want to experience different things.”

Since Driftwood, a two-song EP rooted in rock and country, Stark has experimented with more robust beats and 808s on DOOMED, and her most recent single “skeleton” features a softer, grungier punk sound. Without fitting into a specific genre, Stark’s music is undoubtedly and wholeheartedly her own, transcending the boundaries of what many artists struggle with when finding their sound. “I don’t think we should have to label ourselves in any way, shape, or form; so I’m not going to. I will continue to make all types of different music.” Fuck yeah.

If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time.

This goes beyond just music — in terms of her personal style, the same mentality applies. We discuss the idea that clothing and dressing is a sort of playground, and personal style comes from within. Stark isn’t about following trends, but rather, she thinks it’s important to tap into different stylistic elements that amplify who we are at our cores. On her DOOMED tour, Stark wore a lot of leather and stuck to a fairly dark color palette. Right now, she’s into more bourgeois satin and lace, experimenting with different textures and wearing things that feel slightly daintier and more delicate. On this current tour with the Veronicas, Stark is making it more of a point to take everything in — absorbing inspiration from every city, writing songs on the road, recording video on a friend’s super 8 camera, styling and wearing new outfits, learning and performing new covers — ultimately growing through the whole experience.

It’s endearing and inspiring how well Stark knows herself. A Los Angeles native, she proudly tells me that the tour finishes on May 5 in her hometown, a show that she’s especially excited for. While we can’t predict what thoughtfully-curated outfit she’ll wear or what songs will be performed, with new music already underway, one thing is clear: Jesse Jo Stark is just getting started.

Music

9lives' Latest Single Continues to Push Sigilkore

April 19, 2024

The versatile artist, producer, and pioneer of the sigilkore genre, 9lives, has recently unveiled his latest single "CANADA" featuring jnhygs. In less than two years since his emergence onto the music scene, 9lives has carved out an impressive niche for himself as a prominent figure within the digitally-driven sigilkore movement. "CANADA" sees him teaming up once again with experimental dance artist jnhygs, following their successful collaboration on "XTAYALIVE".

With aspirations to establish himself within the mainstream arena of experimental music production and artistry, 9lives is blending his distinct dark production style with collaborations with a diverse array of influential artists who trust him to create innovative sonic landscapes. "CANADA" marks his second release of 2024, as 9lives continues to champion the burgeoning sigilkore movement, pushing the boundaries of genre, evolving into a multifaceted artist, and solidifying his status as a rising star with an expanding audience.

Image by Connor Pritchard

Reflecting on their latest project, 9lives shares, “In early 2023 jnhygs found my music and we started chatting through TikTok, releasing our first song together called "XTAYALIVE"." He adds, We’ve been friends since this song had a viral moment, and fans have been heavily requesting for us to work together again all over our videos.” Describing their creative process, he explains, “I sent a bunch of new ideas to jnhygs via Discord and she sent back vocals to “CANADA”, which I then used to create melodic layers and extra percussion to complete the song.

Music

Eclipsed at Vampire Weekend

April 16, 2024

It had been about a week since the goosebump-inducing communal howls at the moon, as it covered the sun through a cloudy Austin, Texas sky, left me needing to take a seat—suspended in awe of the totality of the event and the synergistic break from routine. I overheard someone say, “I mean, it feels like we’re all going to die, but in a way that’s okay, you know?" under the shadow of the eclipse's peak, ceremoniously brought in as the band performed “Jonathan Low,” (in Vampire Weekend's familiar ironic hue) a track they wrote for the third movie in the Twilight series, Eclipse.

It had been five years since the band had released an album. In celebration of their latest album, "Only God Was Above Us," ticket holders wrapped the streets in blocks outside the venue for the band’s first Stateside show in about two years. Event managers searched to replenish the venue’s stock of eclipse glasses, while the band prepped a show reminiscent of 'getting the boys back together again'.

Words and photography by Rianne Akindele

In between newly released songs like “Classical” and “Capricorn”, the boys filled the almost two-hour-long show with old favorites like “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”, “Diane Young” and a genre evolved rendition of “Sunflower” as the crowd danced barefoot feeling the Earth’s energy intertwined with their own and the vibrations from the amps on stage. People stole glances at the imminently darkening sky, artists doodled, friends grabbed onto each other to scream the lyrics in each other’s faces, and onlookers from the highest level of the parking garage across the street cheered on in a symphony of nostalgia and anticipation.

Adding to the layers of the celestial afternoon, the band invited to the stage the likes of Thomas Mars from Phoenix, Dave 1 from Chromeo, and guitarist Brian Robert Jones, inducing further levels of indie revival euphoria.

As the show drew to its close, and the zydeco/country-rock “Cocaine Cowboys” medley fiddled through the air, a conversation could be picked up between two sisters in search of their Lyft driver through closed-off streets,

“I wish this happened more often.”
“Eclipses or shows like this?”
“Both.”

It’s moments like these that remind us of our shared humanity and the power of collective experiences; a gathering of souls under the same sky, sharing the joy of music and a wonder of the stars above. Perhaps it’s the rarity that allowed such transcendence, reverence, and gratitude to be felt. Either way, what a beautiful moment in time it was.

Here are a few shots from the Monday afternoon: