Lena Fayre

We share music because we want to connect with others on a deeper level. We want to relay and relate to a message that can’t be said with just words. This April, NYLON is dedicating six days a week to introducing you to new artists and budding favorites. With interviews and GIF portraits done down at SXSW, NYLON’s Month of Music is an exercise in finding aural pleasures outside of the Top 40. It’s an exercise in challenging you and ourselves to not stick to one genre. But above all, it’s a celebration of bold voices and sheer talent. Enjoy.

The brooding musician has gone from the shadows of the music world to one of the scene’s most forward-facing influencers. Singers like BANKS and FKA twigs, foray into their dark sides with lush electronic takes on R&B and piercing, forthright lyrics. The 19-year-old Lena Fayre can count herself among them. Her debut album, OKO, and recent EP, Is There Only One, are dense, dark introspective works that shine in their honesty. For the latter, Fayre put the face of the woman whose boyfriend she was seeing on the cover. Talk about audacity. It’s that boldness, though, that makes Fayre so compelling. She’s mysterious, but not aloof; enigmatic, but far from undefinable. She’s arresting, and one go-around with her music is enough to leave you floored, but thirsting for more. - Nylon

Lena will take home an incredible prize package and perform at a major American Heart Association Rock the Red event at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles, CA on April 28th!



PRIZE PACKAGE:
- Perform live at the American Heart Association's ROCK THE RED event at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, CA on April 28, 2016
- $500 travel stipend provided by Women's International Music Network
- Disc Makers (200) 12" Vinyl Pressing with Full-color Euro Jackets
- Genelec M030 studio monitors
- Epiphone Casino guitar & hard case
- Audio-Technica System 10 Wireless Mic
- Mackie Mix12FX Mixer
- Propellerhead Reason 8
- Yamaha Keyboard
- Other World Computing (OWC) On-The-Go Pro 1TB Hard Drive
- Neutrik custom John Lennon Educational Tour Bus cable & connectors
- SESAC Swag Bag
- West Coast 17" X 7" Little Rock Pedal Board
- RIVA Turbo X Premium Wireless Bluetooth Speaker
- ZVEX Effects Vexter Super Duper pedal
- (2) Tickets to Meghan Trainor concert in your city (Meghan Trainor is a past winner of the JLSC Love contest)
- Option to be included in American Heart Association Go Red Compilation Album - The John Lennon Songwriting Contest

Lena Fayre

Sounds Like: An angst-filled afternoon spent lip-syncing into a hairbrush.

For Fans Of: Smart, savvy teen-pop imbued with the heightened emotions and killer hooks of over-the-top Scandinavian artists like Robyn.

Why You Should Pay Attention: This 17-year-old Angeleno's debut EP is filled with pop gems like the inspirational "Silver," which recalls Demi Lovato's most pumped-up tracks, and the brooding "Jukebox Love," which splits the difference between early Fiona Apple and "Teenage Dream"-era Katy Perry. "Love Burning Alive," Fayre's latest single, has been garnering buzz with good reason: It's a scorching slice of synthpop angst, with Fayre delivering a blazing vocals over a bombastic track recalling t.A.T.u.'s similarly wrenching "All The Things She Said." In a few weeks, Fayre will decamp to Virginia to write a "more gritty and atmospheric and experimental" follow-up, set for release this summer. by MAURA JOHNSTON

She Says: "I grew up listening to a lot of rock – Bowie, Elvis, The Cure, all the greats. The first song I remember being enamored with is 'I Believe In A Thing Called Love' by The Darkness… My style and taste are constantly changing, but I always revert back to some version of deconstructed pop. My biggest influences right now are probably Grimes, St. Vincent, Junior Boys, and Future Islands. They exhibit that kind of multifaceted 'pop but not pop' vibe that really strikes me."

Hear for Yourself: Check out the video for "Love Burning Alive," which Fayre wrote as "an expression of messy, golden teenage angst and relationship drama":

Follow us: @rollingstone on Twitter | RollingStone on Facebook - RollingStone.com

Falling in and out of love was hard enough before Instagram. Social media creates a minefield of mind games. Only the most joyous moments are captured. Cameos from strangers inspire jealousy.
These agonies supply the subtext for Lena Fayre’s new darkwave pop EP, Is There Only One? The question in the title is rhetorical. Fayre, who just turned 19, knew that she wasn’t the only woman in her ex-boyfriend’s life but was nonetheless devastated when her first real love affair disintegrated late last year.
“Instagram was a big part of my relationship with this person,” the Manhattan Beach–raised Fayre says, at a café close to her Echo Park home. The temperature threatens to reach triple digits but Fayre wears entirely black: a leather jacket with a skeletal hand on the cuff, cloth shorts, even dark bangs.
“He’d do things like be at my apartment and post close-ups of my cat and things in my apartment, and she would ‘like’ the pictures, not knowing that he’s at my place.”
The EP’s five songs chronicle the emotional vicissitudes familiar to anyone grappling with romantic loss: sadness, regret, bitterness and, finally, a shaky truce. The final track, “Serenity,” reflects the eventual understanding she arrived at — even a tentative friendship with her ex.
Recorded with Noah Georgeson (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom), the record validates comparisons of Fayre to Lana Del Rey, Banks and Lorde by websites such as Vice’s Noisey. Rolling Stonehailed Fayre last year as an “Artist You Need to Know.” Despite being un-signed, her videos routinely clock well into six and even seven figures on YouTube.
Even though she’s been in studios since age 12, Fayre will be the first to tell you that she’s still evolving as an artist. Yet there’s clearly an electric, clock-stopping quality to her voice. Whether in an interview or on record, she comes off as raw and honest. That unfiltered aesthetic also extended to her album cover.
“My ex posted a photo of her with the caption: ‘#TBT, I Love You,’ and I saw that and said, ‘This is the cover,’” Fayre says. “I called her up and asked for her permission. I didn’t want to put my face on the cover because that’s not what the music is about. She’s an artist, so she was like, ‘Whatever people want to do, however they want to represent me, I’m cool with it. I want to contribute to the conversation.’”
This all would have been inconceivable a generation ago. Fayre’s ex and his new girlfriend live in Virginia. Her relationship with him would have ended and, inevitably, her memories would be rooted in fading photos and maybe some old letters. But social media obliterates distance, warps perception, creates constant reminders.
Fayre’s insistence on including the foibles of technology in her music not only lends the music an intensely modern feel but also offers a commentary on the murkiness of a new, disorienting culture.
“Love can be stupid. Love can be fake. Feelings can be deceiving,” Fayre says. “How I felt about that person was temporary. It’s confusing.”
But the confusion makes for something interesting. The most boring art usually comes from those who claim to have the answers. Fayre’s songwriting and voice are strong, but the music stands out because of its ability to transmit feelings of ambiguity, doubt and hemorrhaging honesty.
“This all happened and it was horrible for me, but it was beautiful and I want to communicate that story,” Fayre says. “I want to show this in full form … all the sides of it … and be as real as I can get with this situation.”
An L.A. native, L.A. Weekly columnist Jeff Weiss edits Passion of the Weiss and hosts the Shots Fired podcast. Find him online at passionweiss.com, follow him on Twitter and also check out his archives. - LA WEEKLY

Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter Lena Fayre isn't afraid to speak the truth or share her innermost feelings. Last year—the same year she graduated from high school—Fayre self-released her debut album Oko, and on July 24 she'll release her latest EP, Is There Only One?. Co-produced and co-written with Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsome, Devendra Banhart), the EP opens with the track "Do You Like That?", which gives way to "Possession," "New Sensation," "Colors of Leaving," and "Serenity," to tell the story of love, heartbreak, and moving forward. In this case, however, Fayre was the other girl—not the one being cheated on—and the lyrics are just as honest ("Why you be so sad? / Love you but I got no time to promise"). Her harmonious and dark lyricism is paired with underlying synth-pop and R&B-tinged melodies.

For each of the songs on Is There Only One? Fayre created a 30 second video teaser, and here, we are pleased to premiere the first of five. To Fayre, whose friends are mostly visual artists, the aesthetics are just as important as the sound. We caught up with the 19-year-old over the phone to learn more.

JUST MUSIC: I applied and got into the college I wanted to go to, but I decided that I really cared a lot more about music. I have a strong connection to school, I care about my education, and that's actually a really fun environment for me, so I think I'll go eventually for my own self, but now I'm really focused on music.

"I BELIEVE IN A THING CALLED LOVE": God, I was really young [when I first heard that song], maybe I was in second grade, so I was 7. I watched a lot of music videos on AOL Music—a lot of Cher, Britney Spears, and Aaron Carter. [laughs] I don't know how The Darkness got in there, but it did. With that song, it was a combination of yes, this song is amazing and epic, but the music video for that song is absurd and very strange and otherworldly. Visuals are really important to me as an artist, and that was the first time I really associated a strong but weird video with a really great song. The power of melody and that voice coming out of a man is amazing.

THE NEED TO WRITE AND PERFORM: I didn't really get the bug for performing until third grade, that's when I started performing in talent shows. It felt like I was doing the right thing, it felt like I was being authentic to myself and going outside of myself. I didn't start writing songs until I was 12, that's when I started doing music in a semi-professional setting, in a studio and actually recording and collaborating with people. [The first song I wrote] was called "Framed" and I put it on MySpace. I think it got 200 plays, but my dad still plays it in the house during Christmas and Thanksgiving and family events.

SIBLING INFLUENCE: All of my siblings are really creative, and my older brother was really into screamo and grunge. Naturally you kind of absorb whatever your siblings are listening to—at least that was the case for me—and I just loved it. I started listening to Evanescence a lot, like exclusively for months. That's where I realized that the voice is an instrument. The singer of the band, Amy Lee, she has this amazing control of her voice and this beautiful high pitch. It was incredible and just blew me away at a young age. But it was a phase; I grew out of it and went back to pop, so now I have this weird blending of sensibilities. I think that's where the pop-but-not-pop, comes from. I really liked The Veronicas, I listened to their record a lot. And then I got into all the mainstream stuff, and my love for Beyoncé blossomed.

VISUAL AESTHETICS: If I could create a video for every song, I would. It's really important and they're two halves for me. With the music video, I realize it's really important for the visuals to match the vibe of the song—that's something, that through experimentation and a couple of music videos, I had to learn—but if you can watch a video and have it feel like the song, that's what makes a good music video to me. Sometimes while I'm creating a song, I can see visuals and I have shots in mind or a particular location in mind, like "Oh this would look good on a beach," or "I want this to be a dance song, with people dancing in the music video."

FINE ART: I love art. I live in a part of Los Angeles that is really conducive to going and seeing art frequently and attending cultural events. I go to LACMA pretty frequently to see different exhibits, like there was an Islamic art exhibit up that was amazing. I go to my friends' studios to see what they're working on and talk about it, just like how we talk about my music. It's a really collaborative, back-and-forth thing with all my friends and the art they're making. I'm not a visual artist, I don't self-identify as that, so to be around people that have studied that or have a different medium of art is always really inspirational.

INSPIRATION: I used to gravitate toward more figurative stuff—I love imagery and speaking in nondescript phrases and letting people read into what I'm writing for themselves. It's all over the Oko record and that's still a big part of my lyricism, but now I'm more interested in writing about my own life because that's more difficult for me. It's easy for me to go into my own head and turn on the dream world and float into a non-grounded song, but to provide lyrics that are honest and grounded and that people can understand that are still interesting and complex, but more grounded—that's been where I'm at lately with the new music I'm working on.

END GOAL: When I was recording Oko last year, I met and got to work with a lot of musicians that I really admire, and have conversations with them and write songs with them, which is super intimate and personal, and to have those experiences has been life changing. I'm really just after human connection and to see communication happen with my music between myself and someone I don't know—that's the moment that's like, "Wow, this is what I'm doing, and what I'm supposed to be doing," and it's proof of everything. - Interview Magazine

Lena Fayre is less than an inch away from me. We’re wedged in close on what seems to be the only empty bench left in the Lower East Side, and the man next to us looks like he’s been sitting there for hours. The 19-year-old is wearing pink fluffy dangly earrings, and camouflage shorts from Walmart, her short chestnut hair pulled into a half bun, her eyeliner winged out to a perfect point. I try not to stare at her septum piercing.

We’ve settled here to escape a bustling eatery—the spot chosen for our initial meeting—only to find this outdoor perch more chaotic than inside, an endless procession of clattering trucks kicking up street dirt in their wake. It’s a long way from the quiet of LA where Fayre is based. I'm eager to ask her about the cover art for her new EP, Is There Only One?, co-produced by Noah Georgeson (Devendra Banhart). It's a shot of her phone, which shows an Instagram of her ex's current girlfriend—yup, the woman he dumped her for. For the record, the other girl knows she's on the EP, an EP crammed with songs about heartbreak, denial, empowerment, and honesty. Well, hey, a breakup will always provide an artist with a font of inspiration.

"It definitely bruised my ego," she says of the split. As Fayre tells it, they were in an open relationship, but in the end, he wanted to be monogamous with someone else. "So I went into the studio and I wrote five songs—only five—and really kind of worked my way through this situation, that emotional shit storm."

Apparently, they're on good terms now, and when she called the other girl to ask her permission to use the photo, she was OK with it; her photo was the only logical art to use. "This EP is the totality of my experience with my first real heartbreak," she says. "I don't want to lessen the meaning that this music has for me by like putting a pretty picture of my face on the EP."

Check out this exclusive teaser video for the EP below.

Fayre's melodies are sweetly dark, her vocals, often processed with heavy reverb, blend with a sea of synths over minimalist, hard-hitting, beats—markedly different from the pop she was gaining traction for in 2013 when her YouTube videos were racking up millions of views with a more strident kind of pop. Now, she's FKA twigs with the power of Amy Lee and the ghostliness of Lorde, and just a dash of Banks. She loves Marina and the Diamonds, wants to collaborate with Arca, and takes comfort in Marilyn Mason—"That band created a whole aesthetic and whole personality, especially the record Eat Me, Drink Me. It really changed how I perceive music."

With each song on the EP Fayre moves through stages: first track "Do You Like That?"—which we premiered in May—establishes her pain with lines like, "You made your decision and I'm living with it / I know you're honest / Just way too honest." Honesty is one of the EP's most powerful weapons: it can break your heart, but it can also help you move on and become truer to yourself. Sometimes, dishonesty hurts even more, like on "Colors Of Leaving," when she pleads over and over, "Please don't pretend I can love you like a friend."

Still, her music doesn't wallow in sadness. In fact, the split empowered her, although at first, it came from a place of denial. "I am revolutionary to forsake the longing," she declares on "Possession," a watercolored ballad where she winds her voice through dolce upper registers and low, round tones. "I do it all for me and me for all."

Later that night with bandmate Mike McGill, she takes the stage round the corner at Pianos. She preempts "New Sensation" by holding her mic high and yelling "Shout out to my ex!" Fayre bends her knees to sway with the song, occasionally messing with something on her stand of electronic gadgets. A quick flick of her wrist is perfectly timed with a snare hit on McGill's drum pad. Someone in the crowd comments that people in New York don't like to dance, but that doesn't stop the singer. Earlier, side-by-side on that bench, she told me: "If I give myself to the music, then that's all I have to do. I like to dance, I like to move, but in an honest way. I'm not a dancer, I'm not up there to look sexy—I'm up there to make meaningful music and translate it to an audience."

All you can do is see Lena Fayre close-up, whether you're cozying up together on a dirty New York City street or listening to her music alone, submerged in her reality.

"Come closer," she says onstage, beckoning the crowd to approach her. "We don't bite."

Is There Only One is out on 7.24 - Noisey

Lena Fayre Paints With ‘Colors of Leaving’ on New Single

It's the atmospheric second single off her upcoming EP 'Is There Only One?'

By: Tree Palmedo // June 15, 2015

At 18 years of age, L.A.-based singer-songwriter Lena Fayre has already amassed an impressive and well-received collection of moody pop ballads—and a few million YouTube views. “Colors of Leaving,” the latest track she’s shared from her forthcoming EP Is There Only One? is her most involved production yet: It’s an atmospheric, synth-heavy slow burn built on stuttering FKA twigs-esque drums and Fayre’s ethereal vocals.

“Lyrically ‘Colors of Leaving’ lives in a place between both narrative and poetic,” Fayre says of the song. “Sonically the song pushes and pulls in intensity. Looks back on a love gone wrong; the story isn’t over but there is a sense of finality anyway.”

Fayre will self-release Is There Only One? on July 24. - SPIN

Sound Scout: Introducing Lena Fayre, Your Next Teenage Dream

by Liana Weston

In music, the phrase "one to watch" gets tossed around a lot. But these days, with so many new ways to consume songs and so many new songs to consume, what make an artist actually worth listening to? In this weekly column, Teen Vogue's resident A&R scout Liana Weston introduces you to up-and-comers who've got something to say both on and off their record. We're not concerned with labels or throwing out descriptive niceties just to convince you that these artists are "the next big thing." It's in their music and in their own words, and all you need to do is lend a curious ear.

Each featured singer or band is matched with an amazing photographer who has generously donated their time to capture these eclectic acts, because they too believe in their potential. The ground rules for our subjects? Come as you are, no professional styling or makeup, and be ready for a raw black and white guerrilla-style shoot. The portrait is paired with an amateur snapshot shared from the depths of the musician's phone. From pop to folk and R&B to rock, these artists (much like their photographs) are unfiltered, uncensored, and unfazed.

While the singer-songwriter didn't grow up with musically-inclined parents, according to Lena, they have always been entirely supportive of her professional ambition. During high school, she balanced classes with choir, a capella, and rock band rehearsals, then dabbled in musical theatre as a senior. That same year, her career took off when her music got noticed by nearly every blog and industry insider. Her self-titled 2013 debut EP skyrocketed on the webosphere, racking up millions of YouTube views. She's worked with big-name producers—Daniel Heath (Lana Del Rey's constant collaborator), Noah Georgeson (Devendra Banhart, Joanna Newsom), and Bon Iver's Reggie Pace to name a few, plus she's written with Liz Phair. She released her first full-length album and last month marked her standout SXSW debut.

Lena Fayre's sound reminds me of a scratch-off lotto ticket. At first, the idea of emotionally charged synth pop seems farfetched, even oxymoronic (what are the odds that anything meaningful is beneath that layer of shiny-coated plastic?). But just as those tickets have shown, you never know what card you'll be dealt and what type of reward you'll reap once you've taken a moment to indulge. In this golden age of DIY artists, it's easy to dismiss this Los Angelena as just another 18-year-old with fame-hungry pipe dreams. While she is a product of the distracted phone-limbed generation, the songstress' already full-bodied repertoire proves that her artistry is anything but fleeting.

The brooding brunette's music is nothing short of mature and thought-provoking. Yes, she's got the bright and glossy melodies in abundance, but her pop-infused hooks are multi-faceted, with tinges of soul and, unexpectedly enough, a nod towards R&B. Her musical dialogue transcends that of her beach roots—it's a moody narrative that is simultaneously cathartic and full of optimism: "OKO was hanging out or driving music," the singer says. "It was a strange combination of easy listening and 'Oh wait that's complex, I actually need to listen to that or I want to listen to it again.'" It's clear that Lena's style is contingent on her wearing many different musical hats. But it's those transformative qualities that speak volumes and make her a force to be reckoned with.

ON THE HORIZON: "I recently released my debut record, OKO. I love making things, and being a part of that process with other people. We're in the final stages of mixing for my new EP. It was a very fast process; I spent every single day working in the studio with my producer. The main goal I have for the new release is to create a soundscape that the audience can fully immerse themselves in."

WHO IS LENA FAYRE: "I grew up in a small beach town but never clicked with that aesthetic or way of life. It wasn't really up my alley and I always had a desire to get away from there and get out of myself and escape—I've always been a daydreamer. I do get to travel a bit because my dad is half Dutch and all my family is over there. But I've been in the studio since I was 12-years-old. I've always had a dual life of being in school Monday-Friday and on the weekends in a writing session or recording. For me, it's always been an individual process of realizing how do I want to go about this, what do I want to share with the world, and what facet of my personality and musicianship is most important to me and how am I going to express that. I don't know what's going to happen, I just know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing."

WHAT MAKES YOU WORTH LISTENING TO: "The most important part of my music is the versatility and the fact that I'm not tied down to any particular genre. I listen to a lot of different kinds of genres and that results in my sound. I think the one thing I'm doing really well is being my authentic self and being really true to my desires and dreams and what I want to bring to the world. And when I'm performing, it's just tunnel vision and all I see is the music. I'll of course be compared to younger artists because age is the common variable. But I'm always going to be growing and I'm never going to just get comfortable in one place."

SCENE AND HEARD: "The music video for my song, "This World," is going live in the next couple days...I am excited for that and for the new music I have been working on."

Get read to fall in love with Lena and her fantasy-like world. - Teen Vogue

She has the power to make the crowd swoon and has the sickest hooks. Her sound is eclectic with undertones of Fiona Apple and a hint of the Arctic Monkeys’ – “AM.” Lena Fayre is definitely an artist to watch. - Pancakes & Whiskey

Lena Fayre is a young Los Angeles artist who has been self-releasing music for years. She’s only 18, but she’s already racked up hundreds of thousands of plays on YouTube and Spotify. Now she’s working with producer Daniel Heath (Lana Del Rey) and Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart) and aiming to release an EP this spring. She’ll make her live debut at SXSW this March.

If you’re not already up on Lena, “Everybody’s In” is a wonderful introduction. The songwriting is on point, the production is a compelling mix of electronic and organic, but it’s her voice that really shines here. Watch the video above.

Hear more of her music on SoundCloud. - Pigeons & Planes

Lena Fayre's had a pretty bananas year so far: in the past few months she's released two videos—the moody, Lana-esque "This World" and the synthy-Lorde-like-slink of "Everybody's In"—and together these promos have clocked in over three quarters of a million views. She's still only 18, but this isn't even her first bout of buzz: back in 2013 her more straight ahead piano balladry, in the form of "Belong to You," also hit a resonant chord.
It feels like this year the half-Dutch, LA-born singer is moving into a new stage of her nascent career, co-writing and producing her forthcoming five-track EP, Is There Only One? with Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart).
Below is the premiere for "Do You Like That?"—the first song lifted from said EP—and one that swirls with a dark, twitchy kind sensuality that belies her years. Liquid beats and stirring strings to close it all out, but Fayre's unerringly confident vocals are the track's most arresting feature, sure to find favor with fans of Banks.
Here's what Fayre had to say about the song:
"I wish I could say that she is the other woman, but in fact I am. What you see on the EP cover is a real Instagram photo of the real girl taken by the real boy who inspired this collection of music. She isn't me; I will never be her. Obsession, possession, denial, heartbreak landed me in a position to write and express my way through a difficult situation. He chose her. The songs of Is There Only One? reflect my state of mind as I processed, questioned, and eventually found peace with such a visceral experience with rejection. This led me to think about the structure of relationships, attachment, and how the modern romance is diluted or enhanced by social media. Sometimes the things we do in the name of lust or love forsake reason and logic. We have the most hope despite our knowledge. I had the most hope.”
Take that in and listen.
Is There Only One? is out on 7.24 - NOISEY

Lena Fayre‘s ex is fully aware that he’s targeted on her new EP, Is There Only One? In fact, the album, released today, is “entirely about him,” she admits after sharing a live performance of the single, “New Sensation” at The WILD’s loft in Brooklyn. Fayre, joined by Mike McGill on synth pads, is in town from Los Angeles to promote the new EP, a moody 5-track project which sees producer Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom) take the 18-year-old singer further from pop beginnings, deeper into the worlds of electronica-infused R&B.

Is There Only One?, the age-old broken-hearted reckoning, is questioned by way of slow strikes of the bass (beating heart) below skittering hi-hats (hollow lungs) and wavering synth melodies (an unsettled mind). “As long as I’m free, don’t expect anything of me,” she quietly demands on “Possession;” “Please don’t pretend I can love you like a friend,” she repeats despairingly on “Colors of Leaving.” It’s gloomy stuff; first affairs often are.

“New Sensation” is more defiant. Fayre maintains she’s happy now, never needed him to begin with; whether she’s to be believed is a question for the listener. Closing the EP with a piece titled “Serenity” suggests that happiness remains conceptually abstract and far off for the young singer. Admitting as much is exactly why Fayre makes music, she says. “If I can’t be honest, there’s not really a point.” - the WILD

Your barbecue playlist is a lot like your summer wardrobe; both are at risk of the inevitable midseason rut—dun dun dun! But just like how a new printed blouse or breezy dress can give your look the stylish reboot it needs, adding some fresh artists to your carefully curated mix can make all the difference. Accordingly, we scoured blogs and major music sites to find you the best new talent, and it just so happens there’s a particularly exciting group of females making it big right now.

Check out the 18 artists on the verge of a major year.

Lena Fayre.

The 19-year-old Los Angeles native’s sound and lyrics hold a bewildering maturity beyond her years. She self-released her first album, OKO, last year, and her new EP, Is There Only One, is out today. Her honest, slightly dark sensibilities lend a poetic quality to her songs that’s powerful, to say the least. - Clique's WhoWhatWear

We caught up with 18-year-old Lena Fayre to discuss her new single, rejection, and her love for glitter.

Galore: So you released some music this morning.

Lena Fayre: Yes, I just put out “This World”. I’m really excited about it. It’s a really special song for me. I’m happy to know that it’s out in the world

G: Were you nervous about the release?

L: Well, it’s much less of a big reveal..like you spend so much time working and focusing on your music, and then anyone can listen to it with a click of a button. It’s kind of bizarre, but I’m really excited.

G: So you never get nervous?

L: Not really. I never get stage fright. I had one traumatizing stage experience when i was 8 years old. It was kind of the first time I got a taste of of performing. It was for the dress rehearsal for the talent show, and I had to wait 3 hours before I went on. I was singing the star spangled banner, and I had like, a meltdown.

G: That’s awful! Have you ever seen 8 Mile?

L: No, I haven’t, should I?

G: Seriously? Of course. Absolutely. Anyway, I just thought of it, because I always imagine that being booed is such a horrible experience.

L: I honestly can’t even imagine.

G: Lauryn Hill got booed on stage once. At the Apollo theatre when she was 13.

L: Really?

G: Yeah. What would you do if that happened to you?

L: I mean inside, I would just have to laugh. I’m not really in this to affect everyone. But for room full of people to collectively decide that you’re not enough is horrible.

G: Yeah, like, everybody’s just decided that you’re totally inadequate. Anyway, I wonder if, as you get older and more successful, if you’ll start to feel more nervous than you did starting out.

L: Well, I don’t know, but with the growth that I’ve experienced and the awareness that I’ve developed…like in August, I toured a lot in Los Angeles, and seeing how the different songs affected people, like if they danced or if they didn’t…I really started understanding the audience and how they reacted to the music. For me, it’s all about people. It’s not all about materialism, and although that’s a manifestation of success sometimes—music is a really selfish process for me personally. It’s cathartic and therapeutic, and I do it because I love listening to things that are beautiful. But when I’m on stage, I’m giving things away.

G: And that’s what you feel when you’re performing?

L: It’s electric. I get so much energy from it. It’s not like a nervous energy. It’s a feeling of acceptance and acknowledgement.

G: And would you say that experience is comparable to any other you have on a day-to-day basis?

L: The special variable in music is that you’re strangers. And you don’t know each other, and with boyfriend girlfriend, that’s a different form of intimacy. The only thing we have in common is music. and that’s all we have in common.

G: So what are you looking to change with your sound?

L: I’m working on a new EP right now, it’ll come out in 2015. My last record Oko—Oko kind of skipped genres, and the instrumentation wasn’t uniform. The only thing connecting the record was my singing. I wanted to create something really cohesive.

G: How do you feel about David Bowie?

L: [Laughs] I love David Bowie. I loved Ziggy Stardust.

G: Why do you think so many musicians are obsessed with his aesthetic?

L: I’m not sure, actually I never thought about it.

G: I guess just maybe everyone wants an excuse to wear glitter.

L: [Laughs] I love glitter. Maybe that’s why I love glitter, because of David Bowie.

“This World” was released March 3rd, exclusively on Spotify - Galore Magazine

Teenage songstress Lena Fayre recently released her debut full-length, OKO (Semper Augustus Records), and instantly became L.A.’s next indie pop protégé. Her rapturing, lush vox can range from sharp whispers to low croons, but is always delivered with raw, moody emotives driven by deep synths, digi-beats, or piano chords. She even managed to recruit some electric collaborators such as Olga Bell (of Dirty Projectors) and Reggie Pace (of Bon Iver). The album’s opening track, “I Am Not A Man,” was written along with Liz Phair and producers Nolan Sipe and John Alagia (Madi Diaz, Rachel Yamagata): - Free Bike Valet

There’s a fragility and brokenness to Lena Fayre in her “Possession” video, and with good reason: the introspective, synth-filled slowburner of a song is just one that makes up her Is There Only One? EP (released today, July 24), a project that was inspired by a real-life love triangle that didn’t end in the 19-year-old Los Angeles singer-songwriter’s favor.

“I wish I could say that she is the other woman, but in fact I am,” Fayre says of the image of the female who appears in her EP’s artwork. “What you see on the cover is a real Instagram photo of the real girl taken by the real boy who inspired this collection of music. She isn’t me; I will never be her. Obsession, possession, denial, heartbreak landed me in a position to write and express my way through a difficult situation.”

“Possession,” both the song itself and its accompanying music video, find Fayre digging deep into the recesses of her rejection-fueled pain and trying to make sense of the relationship while still reeling in its aftermath.

“Baby, are you happy now?” she sings repeatedly, while at various points wading in a swimming pool, standing by a roadside and sitting on a hill overlooking the ocean in the moody visual. It’s a question she may never get an answer to. - SpinMedia's IDOLATOR

L.A. native Lena Fayre is not yet out of her teens, but she sings like she’s lived three lifetimes of disquietude, alternately woozy and weary, dreamy and hopeful, piquant and playful. Her 2014 album “Oko” displays substantial production sophistication, with its refracted pop, R&B and balladry, and it also suggests Fayre is beyond her years lyrically. Take the half-spoken, half-rapped outro to “Games:” “Who needs a brain / when we have these games? / I don’t know what I want / so for now I’ll stay the same.” Fayre is far from a one-teenager show; she’s worked with producers John Alagia, Sean Gould, Jimmy Harry, Chris Keup and Nolan Sipe; co-written with people such as Olga Bell, Sanders Bohlke, Colin Killalea, Liz Phair and Adam Smith; and Bon Iver’s Reggie Pace and solo artist Matthew E. White collaborated on the album as well. She’s also studied under acclaimed vocal coach Lis Lewis. So even if Fayre’s actual identity remains fuzzy at this point, “Oko” earns an “A” for execution. She’s already back in the studio with producers Daniel Heath (Lana Del Rey) and Noah Georgeson (Joanna Newsom, Devendra Banhart) on a new EP. - See more at: http://www.buzzbands.la/2015/02/24/ears-wide-open-lena-fayre/#sthash.F9LOcprM.dpuf - Buzzbands.LA (Kevin Bronson)

On her latest EP, "Is There Only One?" the 18-year-old singer-songwriter from Los Angeles sings with an gravitas beyond her age Nighteen-year-old Angeleno Lena Fayre seems wise beyond her years. Her EP Is There Only One? is a 5-track collection that has the gravitas of a woman beyond her years. (It was inspired, she says, by being in Critics have compared Fayre to acts such as Warpaint and Lana del Rey, but her millions of YouTube views and Spotify streams and multiple songwriting awards speak for themselves. Her songs, which she calls “deconstructed pop,” give off an earnest and surreal vibe, and her sincerity comes through no matter what. “I want to know you,” she says to her listeners.



Hometown: I grew up in LA!

Homebase: Currently living in Echo Park

Who did you grow up listening to?

I grew up listening to Elvis and The Cure, and moved from that to Thrice (laughs). I have always loved pop music too. Beyonce is a queen.

Who are your inspirations aside from music?

Vladamir Nabokov is one of my favorite authors and I am starting to read Murakami.

Did you have some kind of epiphany when you realized you wanted to be a musician?

It wasn't much of an epiphany. Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew into it as I got older.

Your videos “This World” and “Everybody's In” have a very cinematic/DIY feel — how much input do you have in their creation?

I really enjoy the production of music videos, being on set is really fun and working collaboratively excites me. Typically, I work with a close group of friends and together we come up with ideas, wardrobe, and direction for the videos.

You've had a lot of success very young, and yet your music is also very sincere. How do you keep your sense of self intact surrounded by industry glitz and glamour?

I don’t think I participate in the glamorous industry crowd too often — thanks for acknowledging the sincerity, that is something that's very important to me. I try to be honest with myself and I think that translates into my music.

What's your songwriting process like?

I have a specific way of writing and making music...a lot of it happens outside the studio---experiences I have and things I observe in the world around me. When it comes to the actual songwriting and producing the music, I like to be in a studio setting with people I trust.

Why is new EP called Is There Only One?

I was in an "open relationship" and I got dumped for the other girl...Is There Only One is also a riff off an advertisement for Dr. Phil which reads, "There is Only One"! (Laughs.)

Who would you love to collaborate with?

Arca or DJ Khaled.

What's the strangest thing a fan has ever done for you?

They had their father sing to one of my songs shirtless...

What do you do for fun?

I go for hikes at a park near my apartment, eat with friends (this is huge), make an effort to go to the museums and galleries in LA — and I do love to shop.

What are your big summer plans this year?

Playing house parties in Echo Park, playing some shows in New York, staying out of the heat! - Myspace

LA-based wunderkind Lena Fayre is set to play Pianos tonight, and in advance of the much-anticipated debut NYC gig, I sat down with her in Manhattan yesterday to talk about how she’s managed to swing such an impressive career trajectory from a young age. We talked about everything from early (and surprisingly dark) musical influences to her creative process, so get familiar below, and then be sure to 1. keep an ear out for her new EP Is There Only One, which is due out later this month on 7/24, 2. grab a copy of Oko, and 3. follow her on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates. HERE WE GO:

So you live in LA and are from the LA area, which (for you, as a musician) must be nice, because I feel like it’s very easy to make collaborations happen with other artists easily and quickly. It’s not that that DOESN’T happen in New York or other cities, but that’s the general vibe that I get from the scene in LA.

Yeah, people are just really open and have a lot of ideas. It’s a highly saturated music culture in LA, but people are happy to make music, and they want to share that with each other. I’m really lucky that people have been open to working with me and collaborating with me, and I’ve made a lot of good friends. Working with people repeatedly has been nice, too; establishing relationships has been really, really cool.

And have you had the urge to move anyplace different? Because I feel like when you’re from a place, it’s sometimes easy to take it for granted or to become jaded with the scene.

No. I mean, LA is so big, and I grew up in a beach town, went to school in a different part of LA to where I live now (I live on the East Side currently), so I’ve definitely experienced all that LA has to offer, and I love it. I really, really like it; it’s kind of the perfect place to me still, despite having lived there my whole life.

You know, I really thought I’d hate it; I went for the first time in March, and people have just been building me up to hate it for like, forever, but when I actually got there I LOVED IT. I was like, “Am I doing this wrong? Should I be rethinking my life?” So I can see how you’d want to stay put. Now, you’ve got your new EP coming out this month, yeah?

Yes, on the 24th.

And was it a conscious decision to roll out an EP as opposed to another full-length? (I know it hasn’t been SO long ago that you released Oko in 2014…)

It was definitely a conscious decision, because I met this producer named Noah Georgeson who did the record, and we put together a whole month to go into the studio. I didn’t know what I was going to be working on; because I’m independent, there wasn’t that pressure where I felt like I had to get a record done, it was just more of whatever happens happens, and if we get some songs together we’ll use them. It was just serendipitous that I had gone through this insane roller coaster of a relationship like two weeks before I was in the studio, and we only wrote five songs together, but that was what the EP ended up turning into. So it was just kind of stars aligning; the visualization and chemistry was really on point between Noah and I, and it just kind of worked out. It is a whole story, and it’s supposed to be consumed as a whole; there’s no single, it’s supposed to be taken in as a whole piece.

And is that normal for you? Do you tend to try to go into the studio without preconceived ideas?

Yeah, I like to just go in and kind of read the situation and see what happens. Every track you write is not going to make the record; a lot of things go into making a good track. I was really lucky with Oko, because we wrote all of those songs within the span of two weeks, and they all made the record, plus we had extra. That hasn’t happened since then. I don’t know, I do a lot of sessions and write a lot of music, and I’m really picky and choosy about what I end up putting out there. (I have a lot of B-roll music.)

You’ve been doing this for a while, too (I think I read somewhere that you’d started out at age twelve in the studio), so what did that career trajectory sort of look like for you? I mean, obviously when you start that early, there’s also the whole challenge of balancing school…

I really liked music, and it kept me out of trouble when I was young. So I’d go to school, and then on the weekends my dad would drive me out to the Valley, and I’d work in this one studio pretty much every weekend. I just dedicated a lot of time to it because I enjoyed it; it started out pretty innocently making music that I liked without any pressure (there was no idea of where this was going to go, it was just, “I get to do this cool thing, sick.”), but then I got a little older and figured out what I liked doing and who I felt comfortable doing it with, and I realized that I never wanted to stop. I have a very supportive and musical family, and I was in the perfect place (LA), so it all worked out.

Speaking of your musical family, I also read you grew up listening to a lot of Evanescence! Now, I remember when their debut record came out I was about fifteen, meaning you were about six or seven. And I was going through a SUPER emo phase at the time (would force my poor mom to listen to this stuff in the car, like Chevelle and all of that), so like, just to imagine you ALSO listening to this kind of darker stuff at such a young age…I mean, was that your jam as a little kid?

That was actually kind of the lighter stuff of what I listened to! My brother is two and a half years older than me, and that was what he was into; not so much Evanescence, but definitely screamo and hardcore music. So growing up with that, that was cool to me, and I just really liked it. I think I’ve always been aesthetically inclined to like darker things, and that’s still what I go to when I’m listening to music.

I mean, it totally makes sense. My sister is five years older than I am, so I was definitely jacking her Alanis Morissette CDs and like, the Dangerous Minds soundtrack, and obviously in a weird way that ends up informing what you listen to down the road. Now, since you HAVE been in the scene for a while, and you obviously have a big social media following now, are you getting recognized on the street at all?

Not really. If it’s happened, it’s happened via social media. There’s just so much out there, you know?

Well, not to go SUPER dark here, but I just watched the Amy Winehouse documentary two weeks ago when it came out in theaters; have you seen it yet? She says at the beginning of her career, pre-mega-fame, that she would go nuts if she ever achieved super-stardom. And sure enough, she did. Now, is this something you’ve thought about at all? We already live in a time when things are so invasive even for someone who’s NOT in the public eye, so is it something you’ve given any thought about as you gain notoriety?

I haven’t really thought about it, because that’s not a goal. The only reason that that would be attractive to me is because recognition and musical integrity can become synonymous; the only reason I think someone could tolerate that is because their work is being recognized, and THAT’S attractive to me. But the whole “glamorous” part of it…that’s not interesting to me.

Of course, and I don’t think that that IS the goal for a lot of musicians (some, certainly, but definitely not everyone), but it IS a side-effect of the nature of the work a lot of the time.

I don’t think I’d care. Honestly, I don’t think that would bother me; I love performing, and that feeds me, honestly. In my heart of hearts it means something to me, to have that connection, and if that translates in a different way, then I don’t really care. As long as people are hearing the music, that’s insane to me.

And clearly Amy Winehouse had her own whole set of personal issues that fed into that whole circus, but it’s also something that, whether it’s a goal or not, can take a toll. But I’m glad to hear it’s not something that’s bothering you! Now, you just mentioned that you want people to hear your music any way they can; do you have any sort of stance on the politics of how people stream your music, or is that something that’s a non-issue for you as well at this point?

At this point in my career I’m not concerned about losing millions of dollars based on whether or not someone is buying my music on iTunes or whatever, and I think that that’s where a lot of that debate comes from. I think as long as people are gaining access to my music, that’s all I care about. I love Spotify, but I also think that writers and producers and people that are behind the music need to be acknowledged and credited, so I think if there can be some sort of happy medium between the two, that’d be the dream. People need to be acknowledged, but music needs to be accessible, too.

Absolutely. And it really is very much more accessible now than it certainly used to be when you’d be buying cassette tapes and CDs, but there was also something very nice about having those physical formats be the go-to. If you could go back in time to a sort of pre-digitized music scene, do you think that would ever be of interest?

The only part of the digital aspect that I like is that it’s accessible and can be reached by a lot of people, but I think having a physical form is very special and important; I’m a very nostalgic person that’s very attached to objects, and I will always create a physical format for my music. I think people appreciate that.

Definitely. Now, you’ve worked with lots of different people in varying capacities music-wise, but who would be an ideal person that you’d like to work with in the future, either purely collaboratively, production-wise, etc.?

I really love Arca’s work. I think that’d be a dream duo.

I love Arca’s music videos, too.

Yeah, they’re beautiful. Very cinematic.

While we’re talking about videos, tell me a little bit about YOURS, because they’re very cool. How do you generally decide who to work with on those? Are they friends of yours?

It’s a lot of friends of mine. All the people in the music videos are friends of mine or friends of friends, and I work with THIS lovely lady [Chelsea McCarthy]; she is an artistic genius and really understands my music and me. I’m very musically-inclined, and translating that to visuals is an interesting challenge.

Chelsea: So she’ll make music, and then I’ll make a treatment, and then usually I’ll outsource to someone else; there’s the mini series we just did, and we worked with Alan Del Rio Ortiz on that, who’s actually based in New York. (He’s worked with Blood Orange, Annie from St. Vincent, etc.) We’ve also worked with emerging cinematographers. But I handle production and art department things. But no one can take full ownership, you know? It’s really a collaboration.

Cool. And Lena, do you find that you tend to think more visually or verbally?

It’s kind of a combination. My lyrical style is obviously words, but I prefer to communicate through visuals, if that makes sense; I don’t naturally gravitate towards a narrative style of songwriting, and that’s not interesting to me. I like mystique and something that’s familiar enough to grab hold to but still feel surprising; something that’s comforting but also a little bit removed.

Right. And on the other sensory side of that, what are you listening to these days, apart from maybe your own things?

I actually try not to listen to my own music. It’s difficult; I think if I’m really happy with something then I can listen to it once, and not in front of people. I’m very critical, and I also tend to think back to, “I was wearing this thing, and was in this place, and this thing had just happened.” There’s such a narrative around your own music.

It’s like going back and reading an old diary entry; you know where you were at in terms of head-space, but you also don’t necessarily connect to that moment anymore since it’s no longer relevant to where you are.

Yeah, it’s really weird being so close to something. But right now I listen to a lot of Jawbreaker, punk bands, underground stuff…which is weird, because the scene where I live is very rock ‘n roll.

So where exactly do you live in LA? Which neighborhood?

I live in Echo Park.

Cool! Some friends of mine in a band called OOFJ and they just played Origami Vinyl last Saturday, but they are also playing Echoplex on the 30th; if you’re around you should drop by! Now, back to your aesthetics, I know you’re into art and cinema; if you could soundtrack any art show or movie in existence with your own music, which do you think you might pick?

That’s tough, because most of the movies I like already have such incredible scores, and I’d never want to take away from them. But one of my favorite films is Howl’s Moving Castle. I love Miyazaki. So I’ll say that one, because I think it’s playful and dark, and that’s what I like to make.

Excellent, that’s a great movie, I support it. And so after this show you’re back in LA (I assume), so what’s up next for you? You’ve got the EP coming out, but what else?

I’m in LA for like a week, and then I work with a producer in Virginia called Chris Keup (he did the majority of Oko), so I’m going to Virginia for two and a half weeks. I’ve basically written my next record, I’m producing it there, and then I’ll be touring in the fall.

Well speaking of upcoming material, how do you feel in terms of the pressure to conform to any specific sort of vibe at this point? Because it seems like so far you’ve not been pigeonholed into any one genre or sound, which is nice.

Exactly. And that’s the thing; I’m really free to do a lot and experiment and push myself. I’m really proud of Oko, and it opened a lot of doors musically (because I did experiment and collaborate a lot), but I just follow my instincts, and if I continue to do that, I’m going to be stoked about whatever I create. - Brightest Young Things

Age is but a number for singer Lena Fayre. At just 19 years old, the California artist has accumulated more than 5 million views on her YouTube channel, and self-released her debut album Oko last year, and made her debut performance this year at the widely renowned SXSW festival.

Now, Fayre is gearing up to release a 5-track EP, Is There Only One?, on July 24. Check out Fayre's new mini video for "Colors Of Leaving" and read on for our Q&A with the rising artist.

All your videos seem to have an overarching theme/aesthetic. Who comes up with the concepts? How involved are you in this process?

This comes up a lot. I have a close friend who I collaborate with on all my videos. I am interested in aesthetics or the idea of beauty and what that means to me/to a viewer...I have been semi-involved in all of the video projects I have done and a lot of what we do is improvisation as well.

Your music is very personal. Are there any songs in particular that were hard to write or perform?
"Start A War" made me tear up the first couple of times I performed it, but now I have had distance from that. My new songs from my upcoming EP are all very personal in a different way. They evoke specific memories and feelings that are linked to the lyrics.

Any songs that bring you a lot of comfort to play?
"The Other Woman" by Nina Simone, or "Wong Chia Chi's Theme" by Alexandre Desplat.

Who are your favorite artists of the moment?
Yasmine Hamdan, Cocteau Twins, Yassao Benedict, Drake.

Do you have any favorite late night haunts in LA?
My ex boyfriends apt lol ^.^

Favorite music accessory/gear? (ipod, portable speakers, record player etc...)
Spotify, my record player

Novel or poet that inspired your music?
Nabakov.

Favorite SoCal venue to perform in or see a show at?
I loved playing the Observatory and the Troubadour. I would really like to play at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

If you had to choose, what color or scent would you associate with your new album?
I like this question!...maybe lavender, frankincense...something sensual and musty and quiet. - Culture Collide

Song: "Ophelia"
Songwriter: Lena Fayre
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA - John Lennon Songwriting Competition

Best Music Video
“Possession” Directed by Alan Del Rio Ortiz - Los Angeles Cinema Festival of Hollywood

Our latest #wcw comes in the form of Lena Fayre, Echo Park-based singer-songwriting making waves with her special brand of pop music that makes you feel like you’ve been transported to a colorful yet surrealist alternate universe – especially when you couple it with her music videos injecting the melodies with a whole new dimension. We caught up with Lena just before she made the trek to the insanity known as SXSW to talk International Women’s Day, guilty pleasures, and what it’s like living and working with your comrades.

You started off 2015 with a bang after releasing your latest album, OKO, last year. How’s the release been for you so far?
Oko came out in August of 2014, which still doesn’t feel like that long ago to me. I released a couple of videos from songs off that record, too, and people seemed to have liked them. That was a nice feeling, Oko being my first full length and all. Since then, I’ve been making more music. I’m just about finished with a new EP. It has the same ethereal, dream-like soundscape that Oko indulges in, but mixed with a bit of R&B sensibility.

I saw that Spotify added ‘This World’ to their International Women’s Day themed playlist ‘Women of Indie and Alternative’! How rad! What was it like being included in such a stellar line up?
So sweet! I use Spotify all the time to find new music and make playlists for myself, so being included in one of theirs was very surreal. What a cool way to celebrate women. *heart eyes*

Your music videos have been a massive success for you. ‘Everybody’s In’ was released only 3 weeks ago and has already racked up 300k views. What are your inspirations for these audio/visual collaborations?
To capture the visual that lives within a song is an interesting endeavor. Sonically, ‘Everybody’s In’ is warm, inviting, light and lush. But, I’m singing about how I feel isolated and left out. There’s a tension between the lyrics and the music. I wanted to highlight that binary. So, we used lighting and color to capture the electric vibe of the song. There isn’t much of a narrative in the video, just me existing in different, obscure environments. I also just wanted to have fun with it. I’m a sad girl, but I don’t want to cry all the time. Laughing is good.

I feel like your videos are almost like mini movies… Are there any directors you dream about collaborating with?
Shia LaBeouf maybe. That could be tight. I’m really into him. For the most part, though, I get a lot out of collaborating with my close friends. They’re all artists as well, so getting together and making something beautiful/challenging with people I know and love is strange and magical.

You’re pretty interwoven in the upcoming Echo Park music scene. How do you feel about bringing a totally unique pop style to the table?
I’m just being myself. I love where I live and the people here, so to contribute in any way to the music/art scene makes me so happy. It’s nice to leave the house for coffee and see people you have played shows with or listened to their records. It’s a beautiful, interconnected world we’re in.

Describe your perfect day in Los Angeles:
It would most likely include *rare* overcast weather, a walk through Chinatown, live music, spontaneity, and maybe a friend to share it with.

Speaking of LA… What’s your favorite guilty pleasure song to blast and sing along to while stuck in traffic?
I have a CD in my car called “Nope But Ya” full of guilty pleasure songs. Today, I’m feeling ‘Hush Hush (Original Version)’ by The Pussycat Dolls. But honestly, I’m guilt free. I’m listening to it right now. It’s too real. - Ladygunn

“Music has been ‘it’ for me my entire life,” Lena Fayre tells me emphatically. “Since I started playing, there hasn’t been much else.” She’s not exaggerating, either. The 18-year-old Los Angeles native discovered her love for singing at age five, and after her first recording session at the ripe old age of 12, she’s been perfecting her smoky, gorgeous sound ever since. With a haunting, dreamy vibe — think Lana Del Rey meets Warpaint — Fayre’s vocals are the kind that stick in your head long after the song has ended.

Want proof? Look no further than her breakout release, the ethereal pop jam “Everybody’s In.” It’s a multifaceted track stocked with layers of lush melodies and Fayre’s signature fragile, ripped-from-her-diary kind of lyrics. Just a month after its release, the video now has close to 400 thousand plays. The insta-success of the song is a surprise for Fayre, who says that the tune came about quickly. “It something that we wrote in about 15 minutes and just laid it down and had a lot of fun with. It wasn’t necessarily a song that we slaved over—it was a lighthearted thing.”

Next up, Fayre will swing by SXSW for what’s billed as her “official” debut (funny, considering how long she’s been performing), as well as a slew of upcoming local shows. And just in case the music itself wasn’t enough to convince you to catch her live, her style should be. Statement-making without being loud, she prefers oversized jackets, flowy dresses, and easy, effortless pieces that resemble a Stevie Nicks aesthetic sparkled with fairy dust.

As Fayre puts it, “I care a lot about the shape and silhouette of my clothes, and I take that into account when I go onstage. I don’t wear patterns well, but I love glitter. If it has sequins or iridescence, then I want it.” Catch Lena Fayre in all her glittery glory in her new video for “Everybody’s In” above, and stay tuned– her new EP drops later this spring! - Popular

This week Lena Fayre stopped by perform “This World” for us!

We are so excited for Lena’s new EP Is There Only One? coming on July 24th!

Check out the videos for “This World” and “Everybody’s In” - American Rag

(Los Angeles) Lena Fayre just released her latest CD entitled “OKO" in 2014. She is known most for her soulful vocals and no-holds-barred, in- live shows. But look closer and you'll find an artist with roots in traditional "deconstructed pop” encompassing an indie vibe with rhythmic trance elements. Featured by Rolling Stone Magazine as a “New Artist You Need to Know,” songs from 18-year-old singer songwriter Lena Fayre’s self-titled 2013 debut EP boast millions of views on YouTube and have received several awards. Lena Fayre is performing songs from OKO in ront of audiences primarily in Southern California, while gearing up to explore the next phase of her musical career, having made the decision to postpone indefinitely her college entry in order to be able to devote 100% of her energy to her life-long passion for music.

The CD takes flight with “I Am Not a Man” a psychedelic ditty with methodical intro that serves up impassioned vocal feel from Fayre with impressive vocal harmonies, melodic musical touches against a grand slam chorus. Track 2 “The Tigers Bride” downshifts a bit with its methodical piano driven intro eventually lending itself into a striking “Gold Standard” ballad that flows and ebbs its way through to emotional fruition. Track 3 “Everybody’s In” keeps thing moving in the right direction with its infectious melody, steady flowing rhythm, impressive chorus, and a good heartfelt/thought provoking message. The CD makes a great first impression dashing out 3 solid tracks in a row. I would classify this music as Alternative Rock with a dash of Electronic or Ambient Pop. Also present are unique elements of what I would call Alternative-Psychedelic Soul and vocal Hip-Hop Pop. The production touches and overall value of this CD are quite expensive and very exotic. It's the Pinnacle of Modern Pop. All in all the CD touches a wide range of musical styles. Besides the four piece standard you will notice impressive instrumentation with things like impressive strings, guitar, Piano, Organ, sporadic keyboard and synth accents, well-placed harmonies, dynamic electronic based drums all built upon a solid moog driven rhythm section to boot. The musicianship and musical touches from Fayre are clearly above the bar. As for her vocal abilities, it works extremely well within the confines of this catalogue. She’s got a good marketable look, a catchy mystique and knows how to sit deep within the pocket and sing a song with amazing vocal fluidity. Fayre has enough soul to go around. Her voice goes down smooth and fills the space peacefully and unobtrusively with an infectious timbre. She’s got a good vibrato and impressive Mezzo Soprano. Fayre showcases much in the way of vocal technicalities with an impressive falsetto and has much to offer insofar as overall power, control and finesse. As a songwriter: the songwriting consistent and rock solid across the board. The harmonies and melodies are well placed and well crafted. All the Engineering aspects are in check (Recording, Mixing, and Mastering) as the CD possesses solid low end punch and crystal clear high end clarity. This 11 track offering from Fayre is rock solid and delivers everything you would expect from a top-tiered musical Production such as this providing much in the way of musical variety and melodic layering. It definitely offers has a lot of musical depth and variety within the sonic space. Her music reminds me of a combination between trippy and psychedelic Portishead, and Amy Winehouse. Other comparisons include: Sara Bareilles, Pink, Kelly Clarkston, Pink, Gwen Stefani, The Cardigans, Tori Amos, Melanie C, Dido, Sophie B. Hawkins, Lana Del Rey and Lorde. All songs are well crafted and consistent across the board. From epic “Gold Standard King” to hypnotic “Games” and to striking “I Remember” to heartfelt “Ophelia” to methodical “Start a War” to rock steady “Every Man is a Warrior” this CD has something for just about everyone. The CD ends with Track 11 “Intimacy Is Me”” the perfect finale statement for a CD like this.

I wish there were more solo segments throughout the catalog. All songs over 4 minutes tend to drag you to the finish line while all tracks under 3 minutes feel like incomplete statements to me. CD is a bit short with 11 Tracks, perhaps 2 3 more tacks are needed to make this a fully loaded CD release. I don't get the name of the album and overall concept.

From start to finish “OKO” by Lena Fayre delivers the mojo and is a fully loaded 11 Track release from start to finish. The music is diverse, grooving, upbeat, soulful and sonically entertaining. The songwriting – all consistent musical experiences, each one possessing a unique personality, flair and signature groove. The writing, playing and singing abilities of Fayre is highly marketable. Her overall persona and mainstream mystique is something millions of people should gravitate towards.

Cyrus Rhodes - Indie Music Digest

WorldArts is proud to announce the winners of our ASCAP “I CREATE MUSIC” EXPO Opportunity Winners . We set out to find two artists, but due to the overwhelming number of submissions, we chose seven! Once you hear them, you’ll see why ASCAP added an extra day of performances for us to fit them all in. We also want to thank our great partners at TuneCore for helping us pick these 7 amazing artists!!!!!
These artists will receive an All Inclusive week during the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO in Los Angeles April 30 – May 2, 2015.

This Includes:

A performance on the WorldArts Playback Stage
Credentials to attend the ASCAP “I Create Music” EXPO
A Studio Recording of one song at 17 Hertz Studio
A Single Audio Recording pressed to Vinyl by our good friends at SquareSpace


Please join us in congratulating our winners: - ASCAP

rising star lena fayre's dark pop alchemy
"be brave and reach for joy."
written by: ben barna
December 18 2015
The cover of Lena Fayre's last EP, Is There Only One?, features an Instagram of a woman who is not the 19-year-old L.A. native. As it turns out, it's a photo of the woman Fayre's one-time lover left her for, inspiring the five-song collection filled with absorbing, electro ballads in the name of love lost, confusion, and rediscovery.
Fayre's lush vocals coupled with dark, metallic production is a leap forward from the orchestral-centric songs released a few years ago, like "Belong to You." Since then, Fayre has remerged as an artist unafraid to confront the stab of heartbreak and transform it into airtight electro-pop. "The songs of Is There Only One?reflect my state of mind as I processed, questioned, and eventually found peace with such a visceral experience with rejection," she said about her record.
Fayre is currently working on a follow-up, but took some time out of her day to answer some questions about creativity, fantasies, and her love of Hayao Miyazaki.
How would you describe your aesthetic?
Soft bitch.
How did your career get started?
I always wanted to be a singer. There’s a lot of opportunity when you grow up in Los Angeles. I met a few people when I was younger who introduced me to the music world. Things sort of just fell into my lap from there, and I remained open and hopeful.
Where do you hope to be professionally in five years?
Accomplished, established, and self-assured. Most of all I hope I can surprise myself, and create something even more beautiful or fun every time I add to my discography.
What’s your next project?
I’m working on a new record. I had the opportunity to collaborate with new friends from Britain and Germany this summer. As of late, I’ve been spending more time cultivating some other interests and projects aside from music. I’ve found my creative aspirations all feed back into each other somehow.
What are you most proud of so far in terms of your career?
I’ve gotten to make music and visuals with people I love and care for. I’ve shared with them in that, created something permanent. It’s the most important thing I’ve ever done.
What famous person dead or living do most wish you could have as a roommate?
I love Hayao Miyazaki so much. His mind must be such a fantastic place. Howl’s Moving Castle is my favorite movie! He’s gotta keep tidy though!
What is your favorite driving music?
The album Dreamin’ Wild by Donnie and Joe Emerson.
Whose career would you most like to emulate?
I admire the longevity, fluidity, musicianship, and breadth of Bjork’s career. It’s incredible to take in the life of an artist; from The Sugarcubes to Vulnicura. I hope to grow up through my music like it seems she has.
If you had to live in a past time, what do you think would be the most fun era and why?
I’d liked to have been around for the '60s and '70s, when the music that was popular or cool was also revolutionary. Today’s pop music isn’t necessarily “good” music. It didn’t always used to be like that.
What activities do most enjoy doing alone?
I love taking a day to myself. Make sun tea and listen to music while I get my apartment back to a livable state. It restores my psyche.
How do you wind down before bed?
A cup of scaldingly hot tea and a bubble bath while I watch one of my favorite movies. That’s when I’m feeling lux. Usually I just overthink my way into sleep.
When are you most relaxed?
When L.A. is cold and overcast, and I have nothing to do but whatever makes me happy.
What kind of person were you in high school?
I was a version of the person I am now, just with fewer tools to be an actual person.
Can you tell me a quality about yourself that you are genuinely proud of?
I’ve learned how to really love and take care of myself. Self-love will revolutionize your life!
Do you have any phobias?
Throwing up.
What’s a serious side of you that people are unlikely to know about? Either in terms of interests, hobbies, or personality?
I feel like in an alternate universe I’ve opened my own flower shop in a small European town and I have too many kids. I fantasize about that a lot.
What are some new hobbies you would like to take on?
I’d love to start gardening. That seems like a lovely way to spend your time.
How do you hope to grow as a creative person?
Honestly.
If there was a phrase that you think best sums up your approach to life what might it be?
Be brave and reach for joy. - Nylon (Band Crush)

In “Cry,” 19-year-old pop starlet Lena Fayre (who’s back in L.A. after a slew of SXSW shows) leads viewers through a defrosting tundra, as she performs for and with a troupe of contemporary dancers. Costume changes and natural choreography punctuate the rhythms of this steady-to-climax, low-end driven pop lament. We understand if Lena Fayre is driven to tears: for performance sake, the fearless artist is shown dancing barefoot in the snow, both during icy day, and ostensibly frigid night. Lena Fayre believes “these moments of strain” are ” transparent” and “fearless” and considers this harsh subjection “special.” Special might not be the right word, though. Just last year, The Revenant audiences shockingly endured Leonardo DiCaprio’s torment as he willed himself through frosted desolation. But this isn’t meant to undermine Lena Fayre’s determination to put art before self. It’s that this task is, in spite of similar efforts, truly exceptional. And if Lena Fayre needs to cry in order to bring evocative work to life, so be it. - FLAUNT

Los Angeles-based artist Lena Fayre has made some very impressive strides in her brief nineteen years. A full-length album, a pair of EPs, millions of Spotify & YouTube streams & clicks, magazine features, local residencies, the requisite near double-digit performances as SXSW – it all adds up to an artist on the move! Her new single, “Cry,” nicely demonstrates her ambition, with a widescreen electro-pop sound a la Lapsley or Robyn. If that weren’t enough, she’s made an epic video to accompany the song, directed by Alan Del Rio Ortiz (of St. Vincent, Solange and Blood Orange fame) in collaboration with creative director Chelsea McCarthy, that features Beyoncé-esque dance routines performed in a wintery, bucolic setting straight out of Bjork-ville, complete with albino snakes, colored eyebrows and walking barefoot in the snow. - KCRW Music Blog