When/How did you first start playing music?
My mother passed away when I was 14 and then my sister and I relocated from Seattle WA to Chicago, IL to live with a cousin. I started writing as a way to cope with all the emotional craziness of that time. I didn't pick up the guitar and start performing till my first year of college at an open mic because of encouragement from friends. Haven't been able to stop since.
What's the best gig you ever played?
The coolest one so far was being able to open for Honey Honey, Katharine McPhee and The Daylights for a charity event at the Ford Amphitheater in LA. The most memorable/life-changing gig would be a fund raising event for Love 146. It really opened my eyes to some very serious issues children of all countries face concerning human trafficking. I've since began to take the beginning steps of working with this charity to help raise awareness and support for their cause and it's completely changed the way I look at the world.
How has social media effected the way you market/promote your music?
It's had a huge effect! The reach of an artist has grown beyond what it has ever been before. It's giving me the ability to stay connected with fans - get to know them and they me. Whether it's myself promoting my music/shows to friends, family and fans, social media has made it possible to gain exposure exponentially, all from your computer at home. It's made it a lot easier for artists to share their music, and of course easier for music lovers to find new music.
What's your prediction for the next big advancement in how we find/listen to/share music?
I agree with the predictions about Cloud music blowing up. I think we'll see more Cloud streaming sites (Google music prototypes and Spotify) as well as Cloud sharing, recommendations, more fan interaction sites... Not sure really but I definitely think it's going in that direction.
What's your next big gig coming up? When/Where?
The band and I are playing at Universal Studios City Walk in Los Angeles April 15th as part of the Universal City Walk Spring Break Live concert series. Other acts in this series include Rey Fresco, Baby Bash, Andy Grammer, and Hyper Crush. The series is showcasing up-and-coming artists and I feel very fortunate to be a part of something with such a high caliber of artists. There will also be a fundraiser for Japan at City Walk the night we perform sponsored by the Hard Rock Cafe. Our hearts and prayers go out to the people of Japan. The band and I are very excited about the opportunity to help The Hard Rock and City Walk raise support in whatever way we can.
Check out more on Elaine Faye here.
