From the Driver's Seat: An Interview with Faye Webster
The first time I listened to Faye Webster was the morning of her Los Angeles show at The Fonda back in February. The mix of the warmth from the sun and Faye’s sweet voice made my twenty-minute walk to class ethereal. What I thought was just going to be another night covering a show, quickly turned into an experience I’ll never forget.
Days prior, I had ended something with someone that really meant a lot to me so I knew going to her show and listening to her bittersweet lyrics would make this an emotional experience for me. Despite the pain I was feeling at the time, seeing Faye Webster perform live that night was just what I needed. Ever since that night, I have been hooked on her music and now consider her to be one of my favorite artists of all time. Her music is the anthem to my slow mornings and my somber nights so when I heard she was releasing her newest EP Car Therapy Sessions, I knew I had to jump at the chance to speak with her.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How was your tour and how do you feel about touring in Europe so soon? Any places you’re excited to visit?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] I always love going to London and Paris. And then Barcelona will be fun, my family's gonna come for that one. I’m also just not thinking about it right now and trying to get through this tour.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How has it been touring with Haim?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] It’s been good! Haim is so nice, they’re so sick. The venues are crazy, it’s been fun.
[UNPUBLISHED:] We know you’re pretty big on playing games, specifically your Nintendo DS. Are there any games you’ve been playing while on tour?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] I am. I’m currently playing Pokemon Black 2. My bandmates also have Nintendos and we’ll play Mario Party together.
[UNPUBLISHED:] When you go on tour, do you bring all of your games or are you more selective with what you bring?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] We’re taking them all, I mean they’re so small.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Is there a dream video game that you would love to have one of your songs in?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] There’s this thing in Rocket League called a player's anthem and every time you score a goal, it plays like a little bit of a song. I’ve found really good songs from this and I have songs on my playlist that I’ve found from Rocket League. They do limited editions with different artists like when you score, Lil Nas X will play if that's what you want. I would love to have a player's anthem song in Rocket League.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What would be a sound bite that you’d want?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] I think that the most fitting would probably be from “Cheers” like it would be “cheers” and then fade in and fade out.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What inspired your newest EP Car Therapy Sessions? How did this project come to be?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] When I first wrote “Jonny,” I was in London listening to the mix after we had left the studio and I was walking around London and thought “this would sound so sick with an orchestra…” That was literally four years ago. Ever since, I’ve just been trying to make an orchestral version of this song but it wasn't really until last year that it made sense. I was going back and forth “do I do this version of the song or do a new song?” We found the perfect composer, space, and musicians to do it so it seemed like it was worth the wait.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What was it like recording with an entire orchestra?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] I would just get really wrapped up in the orchestra and I would just forget lyrics or forget where I am because I was listening to them play, it was so surreal. I would say, “this is so pretty, I want to cry” but it was also like “I wrote this song, why do I not know where I am.” It was definitely some trial and error but it was really fun and just beautiful.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How do you want listeners to feel when they’re listening to this version versus the original versions of the songs?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] I mean, this version was different in the way that it also has the reprise attached to it. Which seems new but it’s what I do live when I play “Jonny,” but I guess not everyone has seen me live. So I feel like that on its own creates this whole new experience within the song. Also, I feel like for people who are already fans of the song, then this version is more impactful if you already know it.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Does the meaning of your songs ever change to you after they are released? Has it been cathartic for you to release music about past heartbreak?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] Not really….I mean, sometimes. Usually, I don't even think about it, because it was written about whatever or whoever at the time. After a while, it kind of just turns into my thing instead of their thing. So definitely, when I'm singing older songs still, I don't really think about that stuff, because it's my song, I made the song, and it's my thing.
[UNPUBLISHED:] I read that I Know I’m Funny haha was created mostly throughout the pandemic, was it an easier process to create the album because of the time you had to dedicate to it, or do you think it was harder based on the state of the world at the time?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] It was definitely harder, I think. Over the pandemic, a lot of people were like, “I can't wait to see what like artists are doing like they're probably being so creative right now and they have all this time to paint or write music.” I feel like the pressure of all of that kind of took the fun away from it for me. I wanted to write because I wanted to, not because people were expecting me to write so it's kind of hard, but I mean, half of it was pandemic, half of it was pre-pandemic, but we got through it!
[UNPUBLISHED:] That album is such a solid piece of work, every single song on the album is truly great, is there a song that sticks out on that project that’s special to you?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] From I Know I’m Funny haha, I feel like I’ve always liked “Sometimes” but it’s funny because I don’t even play that song live anymore. When we wrote it and recorded it I was like “I really like this one” and then “Cheers” was always fun. “Cheers” was the first one for the latter half of the record that we recorded. I remember that one, just listening in my car with no vocals and being like “yeah I like this” and I think for Car Therapy Sessions, “Kind Of” has always been my favorite one.
[UNPUBLISHED:] A lot of people say that your music is the embodiment of having a crush on someone, or being in love, do you think that you are as expressive in real life, or do you save that side of yourself for music?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] I'm definitely just as expressive. I feel like one of the traits that I definitely got from my mom is being really good at taking care of other people, and then being really bad at taking care of myself. So yeah, I've always been romantic, I put everything into my partner and then struggle with myself haha.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you think there is a difference in songwriting or creating an album while being in love versus not being in love?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] Yeah, I mean, I think for I Know I’m Funny haha for the first time was more optimistic maybe? I used to only want to write when I was sad because that was the only time that I would feel enough emotion to get it off my chest. But then for I Know I’m Funny haha, for the first time I was writing stuff because I was happy. I wanted to express myself because I was feeling like I was in a good spot. I think that was the first time I started doing that.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Your first album Run & Tell was released when you were 16, how has your songwriting process evolved from when you first started making music?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] For sure, I think every artist does. I mean, I don't know any artists that relate to their teen self so I think it's just a natural evolution. It’s the same thing that everyone goes through. When my label made the vinyl for that record, which my other label never did, and I listened to it for the first time in years I was like “this is crazy,” When I was listening to it, I was literally like “what the fuck am I talking about?” I had no idea what these songs are about because they were so vague. I was just like “did I even have anything to write up?” Like what is? Yeah, I don't know. It's definitely changed.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What music artists inspired you when you were first making music while growing up?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] I was listening to a lot of Alison Krauss, I grew up listening to her. I was listening to a lot of Asleep at the Wheel. Just a lot of Western Swing music. With Alison Krauss, her music was beautiful, and it still is, and I was really influenced by that stuff.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Who are some of your favorite artists at the moment?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] At the moment, I really love Turnstyle. They are one of my favorite bands right now. I also really like Erika de Casier. I’ve been listening to both of those a lot.
[UNPUBLISHED:] How has growing up in Atlanta influenced your music?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] I think because Atlanta is so diverse, I was able to just grow up in a family that mostly listened to Western Swing music, and then to open mic nights every night and hear something completely different. I was able to be inspired by a bunch of different stuff that I thought was sick as fuck. I don’t know, I think I was able my own thing inspired by all of it.
[UNPUBLISHED:] If you could work with one musician, dead or alive, who would it be?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] I would probably pick Alison Krauss just because of how long I’ve admired her. I mean, I think our voices would sound good together.
[UNPUBLISHED:] Do you have a favorite song you’ve ever written?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] Just from songs I like to play live, I feel like “Better Distractions” and “In A Good Way” are the only songs that I never get tired of. Every time we play it, I find a new reason to really like it and feel like it expresses me really well to someone who doesn’t know me. Maybe one of those two.
[UNPUBLISHED:] What is a question you wished interviewers asked you more?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] It’s definitely nice to not talk about music sometimes. I also understand only being interviewed for music but it is refreshing to like talk about my favorite video game!
[UNPUBLISHED:] What can we expect from any upcoming projects?
[FAYE WEBSTER:] I think the same slow evolution as an artist in general. I always want every project to be a little different from each other. I like that a song from I Know I’m Funny haha and one from Atlanta Millionaires Club could have not been on the earlier records because it would have been too quick of an evolution. Maybe just something that is still classic Faye but I’m always being inspired by something new.
