Faye Webster is an indie/alternative singer and songwriter. She has released five studio albums and one EP, as well as numerous singles between album releases.
Webster was born in Atlanta, Georgia, into a musically inclined family. Her grandfather was a guitarist, as well as her mother and her youngest brother, who played in a rock band during his high school years. At age 14, Webster began to write music. When she attended Henry W. Grady High School, she created a rap group with her friends, and they would play at open mic nights in her hometown. When Webster’s father finally attended one of her performances, he told her to record her music so that people could access it at any time. This led to her self-released first album entitled ‘Run and Tell’ on October 13, 2013.
In 2017, Webster got signed to Awful Records, an Atlanta-based independent record label. In May of that year, she released her second, self-titled album, ‘Faye Webster.’ In April the following year, she then signed to Secretly Canadian, which preceded the release of her third album the next year called ‘Atlanta Millionaires Club,’ which happens to be my favorite of her albums. The name is inspired by a group of grad students that her father would hang around when he was younger, in which they would compete in various types of competitions, ranging from doughnut-eating contests to races.
In the years following, Webster continued to release singles, go on a U.S. tour, and even had her song titled “Better Distractions”, recognized by former President Barack Obama as one of his favorite songs in 2020.
Webster then released her single “Cheers,” preceding the album release of “I Know I’m Funny haha,” in June of 2021. The next year, in 2022, she released the EP entitled ‘Car Therapy Sessions,’ which covered slower, live versions of songs from her previous albums. The EP also introduced an entirely new song called “Car Therapy.”
In 2023, she released two songs titled “But Not Kiss” and “Lifetime” to tease the album that would be released in March 2024. “Underdressed at the Symphony” was released and then supported by an international tour and debut appearances at music festivals.
It’s clear she has an interesting journey and monumental achievements on her belt, but how is her music? Well, in my opinion, it’s fantastic. She mixes jazzy tunes with her ability to convey varying emotions in an artistic and soft way. A couple of favorite songs of mine that I recommend listening to are “A Stranger” from “I Know I’m Funny haha” and “Jonny” from “Atlanta Millionaires Club.”
“A Stranger” is a soft and melodic-sounding track that conveys the feeling of not knowing what to do with yourself, specifically after a breakup. Webster sings for the beginning of her verses, and then transitions to talking over the music, which only further deepens the melancholic and sad sound of the song. Webster says, “You know, I used to love getting bored/But now, without you, I have so much time to think/There’s nothing to think about anymore.” I like this line because it conveys the loneliness that comes in losing a relationship, whether it be romantic or otherwise, and how it affects even in the mundane ways, such as having the time to think about them yet not having the right to anymore.
“Jonny” is a slower song than the previous one, and it incorporates a more jazzy element as well. In the beginning, the lyrics relay the emotion of a bit of loneliness and figuring out what Webster wants for her life. Then, for the chorus, it transitions to her asking a previous lover, Jonny, if he ever loved her, since he never said it aloud. In the song, it’s mentioned that it wasn’t intended to even be a love song, mentioned in the line “This wasn’t ‘posed to be a love song/But I guess it is now.”
Additionally, there is a sequel to the song titled “Jonny (Reprise),” on the same album that further enforces the sad tone of the song. Webster then talks to Jonny, asking him why he wasn’t ready to pursue the depth of love that Webster wanted. She then admits that it is a love song, and at the end of the song, gives a sad goodbye to Jonny.
My other favorite songs, due to their upbeat and enchanting tunes, are “Kingston” from her junior album. As well as “I Know I’m Funny haha” from her fourth studio album and “He Loves Me Yeah!” from her fifth and latest studio album.
If you are a fan of indie music with a touch of jazz that touches on both happy and sad emotions, then Faye Webster is a great artist to listen to who combines these themes well.
