Indie Folk Pop: 2012

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Featured Artist - Myla Smith

Myla Smith is the first Indie Folk-Pop artist to be featured on this blog. She is not only an incredible singer/songwriter, but a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). In an age where musicians are able to reach their fans without a middle man, thanks to the Internet, Myla Smith is setting a new standard of quality for her fans and other Indie Musicians. Her radio ready hits like "Slow Down" draw you in and leave you wanting more. I had to find out more about Myla, so I reached out to her in the hopes that she'd share her insights about today's music scene.

10/1/2012

Heather Renee: Is music in your bloodline or are you the first musician in your family?

Myla Smith: I'm the first to pursue music professionally. My younger brother is very musical as well. We grew up singing and writing songs together. Who are your influences and what do you like about them? My favorite songwriters are the ones that bridge different genres. In high school & college, Sheryl Crow and Ryan Adams were big influences for me. They both walked that line between rock and folk and pop so well. Now that I'm an artist myself, I admire other artists that have a strong sense of their own voice, but don't let genre dictate their creative choices. I'm so impressed with Butterfly Boucher's self-titled album that she released this summer. It's a pop-rock record, but the songs take unexpected turns that keep you interested, without sounding clunky or forced.

I see that you are on a dual path, CPA and Singer/Songwriter. What are the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining a dual path versus doing music full-time and how do you make it all work?

Financially, its honestly very difficult to pursue music full time. The reality is that the percentage of musical artists who make a profit is very small, so most of us have to have another source of cash flow. I'm so grateful to have an educational background that gives me stables employment opportunities. It's made it financially possible to pursue my art to the degree that I do. That being said, music and accounting are polar opposites, so sometimes it's hard to switch gears. You can't really function in both worlds at the same time! Right now, I'm a financial consultant, so I set my own hours. It's basically the perfect situation for me.

Your music sounds so polished, how do you get that radio ready sound? Good old fashioned time and effort! :)

I take my art very seriously and spend a lot of time making the finished product something I can be proud of. It's risky to make music, because once it's out there, it's out there forever, you can't take it back! :) So I spend a lot of time thinking about my product, and polishing it, and tweaking it before I hand it over to the Internet. Once it's out there, I let it go. Briefly, describe your musical journey, how did you get to where you are now? I got my first recording gig when I was just a kid, overdubbing vocals for the PBS TV show "Barney & Friends". I learned to play guitar in high school, and that's when I started writing my own stuff. It took me a long time to work up the nerve to actually record my own songs, but once I did, I couldn't stop! I released my first record of original material after college, then released Amid the Flood in 2009, a record of re-imagined hymns I made with her brother Luke. That year was a big one for me in my musical story arc, because that's when I started dating the man that it now my husband, Richard Thomas, who's proven to be the biggest catalyst in the advancement of my career. Before Richard, I’d always kind of felt like, 'I’m a solo act, I’ve got to figure everything out myself.' But with him, I felt like I had a partner in it. He wanted to help and he had ideas and dreams for me. When you find someone who dreams for you, it inspired me to want to do more, to have a thoughtful vision for my music. I released my second solo album, double EP White/Gold, on our wedding day in 2010, as a tribute to Richard. Every year that passes, I feel more confident in who I am as an artist and as a writer. I love dreaming of what I'll do next :)

What is your measure of success? (Define what "making it in the music industry" means to you)

I don't have any notions of being Carrie Underwood. I'm actually really happy with the artistic control that being an independent musician gives me. "Making it" for me would be growing my fan base to the point where my art supports itself.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

A couple more albums under my belt, touring regularly, and really happy :) I also have plans to start a songwriting camp for young girls. One of my passions is to encourage girls to express themselves creatively and constructively, and I think songwriting is a powerful tool to help them do that. What advice would you give to other indie musicians? 1) Find an advocate who will encourage you and won't let you be anything less than your best. This does not have to be a fellow writer, just someone whose musical opinion you respect and trust. When you drift off into your "dramatic cloud" (all we artists do!) and feel like giving up, they can esteem you and bring you back to reality. 2) Don't engage in competition. Many young musicians (and unfortunately older ones too) spend a lot of fruitless time and energy "jockeying for position". This is a trap! You are not competing with anyone but yourself. Try to be the best writer than YOU can be and strive to continually improve. Let the last thing you wrote be your measuring stick, not the resumes of other writers or performers. Comparison is truly the the thief of joy. You will be SO much happier and more fulfilled in your art if you refuse to compete. I am still preaching this one to myself!

Any new projects you'd like to promote?

My new EP "Drugs" is out October 16 on iTunes and Amazon. You can pre-order it through my online store at www.mylasmith.bandcamp.com

How can we find out more about you?

www.mylasmith.com