Sellouts, wannabes, stylists without substance and giggly, wiggly little wind-up toys. The music scene keeps popping 'em out, but Rachel Farris is not among them. She tells you so in no uncertain terms with her defiant first single "I'm Not the Girl," her strong, clear soprano pealing over gutsy guitars to emphasize exactly she's not. Which of course begs the question: Who is Rachel Farris?
"I'm the girl who wants to know the truth," the 26-year-old singer-songwriter says succinctly. And "Soak," Rachel's debut CD, represents her search for what is real, via a collection of instant pop-rock classics. "The album is like a scrapbook of my life so far," Rachel says. "Each piece comes from either an extreme high or my being naked on the floor, bawling my eyes out. I understand what a young girl growing up in this world goes through-that's why I want to share."
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Rachel does more than share -- she empowers, in rockers like "You Think," a declaration of independence to a duplicitous dude, the pure, ebullient "Wild," and the life-affirming title track. And she inspires in such heartfelt ballads as the day-dreamy, delicate "In a Field" and the introspective "Beautiful." Whether offering emotional reflections on romance or decrying the manipulative lies she's faced in her struggle to make her music, her way, Rachel Farris is a lovely new voice and a fearless new force.
A native of Orlando, Florida, Rachel distinguished herself from her five siblings, not only by her talent for singing and playing piano but by writing her own music before reaching her teens. "I did it out of desire -- it just seemed a part of me," Rachel explains. "Any aspect of life I experienced, a tune would just come into my head, and if anyone said something to me that I didn't want to respond to, I'd just write a song about it and sing it to myself."
Growing up, Rachel first soaked up her parents' passion for music. "My father played guitar for fun, and my mom would talk to me about the meaning of songs," she says. "They listened to the BeeGees, Simon and Garfunkel, a lot of country." Bit by the rock bug, she was soon cranking the Cranberries, Lisa Loeb and Alanis Morrisette. "But no matter how much I liked someone, there was never one artist that I felt really said it for me," Rachel explains. "I always had to make my own music."
For Rachel -- a star of school plays and the church choir, where she "grabbed every solo I could get my hands on," and a music major in college -- it was a fait accompli that the stage and the studio would be her life. "There was no other choice, no other option -- I didn't even think about it," she says. Yet despite being born and bred in the hit-making hotbed of Orlando, rock-minded Rachel was a fish out of water. "So many people were investing all this time and money in yet another pop-R&B group," she says incredulously. "I met all these producers who'd say, 'Oh you're great, you're gonna be a star,' and I'd show up all excited and they would try to change things."
Rachel's need to make music was so intense, she opted to pursue what she hoped would be a satisfying pop compromise, forming a girl group as a vehicle for her original material. Prominent producers got involved and major labels came calling -- yet when it came down to inking a deal, Rachel stopped short. "I had this huge revelation that I couldn't go on with it -- my songs sounding so bubble gum and fake, I couldn't bear it," she recalls. "Everybody thought I was nuts, and the attorneys were furious, telling me this was a once in a lifetime thing and I'd never be offered anything again."
Determined to prove them wrong, Rachel started pounding the pavement, managing herself, and leaving no opportunity untried. She landed full-time work acting at Universal Studios so she could afford to follow her muse and eventually put together the 10-song demo that led to her contract with Big 3 Records. Distributed by Warner Entertainment's wholly owned ADA, Big 3 has an impressive team of experienced and hands-on industry pros, headed by Chairman Bill Edwards and CEO Qadree El-Amin (Janet Jackson, Boyz to Men, Vanessa Williams) who know what talent is when they see it. They gave Rachel creative reign.
She elected to make "Soak" in the creatively fertile environment of Nashville, and she convinced her new label to let her co-produce her debut with John and Dino Elefante. "When I write music I hear it all in my head-the drums, guitars, keyboard parts and synth sounds, the whole flow of the song," explains Rachel, who thrived on both sides of the recording booth. "I finally had the freedom and the control, and John and Dino added great ideas that I hadn't thought of. It was great."
Rachel claims she couldn't be happier with "Soak." The album is sequenced to form a thematic arc that coincides with her experiences. It kicks off with plucky anthems that feed off the energy of frustration, segues into thoughtful, quiet self-discovery songs and winds up bursting with promise. Rachel explains that "I'm Not the Girl" is "a final expression of 'NO!' like, 'Screw you-all of you!," adding that for "Soak," she created "something you can jump around to in a positive way-a really rockin' encouraging song." As to the cinematic "So Good," which perfectly captures a post-breakup moment, Rachel reveals: "It's one of those conversations with a love that went wrong, when you say 'hello' and 'I'm better' but still feel destroyed inside." And while most of Rachel's lyrics are straightforward and relatable, she bravely charts more poetic terrain on "Paint the Truth." "I generally keep the more abstract songs for myself, but I wanted this one on the album to show that side of me," she says of the song that contemplates an artist's responsibility to honesty.
Now that the album is finished, Rachel is thrilled, fulfilled, and a tiny bit terrified. "It's finally come to the point where people will hear it, and that's so exciting," she says. "But it's also scary because this album, these songs… this is my heart I'm laying out, and it could be trampled on. But this is what I'm supposed to do, so whatever happens next, I accept it, I'm prepared for it, I want it!" If that sounds spunky, and spirited, yet also absolutely serious, well, that's just the kind of girl Rachel Farris is.
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