Faith Richards’ hybrid dark-indie yet soulful sound cuts through today’s radio noise and takes the listener on a transparent journey of self-discovery. Faith’s music has received recognition from several Netflix movies, USA Network’s Temptation Island, the K-Pop girl group Twice, Vogue Germany and others. She tells us about her song, “Shower Me.”
You are known as one of the best emerging artists today. Tell us about your music.
Awww thank you! Gathering my thoughts and feelings while writing music comes 100 times more naturally than speaking them. Making music is second nature to me. I don’t think before I write or sing, so it’s the only time I truly have no filter. The honesty behind my lyrics and in my voice is what helps my fans connect. And I love my fans so so so much – I want to be as transparent and open as possible in my music for them. I know without a doubt that I have something special in my sound, and I am keeping my trust in my Divine timing. I take my listeners on a journey of loss, heartbreak, mental health battles, self-discovery, and love… All in a relatable yet refreshing way. It is normal to feel misunderstood or overlooked sometimes, so I just hope my music can be the breath of fresh air that helps people realize that they are not alone, and they will get through this. I just try to do everything from the heart, and out of love. I think that’s what will take me far.
Your music has been described as soulful. Who have been your influences?
There is so much feeling in soul music! It’ll always be one of my favorite genres, along with R&B and Neo-Soul. I grew up listening to a lot of Aretha Franklin, Amy Winehouse, Sam Cooke, Beyonce, Frank Sinatra, Leona Lewis, Christiana Aguilera, Jhene Aiko… the list goes on and on. My mom also loved hip-hop artists like Dr. Dre and Eminem. Since moving to LA, I’ve fallen in love with so many classic and emerging artists such as Snoh Allegra, Daniel Caesar, H.E.R., Sade, Erykah Badu, Sabrina Claudio, Alina Baraz, and Cleo Sol. I’m constantly inspired by any song or artist that just makes me feel something real.
Share your upbringing and how it impacted your songwriting.
I grew up never feeling settled. We moved so often. Every two years or so we’d pack everything up and move to a new house or apartment in a new city or state or country. Either because of men, or because of financial issues. My dad left when I was little. We visited him yearly until I turned 10, and now we don’t speak. I think a lot of my growing pain stems from experiencing heartbreak at such a young age. I definitely think his leaving, mixed with seeing my mom’s consistent lack of luck in love, plays a part in a lot of my heightened emotions and the personal struggles I bring into relationships with men. However, the more I love and accept myself, the less my past creates issues for me. I’ve accepted that it’ll be a constant healing journey, not a finish line. I feel things very strongly, and I’m proud to be a sensitive person – it might make the lows lower, but it makes the highs even higher. And that’s a fair trade-off to me. My mom did remarry a couple of times, but for the most part we were raised in a single-parent household. I have 5 siblings on my mom’s side – the oldest being 27 and the youngest 14. I’m the middle child. My struggles with trust, often seeking validation from men, and loss-of-self is evident in my music, and is likely rooted in childhood experiences. But I’ve also developed qualities like loving and caring deeply, trusting my gut, and standing strong in what I feel is right, which also plays a part in my songwriting, and a lot of that comes from the strong woman who raised me. A little pain mixed with love makes the best music, in my opinion.
Tell us about your single, “Shower Me.”
Shower me explores my heartbreak, loss of self, the search for identity (often in the wrong places), self-discovery, connecting with Mother Nature, inner growth, manifesting, and ultimately realizing everything I need is within. I finally became aware of this habit I’ve always had of putting a bandage over every loss and heartbreak instead of healing from within. I’d always seek healing, validation, and acceptance through men. And one day I had a wakeup call…. “I am sun. I am rain. I am light. All I need is inside.” Shower me is a love song to myself… an acceptance of every stage and every feeling, every high and every low. I’m so proud of it.
What was your process of writing this song?
I started writing Shower Me as a poem on a plane in January of this year. It was very freeform, almost like a train of thought. When we started creating a guide track in one of my sessions, this poem came to my memory. My friend Aaron Kellim started off by playing some soulful keys while Jay Denton created a guide drum track. The lyrics came very easily and everything we created that day was freely flowing to us. It felt natural, safe, honest and collaborative. We then got my friend Jesse Farmer to track live drums and brought Jean-Paul Barjon in to track his cello magic. Adding live instruments to my songs is a must. It brings the whole thing alive and makes it feel tangible. We spent a few sessions tracking the lead and harmony vocals too. This was the longest and most back-and-forth process of making a song of mine. Shower Me is by far my favorite song that I’ve ever written and I’m so grateful to my friends for helping me bring this vision to life in the studio. I’m also so grateful for Chessi Phillips, Nick Park and Daniel Ramirez for helping me put the meaning behind this song into a visual. The music video feels so authentic to me. I can see my growth as an artist and as a human.
Your fan base is global. Why do people love your music?
It still blows my mind that people all around the world of different ages are singing along to MY songs. That is such a gift. It feels surreal every time someone tags me in a cover song or dance video. I think people connect to my music because they can relate, and oftentimes we don’t even know what we’re feeling or how to handle our emotions, until we hear it from another person’s perspective. I want my music to make people feel – whether that be accepted, happy, sad, heartbroken, in love, etc… Just feeling anything makes you feel alive. And feeling your genuine emotions leads to acceptance which leads to healing. And I think my music encourages healing, and people need that.
Do you have a favorite song?
I don’t have a single favorite song, but the 3 songs I’ve had on repeat lately are No Ordinary Love by Sade, Appletree by Erykah Badu, and Cycle by Sabrina Claudio. Girl power!!!
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on my debut album, I’ll Bloom When I’m Ready. It’ll most likely be released in January. I’m releasing monthly singles from the album until then along with music videos. I’ve spent these last few years trying to figure out who I am at my core… Who I am without men, without stability, without recognition. I’ve been learning to accept my emotions instead of judging them, deepen my love and understanding towards people, and I’ve been connecting with my Higher Self and speaking to my Inner Child more frequently. This album explores my past of heartbreak, loss of self which then led to self-discovery, confusion and acceptance. I can’t wait to share it with the world. I hope to keep expanding my team, and eventually have my own personal PR and booking agent. It’d be a dream to be booking festival slots and opening for artists like The Weeknd, Billie Eilish, and Jhene Aiko in these next few years. I’m staying focused and hopeful and trusting completely that it’ll all fall in place at the right time with the right people.
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Tiktok: @imfaithrichards
Website: https://www.faithrichards.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZhUKXT6w2vXL8VMAWcrMwg