The American songstress isn’t afraid to be herself
It’s always impressive to see an artist who isn’t afraid to show themselves in a vulnerable light. In an industry filled with musicians that pretend to be untouchable and artists who desire to protect their image by playing it safe, Ramsey crushes the competition with both her honesty and brave unique style.
How would you describe your music to someone who hasn’t heard it before?
‘I usually tell people that it’s trip-hop, or ambient pop, or underground experimental ambient trip-hop/pop. I could go on, but it seems that the blogs I’ve been written about in have a hard time “genre-fying” my music as well, so…’
Can you talk us through your songwriting process?
‘I usually start with the beat, then once I have a good base for the verse and hook I will start writing lyrics and just kind of go from there. Each song tends to have a different process, really. I’ve been making music for eight months, so I’m still learning and experimenting a lot. Sometimes I will have lyrics already written and make the beat around them, or sometimes it’s the opposite and I will have already finished the beat and then just write the lyrics to fit. I usually use past experiences of mine and people I have known as inspiration for my writing.’
How are you finding navigating the waters of social media?
‘I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I like some better than others. Obviously, SoundCloud is my BFF right now as it is my main outlet for releasing music and growing my fan base. Instagram and Twitter can suck it. However, I’ve been lucky to come across some awesome fans who have actually become my friends through those two. I also have a lot of help from my manager, Derek. Without his help, I would probably have two followers on SoundCloud and one on Instagram. Social media is not my strong point.’
Do you have any advice for any musicians looking to create music as uniquely individual as yours?
‘I just have fun with the shit and hope it sounds good in the end, but as far as advice for other artists and all that good stuff; I guess the number one thing I tell myself as an artist is to only make music that is true to myself – as cliched as that sounds, it is so true. I used to hold so much back (lyrically and in my production) because I was afraid it wasn’t “appropriate“, but the music never felt real. Also, don’t ever censor your lyrics. Ever. Fuck that.‘
The photography on your artwork is dark and beautiful. Can you talk us through your choice of photos?
‘I just tend to like the photos of me that are darker I guess. It also helps when you have a photographer whose style is also pretty dark. I choose the photos that I feel most go with my music, or sometimes they might not go at all and I just use the photo because I like it.’
We are currently in a time of great female voices. Is there anyone you see as an inspiration currently? Someone you would like to potentially collaborate with if given the chance?
‘I’ve always been a huge fan of Feist and Little Dragon. I would collaborate with them in a heartbeat.’
What have been the highlights of your career so far?
‘I expect I will have 1 million plays overall in just 10 weeks by the time this goes up; that’s a pretty big milestone! Also, my first live show is April 4th, so that will be a major highlight. I’ve also been approached by a couple different labels but for right now I’m weighing my options.
https://soundcloud.com/ramseysound/slave
Many artists focus on the music alone and get lazy when it comes to the visual side of it. How important do you feel it is to work on having your own unique image?
‘Um… I mean the music is the number one most important thing always. The image can go fuck itself, but since you apparently “have to do it” I would say it’s unfortunately like 60%- 70% of the whole thing. Especially when it comes to building a fan base as a new artist. It sucks, and I hope that one day the world will reach a place where they can just appreciate the goddamn music and not have to put a pretty face to something that is already so beautiful in itself.’
Your music’s on SoundCloud, but we haven’t had an album from you yet. Any idea when we can expect a full album release?
That’s a great question. I don’t really know the answer; hopefully sometime this summer.
