Rachel FarrisPromote Your Page Too
Q & A with Rachel:
Describe for me your drive and determination.
I feel very strongly that I’m doing what I am supposed to be doing with my life, and I love to work hard at it. There is no obstacle more powerful than my will to keep moving forward, whether it’s fighting to remain true to my values and goals or just staying strong through those obstacles.
There seems to be new depth and insight in your latest works. Where does it come from?
I went into college seeking more answers, and trying to understand, grow and see what I would become after college. And the reality is that I really came out of it with many more questions than I did answers! And this really helped me…I have a lot in common with a lot of people, and more so than I even thought possible. We all have questions, and there isn’t anyone that has all the answers, and that’s okay.
Tell me then, what kind of girl are you, and why do you think you fit in here in Nashville?
Well, I fit in here I think because I’m pop rock, but yet I’m also a southern girl at heart. I don’t have to be a country artist to be a Nashville girl.
Describe where your song ideas come from.
This is what I do … I constantly see things and analyze them, and sometimes I feel like I’m on the outside looking in. For example, I’m not a big club goer, but I do go sometimes with my friends, and basically I go to observe. That’s actually how I wrote my song “Stick Your Tongue in My Mouth.” (Laughs) And I know how the title sounds … I don’t even like to say it … but it’s sarcastic. The song is about that situation. I sat back after that club experience and I pictured myself talking to a guy at the club and just going “Hey, I don’t even know you, or anything about you, and you’re probably not going to call me tomorrow, but go ahead and stick your tongue in my mouth!” (Laughs) It doesn’t really make sense when you say it like that, and that’s what I like.
What makes you look at the world like this?
I feel like I was born this way. I feel like God created me this way, because I’ve always been like this and I can’t do anything about it. I feel so responsible, and I need to be so cautious about what I say and what message I send because I am just a conduit. It’s flowing through me and I need to just listen and really be responsible in my artistry.
Take me through your creative process.
When the wind of creativity is hitting me and passing through, nothing else matters at that moment. It’s a very amazing place … everything disappears and the only thing that matters at that moment is writing it down and recording it before it passes away. Because just like a wind does, it passes through … you have to be willing and ready when it comes.
What is the inspiration behind your radio show?
With Girl Talk I’ve realized that we all have so many different beliefs and opinions as human beings, and my goal with the show is to get people talking and listening to each other without arguing and without telling other people how to think. I want to pull things out of guests by questioning them and by listening to what they have to say. And it’s not an advice show or a counseling show … nothing like that. It’s just talking and listening. While earning my degree at Belmont University I have learned just how little we all truly know. So why is it that we can all walk around thinking we know so much, and argue over what we know, when we really don’t know very much at all?
Why do you feel you need a change?
My song “Need a Change” is about wanting to be protected and wanting to be cared for, and it just so happens that I’ve finally found that with my new management. It’s something that I’ve never had. I need to be where I know I’m being taken care of … where I feel safe.
You mentioned making a difference in people’s lives … how do you intend to fulfill that?
Making a difference in people’s lives is my purpose. It’s the best part of writing songs and everything that I do. For example, when we finish taping a Girl Talk session, the girls are always saying, “Thank you so much for doing this … this has been great for me.” That’s what it’s all about … it’s about other people.
As an artist how do you find balance in your life?
That’s a good question, because for a long time I didn’t understand how to take care of my artist self until I read a book called The Artist’s Way. It was so inspiring in that creative people need to take themselves out on dates, so to speak, where we nurture that creative side … whether it’s going to see a musical, or a movie, or maybe going to see artwork … anything creative … it touches a side of us that needs to be touched, and so many of us neglect that side because we need to make more money to pay all the bills, or we need to clean the house. And this book reminded me that I do need to nurture the artist in me.
In your song “IMA Lady” what’s the greater message?
I think I speak for a lot of women that have had to settle for these guys and the way they treat them. And it’s not always that they’re bad guys, it’s just that they don’t know any better, and they’re not going to know unless we tell them! I’m a lady!
How has all your experience prepared you for today?
I seem to always be in work mode and I just keep going. And recently looking back it was fun to see where I’ve been … and I saw myself as a little girl who started out performing in plays and musicals, and I saw how it just lit up my face. I also performed for youth camps and my high school ensemble. I have a studio in my house where I record my own demos, and I never understood or looked back enough times to realize that it all started in that ensemble when I was setting up and tearing down all that equipment every day.
I pull something from every single thing I’ve done in my life, and it’s funny because it all adds up and it makes you who you are today. Some very wise people once said that when opportunity meets preparation, that’s when the light bulb goes off and everything really comes together. So all I’ve been doing is preparing and working hard my whole life and I will continue to do this. This is success to me.
