F*Yeah, Rachael Yamagata

"Rainy Monday. Life is short, precious and all of it… Sending kisses to everyone just cuz…"

"I was in a very different place, musically and lyrically, for ‘Elephants…’ I had gone through three years of touring and press, and during that time, my relationships suffered, and ‘Elephants…’ was a reflection on that. There’s definitely a sadness to it that had to do with my trying to stay afloat in that world and keep my own optimism and energy up. With this new record, my perspective is, ‘There’s nothing left to lose.’ I’ve experienced super-great highs of early success and then the bewilderment of wondering why [the second] record didn’t cross the borders the way the first one did."

"I think it’s harder to try and make up a storyline. But when you’re banking on your own experience, your own interpretation of something, the material is right there. It’s nonfiction versus fiction."

"[Crowd-funding] definitely empowers the artists. I think labels can serve some artists really well, and if it’s a massive machine that you need in place, the right group at a label can provide that for somebody. I think if somebody like me, who is probably more left of center and less so-called mainstream, it can potentially do the opposite. For me it feels so good to work more on instinct and really plug in to what I think my fan base is looking for from me."

"The center of my soul is [no longer] a longing of heartache — of, ‘Why did this happen to me?’” she says. “On ‘Elephants,’ I was saying it with tears. There’s a feeling of…experience in this record. Now I’m saying it with a wink and a smile."

"The ballads will always be like my blood. Those come so naturally. ‘The Way it Seems to Go’ I almost kept off the record several times. I wrote it almost as a writing exercise for myself, to see if I could write something with a lighter feel. Maybe this is a part of me that’s important to show that’s relevant musically, so that’s new territory for me. It makes sense; it’s time. My shows aren’t sad experiences, it’s just some of the music is a little wrenching."

"I hit rock bottom. Part of ‘Elephants’ for me was a big purging of sorrow and loneliness. My emotional state got completely stretched as far as it could go in the land of sorrow, and it started swinging back the other way. Certainly the freshness of being independent now, making this record the way we did and as quickly as we did helps. The only way to go is up, so we might as well have a blast doing it. It became all about the music again."

"loving me some fall morning.. thank you for all the sweetness regarding release! labor = many moons/ knowing you’re listening = priceless."

"Love me pledge music!! They’re saying sweet things bout us gals… Check it here: http://bit.ly/pBgNyq"

Rachael Yamagata

Kinda OT, but I didn’t know Meiko was doing PM or working on new material. I love her! And how awesome of PM to highlight these women artists. So proud of all these talented ladies, doing their own thing their own way and refusing to allow the music industry to dictate to them whether or not they can make music. This is not an easy route they’re taking and I really appreciate their passion and perseverance. Now, if we could just get Fiona on board…

"6am and i’ve been up for 2 hours. why brain? why can’t you shut off and get sleepy? you already passed high school when you HAD to get up so early…"