Faye Webster

Atlanta-based indie singer and songwriter Faye Webster began writing rustic, country-tinged songs at age 14, and after finding an unlikely entry point into the music industry as part of a rap collective, she’s forged ahead in similarity unpredictable fashion ever since. Her eponymous 2017 debut showcased her vulnerable, introspectiveindie folk narratives and playful character. Two more albums followed, 2019′s Atlanta Millionaires Club and 2021′s I Know I'm Funny haha. Both records showcased her ever-sharp indie pop, and the latter hit number ten on Billboard’s Folk Albums chart. She also reworked some of her songs with lush orchestral arrangements on her 2022 EP Car Therapy Sessions, a direction she continued to pursue on her 2024 album Underdressed at the Symphony. Webster was raised in Atlanta, Georgia, in a musical family; her grandfather was a bluegrass guitarist in Texas, her mother was a former guitarist and fiddle player, and her oldest brother played in a rock band in high school. Webster herself began writing songs and performing as a teenager. In high school, she was part of rap collective PSA, a group of friends who collaborated and served as mutual sources of encouragement. She self-released her first album, a rustic set of Americana called Run and Tell, in 2013 at the age of 16. Webster met rapper Ethereal during her senior year and was introduced to his label, Awful Records. Upon graduation, Webster enrolled at Belmont University in Nashville with the intention of studying either songwriting or graphic design. However, missing the particularly creative scene and diversity of Atlanta, she returned home before finishing her freshman year. While there, a photography class and the Christmas gift of a camera led to her photographing friends on weekend trips home, some of whom were embarking on music careers of their own. Inspired by the work of Brooklyn-based artist Kehinde Wiley, she incorporated background patterns into her portraits, and was soon in demand as a music photographer, shooting hip-hop artists including DRAM, Killer Mike, and former classmate Lil Yachty while still in her teens. Making an effort to prioritize her music, Webster signed with Awful Records, which released her second album in 2017. Titled Faye Webster, it introduced a more sophisticated, confessional indie folk. She followed up two years later with Atlanta Millionaires Club. Released on Secretly Canadian, the album bounded between modes of lush R&B and pedal steel-heavy indie folk. Webster’s profile continued to rise with appearances on Austin City Limits and at Bonnaroo. In 2021, she offered up her third LP, the sharp and confident I Know I'm Funny haha, hitting number ten on Billboard’s Folk Albums chart. An EP, Car Therapy Sessions, arrived in 2022 and found Webster adding orchestral arrangements to some of her best-known songs. A piano-inflected single, “But Not Kiss,” appeared in June 2023, heralding the appearance of Underdressed at the Symphony, an album released in March 2024. Once again working with co-producer Drew Vandenberg, Webster accentuated the soft, symphonic aspects of her work while also finding room to explore; she often relied on the Vocoder, an effect employed to great effect on “Lego Ring,” a collaboration with Lil Yachty. ~ Marcy Donelson