Rachael Yamagata, Singer/ Songwriter Heavyweight
Singer and songwriter Rachael Yamagata's raw vocals have been seducing music lovers for nearly a decade. Now, she's continuing her love affair with thousands amidst a new release.
"So, Heavyweight EP is a short EP. It's 6 songs. It's got strings and cinematic ideas, you know, as the song journeys along...making it start in one place and really crescendo to a new place. So, I play around with string arrangements and different instruments and just try to follow the story line. There's a lot of darker ballads. It's a nice little release before the next album," says Yamagata.
Heavyweight's haunting lyrics are sweeping radio stations. The record follows last year's darling of the music critic scene, Chesapeake. Both came out on her own record label Frankenfish, formed in 2011.
"I got into music in a really roundabout way .. seeing this band in Chicago .. a band called Bumpus. They were just amazing live. And I trailed them for quite a few months, brought them donuts and coffee in the middle of the night. Finally I was just around so much and they needed another voice and joined the band. And that was it. I was hooked writing songs," she says.
Getting hooked paid off ... Rachael's tunes have been part of hit shows like Grey's Anatomy, How I Met Your Mother and Pretty Little Liars, among others.
Even if I Don't, one of her new singles, seems destined for the same fame.
"I was trying to think...what would a good video be that would showcase a relationship that's toxic for you, and examine that addiction that you have to that dynamic. Two animals that obviously could never be together? And that's a tiger and a bunny. That's just asking for it."
She's collaborated with Jason Mraz, Rhett Miller, Bright Eyes, Ryan Adams, Toots & the Maytals & Ray LaMontagne to name a few. But with all the success she's earned, she keeps her feet on the ground and her hand on a pen.
"To give advice .. I can't imagine doing anything else. The return has to be writing a great song, or knowing that you changed somebody's life. Write. Work. Play. Be Yourself. Be Authentic. Do it.," says Yamagata.