Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Lipsky.
Hi Rachel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I have always known, since I was a little girl, that I wanted to be a singer. I would excuse myself from the dinner table, go lock myself in the bathroom and sing in the mirror with my hairbrush in hand. My parents would always be knocking frantically at the door for me to unlock it and come back to eat my dinner. They have been incredibly supportive, not really knowing how to get me into the music business, but always going above and beyond to get me out there – networking, involving me in church and school choirs, karaoke contests, open mics – you name it, they were pushing me to pursue my dreams (I do know how lucky I am, because not every parent is supportive of their child’s dreams – especially in the music business).
I was born and grew up part of my life in Colorado, then my Dad’s job transferred the family to California. I got my first major opportunity in high school when I was 16, opening up for Toto, then the next year I opened for Chely Wright. I spent the next few years cutting my teeth in local dive bars and honky tonks. An amazing mentor of mine, the late Marty Martin, persuaded me to move to Nashville and I finally made the move in April of 2010 – I arrived a few days before the major flood. Out of that horrific situation, I saw a community pull together faster than I had ever seen and I knew I was in the right place. Nashville has a mentorship mentality, a lot of people are always open and willing to help point you in the right direction. There is so much to learn and understand about the music industry and more than ever, it is changing all the time – especially with social media, algorithms and now A.I. You need a community to help each other navigate and try to keep your finger on the pulse.
One of my biggest dreams in the world was to go overseas and entertain our Military. I tried SO hard to figure out how to make that dream a reality. The only organization I knew at the time that brought entertainers overseas was the USO. So I reached out to as many USO employees as I could and they kept telling me I would never be taken overseas because I was not on the Billboard charts and I was not a celebrity. So I kept being politely persistent. Finally, one of them emailed me back and said I should try to reach out to Armed Forces Entertainment. Around 2011/2012 AFE had a “Tour With Us” tab where you could fill out an extensive application and try to get a tour with them. I filled out that application as much as possible – once you filled out the application, if you were denied, you had to wait 90 days to reapply. I would get denied at first but I would put the 91st day on the calendar to reapply again. I received my first Armed Forces Entertainment tour in May 2013. Since then, I have been on nine tours going to nineteen countries, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE (Abu Dhabi & Dubai), Jordan, Djibouti, Africa, Spain, Portugal, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Kosovo, Germany and Hungary – I have been to some of these countries many times. I cannot believe I have been able to fulfill my biggest dream and keep going back to this day – I was all over Europe this past Christmas and New Year’s and then in the Middle East and Africa this past May.
I have been able to open the main stage on many of the biggest festivals across the U.S. including Country Jam Colorado, Headwaters Country Jam, Taste of Country, Pepsi Gulf Coast Jam, Country USA and Rockin’ Country. One of the hardest songs I sing is our Star Spangled Banner but I am always honored to sing our National Anthem and do so as much as I can. I have sung the Anthem for the Professional Bull Rider’s Association at Bridgestone Arena, Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Nashville Sounds, Vanderbilt, Lipscomb and MTSU Universities.
I also work with the incredible Lieutenant General Keith Huber (Retired) and Dr. Hillary Miller at the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Family Center at MTSU in Murfreesboro. This center helps Active Duty, Veterans and their Families navigate many obstacles and help get them what they need, transition into civilian life and many other challenges they may face – without having to attend the University.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I have run into many people that like to create roadblocks for others, one instance in particular, I was at a showcase event and met a gentleman that asked me if I was a singer in town, then asked me how old I was and after I told him he stated that I had “about 8 good years left and then I would be done.” I have never believed in being a person to put an expiration date on anyone, but I learned early that 98% of people often self reflect their own insecurities. I know for a fact that I decide when I am done, no one else can put that on anyone. Women are often put in a different category than men, but times have changed and we no longer have to let the industry decide when we are “done.”
The music business is not a smooth road – moving here with everything you own and not hardly knowing anyone was a big challenge. There is also no clear path for artists, everyone has their own path they have to walk and you never know what door will open first or when. The one clear focus is to always put in the work – whether you’re winning or losing, keep working. Hard work will beat out everything else – every time.
When you first move to a music city and start putting yourself out there, there are a TON of no’s. I have learned that ‘No’ in the music industry just means ‘not right now’ it does not mean no forever. You want so bad to feel like you are making progress and to prove that you are worthy of writing that next hit song and wanting others to believe in you too. It was a long journey to write the kind of songs I am writing today, with the people I am writing the songs with. I was signing up for every songwriting workshop I could get into, I have had to work full time jobs outside of music to be able to pay for recordings, workshops and touring.
As an independent artist you have to wear many hats, you have to do the admin work, be creative, be the editor and keeping up with social media is a full time job. I have learned that staying true to yourself is more important than ever, some industry people will want to change you, but know that the consumer is in charge now and the masses crave authenticity more than a fabricated cookie cutter artist. I also want to make it clear that you should listen to your mentors and get better where and when you can, but also know the difference between constructive criticism and bad/outdated advice. Ask as many questions as possible, listen with intent, fail fast and fail often. Failure is not opposite of success, it is part of success – embrace failure as a learning opportunity.
Also, with all these challenges being talked about, I am in a position where I own all of my own masters and have a huge say in what songs I cut, release dates, content ideas, etc. I have learned a lot and have a lot to keep learning but one day when I have my own team, I will understand and know how hard they have to work to put our art out in the world and I will appreciate their job.
Another challenge that all humans endure is we compare ourselves to other people – “I wish I could have what that person has, I want to do what that person is doing” – we put too much weight into what other people have and then we lose sight of our own journey. I believe it is great to be aware of what people are doing and celebrate their victories and truly be happy for other people because we want other people to be happy for us. Also, use other people’s accomplishments as possibilities for your journey – know that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to – always spin it into positive thoughts, because you will attract positive back.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am an edgy country artist and songwriter. I am unbelievably proud of everything I have been able to accomplish, especially being an independent artist. I do have more goals and milestones I want to hit and I will not be slowing down anytime soon. I truly believe having a great mental attitude is everything in life – no matter what business you are in. I know that in the music business, it is a marathon, not a sprint and you just have to keep working, keep digging, surround yourself with people who believe in you and want the best for you. I have sadly seen so many people give up out of nowhere and move away. It is the ones that stay and keep going that end up reaping the rewards of our dreams. Keeping true to yourself, thinking outside the box, listening to your gut and staying open to other ways of thinking, always learning and putting ideas into action is the best practice to set you apart from everyone else. I have been incredibly lucky to have Jeff Coplan, Denny Carr and Shane Barrett on my team. They have all been incredible mentors and have helped shape my sound since I have been in Nashville.
Jeff Coplan is my Producer and cowriter on many of my songs. Writing with Jeff is like being in a songwriting masterclass – he is incredible and now has over a billion streams to his name. Jeff cares deeply about putting in overtime on every project he works on, he does not phone it in just to check projects off a list. The time and sweat Jeff puts into the Masters ooze with give a damn. It is very rare to find people for your team that care just as much about your project as you do, that is a treasure to hold onto and invest in.
What makes you happy?
Happiness is being able to do what you love and be with the ones you love. Being able to travel, feeding my creative soul, helping others feel something and heal with music, helping each other escape the daily grind – even if it is for 2-3 hours, and connecting with people I never otherwise would have met if I had not pursued music. I am a workaholic and over the past few years I have started making more time to slow down and enjoy friends and family, travel to places I want to go and get lost in. When you travel for gigs you do not have time to explore and play tourist, so it is nice to find time to go and do those things. My husband and I also have a beautiful and vivacious 4 year old Golden Retriever named Aspen, she is such a joy and bundle of fun to have around. A balanced life is the key to happiness.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.RachelLipsky.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RachelLipsky
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RachelLipskyMusic
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/RachelLipsky
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/RachelLipsky
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/rachellipsky
