An Interview With North Caroline-Based Singer-Songwriter REBEKAH TODD!

Photo Credit- Jesse Gagne

On February 17th, the singer-songwriter Rebekah Todd will be releasing her sophomore full-length album “Crooked Lines.”

The debut track of the collection is “Hustle.” It’s a brilliant blend of pop and funk, fans have been anxious to hear more from this powerhouse vocalist. Todd pulls inspiration from a wide range of musical genres, citing passionate singer/songwriters like Lauryn Hill and Susan Tedeschi as her inspiration and shaping the music she writes and performs today.

This past year, Rebekah put her entrepreneurial spirit to work and and took the initiative to help fund her second full-length album. For a Kickstarter campaign, Todd crafted 30 original fine art paintings for the campaign and with the help of 450 fans, the campaign was completed with over $32K raised to fund her sophomore album, Crooked Lines. The album features 10 soulful tracks which was produced by Dick Hodgin and Chad Lister (Osceola Productions), recorded and mixed by Dick Hodgin, and mastered by Brent Lambert (Kitchen Mastering).

Learn more about Rebekah Todd in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! Now that 2016 is over, what are some words you would use to describe the year? What have been some of the highlights for you? What are you most excited about for 2017? Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions?

2016 was all about finding my inner fire. It was about knowing my worth as both a performer and a businesswoman and demanding respect in both worlds. The highlights were countless. A successful $32k Kickstarter, a completed album, winning “On The Rise” at FloydFest and so much more. My goals in 2017 is to take more time to experiment with my playing a writing and continue to grow as a musician. I’ve been playing around with electric and am excited to see what kind of edge it may add to my sound.

Growing up, did you always want to be a musician? Can you recall some of your first musical memories? How do you think you’ve been influenced by your father who is also a musician?

I did always want to be a musician. From a young age, it was the only thing that interested me. Ironically, I flunked out of music school here in NC because I was never taught to read music. It’s all good though. My father influenced every part of me as a musician. My foundation is comprised of all the classics of the 60s and 70s.

Next month, you will release your sophomore album, “Crooked Lines.” Can you talk about putting this collection together? How long did it take? Where did the inspiration for these songs come from?

I began writing for Crooked Lines in early 2015. As the band came together, we began performing the songs live for about a year and in May of 2016, we went into the studio first for Demo’s and eventually we made our way to Osceola for pre-production and the actual recording of the album. These songs came from all over the place. Literally, many of them were written on the road and some were even written on the spot during an on-stage performance. Rotten Man was written while I drove to Shakori Hills Music Festival. I just picked up my phone and recorded the hook as I drove into the gates of the festival and showed it to my band during sound check!

Can you talk about the work that went into funding “Crooked Lines”? Have you always been interested in painting? What kinds of things did you paint? Were you surprised at all by the reception of them?

Funding Crooked Lines was a huge undertaking. I worked day and night to get the word out there and remind friends, family and local businesses that I needed their support in any way that they were willing to give it to me. In the end, my NC community came through and I am forever grateful to them! Painting and Fine Art is what I studied in school (after I flunked out of music school). I graduated with a BFA from ECU here in NC. Painting is my second favorite form of expression and it’s really nice to lose myself in my painting studio every once in a while. Most of my paintings where very textured abstracts made with acrylic and mixed media.

How do you think you’ve grown as a musician since your debut album was released? What do you think has changed about the kind of music that you create?

I have grown so much! It’s been three years since the release of my first full length and I could fill books upon books with the traveling stories I’ve acquired. I’ve met so many people and gathered so many stories. I’ve written so many songs, gotten my heart broken and filled over and over and traveled the world. Somewhere in the midst of all of that, I found a way to connect with my audience in a way that is very raw and uninhibited. This is what has truly made the biggest change. I stopped giving a shit about being perfect and started really feeling on stage. That’s the only real way to share your music.

Who are some of your favorite artists and what bands continue to inspire you and your music? Who would you all still love to work with in the future?

I am obsessed with Hiatus Kaiyote. While they are miles ahead of the type of music I currently play, I am so inspired by their creativity on all levels. In contrast, I will always be a huge fan of Neil Young and Jack White. Would love to work with either/both of them.

What do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people continue to take away from your songs?

I just want to inspire people to hope and mostly, I want to inspire people to feel and to not be afraid to feel these human emotions that we all have. It’s easy in today’s society, with all of our gadgets and TV/computer screens, to forget how to be human. It’s a beautiful thing and if I have to pour myself out on stage to remind others that they are also human, that’s exactly what I’ll do.

When you aren’t performing, working in the studio, what do you like to do for fun? How do you unwind from it all?

Painting is a big one for me. It’s very therapeutic. I live in Wilmington, NC, a coastal town nestled right in-between the Cape Fear River and the Atlantic Ocean. I love going down for a glass of wine on the water with friends. You can’t go wrong. I just have to make sure that I wear a lot of sunscreen.

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers regarding yourself or your music?

Pre-order the album now on Itunes and/or get it when it comes out 2/17/17!