Felicia Farerre

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Felicia Farerre

Interview conducted on December 29, 2020

By Dan Locke

Felicia Farerre is an international recording artist whose career is far-reaching, and of unusual depth. You may have heard her haunting voice during a movie, movie trailer, listening to satellite radio, or streaming music on Pandora. Her signature vocal style commands attention and has been exploited by some of the most successful major brands in the world.

In addition to her work as a vocalist, Felicia is a writer and teacher. She wrote the lyrics and verse melodies for Star Sky in collaboration with Two Steps From Hell composer, Thomas Bergersen, the title track lyrics for Vanquish (composed by Nick Phoenix), and the lyrics for Wild Heart on the latest Two Steps From Hell album, Unleashed.

Your father had a Ph.D. in music education administration. What is your upbringing?

Yes. He did, and he was an incredible musician and singer. He could play any instrument and his voice was equally versatile. He was able to sing in any style, had an incredible range, and wonderful control of his vocal instrument in general. My upbringing was learning everything I could from my father who, I believe, saw himself in me. I had a natural vibrato. Never had to learn how to do that or be coached as to how to sing in tune. It came with me into this world. I began singing for my father’s choral classes when I was just 4 years old. I would illustrate what a natural vibrato sounded like and it of course gave me the experience of singing in front of people as well. My father’s journey with music very much included our entire family. Whatever opportunities came his way, we as a family participated in some fashion. My father and mother were both very important, supportive figures regarding not only my life but also my musical journey. My mother was an equally gifted musician but chose a different path and channel for her talents. My entire family is gifted musically, and a few of us, out of the 8 of us, have chosen music for our vocation.

How did you discover music?

I was immersed in music from the moment I hit the womb! My father and mother both sang and played the piano, and there was always music in our home. I remember listening to Eydie Gormé with my mother when I was 3 years old. I started singing along with Eydie, and my mom was quite excited by what she heard. She told my dad about my big voice and what she had heard me doing, singing along with Eydie Gormé. I will never forget the moment of my parents both discovering my voice as I too was discovering it. It all happened at once. In that moment, I was given permission to sing. For me, it was simple and still is after all these years. I just liked how it felt in my body, how it connected me to Greater energy and the joy that I felt in my heart. Everything else was and is superfluous.

How did you start to write music?

From the time I started singing, I was creating my own melodies. I remember this happening most often when I was out in nature, or on long road trips with my grandparents. Bless them. They were patient people. Lol. Being the middle child in a large family, with siblings who were writing music, I sort of felt that “spot” was taken and I found it challenging to share my music. I broke this pattern much later at the age of 26 when I was writing music in collaboration with very talented musicians for my first few solo albums. Looking back, I had the musical ability to have created the music for my albums by myself and written all the material on my own but I just didn’t have the confidence to do so.

Describe your music

Channeled. My conviction is that any genuine creativity is channeled and that music, dance, art, is a conduit to the divine. It puts us instantly in touch with our own stuff of stars, Greater, …our own divinity. As I scroll back through the pages of my musical journey, I see that everything I offered as a vocalist was channeled. This explains why prominent producers would hire me to sing on their projects. They would call it interpretation saying, “Felicia can interpret the feeling I want on any given song, in any genre.” I call that channeling. I didn’t see this during the days of doing so much work for so many people but I see it clearly now. I was and am able to channel the specific energy that a piece of music has been written with. To understand and feel what that energy (frequency and music) is wanting to convey. I am able to dial into and connect with the specific energy that is sitting in the music itself. My own music is channeled. My latest album is a specific channeling, attuned to the female Archangels to bring forward their specific energies but all of my music is channeled. This is perhaps why people comment that when they listen to my music, they feel love, they hear Greater energy, and they feel a sense of peace and calm. I think this feedback from listeners describes my music best.

What was your first performance at like?

I was 4 years old. Singing for my father’s choral classes. I felt at ease and at one with the music. I also sang at many church and community gatherings as a child and then toured with a university singing group that my father directed when I was 10. I was singing for very large audiences. One very memorable performance was at the Sacramento Convention Center. I didn’t think much about the audience at that time. Just remembering my words, choreography, and listening to the overall group was enough. I do remember what a lot of people there were.

What makes a good songwriter?

Regarding the lyrics: Vulnerability in sharing life experience. It also helps to have the technical part of language sorted so that you are free to channel messages. Regarding the music: The ability to deep listen, channel melodies, and receive direction for the overall creation of a piece. It is helpful to have a strong musical background and understanding. When the technical data is already understood, there are no barriers between what is coming through as channeled material and one’s ability to understand it, notate it, and create it.

Do you belong to any to songwriters’ organizations like the International singer-songwriter association?

BMI is my only affiliate regarding songwriting specifically.

What was the title of your first original song? Did you record it?

I think it was “A Sister’s Eulogy.” I wrote the lyrics, helped with the melodies, and composer, Sam Cardon wrote the music. I recorded it for my very first non-secular solo album, “Give Your Love Away.” My new album, “In the Company of Angels,” is truly my solo debut album, as I wrote all the material, and produced the music. My first genuinely solo album.

How did you end up in Nashville?

The short answer is that I had wanted to move to Nashville based on the connections I had developed with prominent musicians and producers there and the pull I felt in my heart to reside there. I first visited Nashville in 1992, during a time when my oldest brother was living there, and then took the leap of faith to move to Nashville when my younger sister was living there. The long answer is a book. Perhaps I will write it one day.

How was your first month there and how did you find your first gig?

My first gig happened in the first month that I was in Nashville. This speaks for itself. I had an instant connection with the place (Nashville), the people, and more specifically, the music community. The first thing I did after unpacking my suitcase, was to call one of the contacts I had made prior to my move to Nashville. The gentleman I reconnected with knew my voice, believed in my talent and was generous in providing me with a list of his music contacts; people he felt would be interested in utilizing my voice. I went to work straight away on creating packages that included my demo, resume, and contact information for every single person on that list. (I will note that some people commented on how much they liked the packaging itself. I went to great lengths to make sure the package spoke about my attention to detail, an affinity for beauty, and my overall personality.) After sending out the packages (35 +), I waited about a week and then started picking up the phone to contact each person I had sent packages to. Everyone I spoke to was cordial (…thank your southern hospitality) but I did receive a good helping of, “Well, this is a 5-year town. You should plan on being here about 5 years before you get your first gig!” All spoken with a lovely Southern Twang! Thankfully, I chose to ignore these comments and kept on with my own belief in myself, and my abilities. One week later, a very prominent songwriter who I had sent a package to called me to sing on one of his songs. He loved my voice, told his contacts about me, and my little spot as a first-call session singer in Nashville began to blossom like a rose. I still picked up the phone and continued on with making contacts to let people know I was available for work. The fact that I had earned the trust of a prominent songwriter really helped. I had made one other very prominent contact in Nashville before moving to that fine city but I chose not to ride in on those coat tails. I wanted to prove to myself that I could flourish as a vocalist in Tune Town without special treatment or introductions from famous folks. This chapter for me, in Nashville, as a vocalist, and as a person was one of the sweetest of my life. I still hold all of my Nashville contacts close to my heart. I still feel them as family.

Tell me about your work with The Taliesin Orchestra is an American musical group that specializes in remaking famous songs into orchestra-style melodies.

My work with The Taliesin Orchestra all started by working on various custom projects with my late younger brother, commissioned by the creator of The Taliesin Orchestra. I was the lead vocalist of The Taliesin Orchestra group for several years, and enjoyed a spot with that group at number one on the Billboard charts for the longest time allowed alongside Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, and the soundtrack for Sense and Sensibility. The marketing and the thought process behind the group was perfect for its particular time period. A moment when record labels were still in a place of power and developing artists/groups. While my voice was exploited, and I agreed to do the work for a flat, work-for-hire rate, I learned so much and feel it was an important step in finding my solo voice, musical niche, and to level up regarding my position as a female recording artist.

How did you backup your session with your solo project?

This was very challenging actually. Being a first-call session singer means that you are basically doing work-for-hire, full-time. There can be tricks of the mind at play and certain pitfalls for a solo career when in this position. You are following the threads in a web that you’ve been conditioned to think will take you somewhere beyond the web. When in fact, that web is never-ending and goes in circles. It doesn’t necessarily take you where you want to go. And you are so busy following the threads that your eyes are blind to the paths beyond the web. I’m still waking up to this and am now trying to help other women in music see this. If being a session singer, work-for-hire singer, etc. is your only aspiration then following those threads is perfect. Keep going. But if you feel within you that something is amiss, by all means, listen to those feelings. Exit the web and follow your own north. Follow your heart. Create and build your own dreams rather than constantly facilitating the visions of others, and padding their pocketbooks $$ made in collaboration with your Greater given gifts. The whole “birthright for a mess of pottage” thing applies nicely here.

In 2013 you self-published the vocal methodology book and training program called Real Singers Don’t Sing. Why that title?

A real singer in this case refers to someone who is a successful vocalist – someone who uses their voice professionally. Let me explain. After studying with not only my father but also some of the most acclaimed vocal coaches in the United States, I was still experiencing vocal limitations. I could not belt properly or use my power voice in higher registers and I couldn’t find anyone who could help me. On my travels from Salt Lake City to Nashville, at the time I was relocating to the southeast, I was listening to one of Faith Hill’s CDs. Suddenly, it landed in my awareness what was going on and why it had been a blind spot for me. My ears opened up to a new understanding. Faith Hill wasn’t singing. She was speaking, crying, whispering in pitch. That light-bulb, Eureka moment changed my entire basis of understanding regarding the use of my voice. I then retrained my voice aligned with this understanding and was so excited at the results that I wrote a book about it. Real Singers Don’t Sing says it. Real singers don’t sing, …they speak in pitch, they cry in pitch, they whisper in pitch, etc. The whole dynamic range of emotion and volume that we use when we speak becomes the music – or singing as we’ve come to know it. When you are speaking, you are already singing. We speak in pitch, and when that speaking is elongated, it becomes music. There are nuances of course but this basis is a solid foundation for vocal understanding and practice.

Tell me about your new album “In the Company of Angels” which came out on Nov. 22nd.

My solo debut album, In the Company of Angels, was inspired by bestselling author, Calista’s book, The Female Archangels. Calista and I met through a mutual friend, and we were following each other on Instagram. This past March 2020, I happened to see a post by Calista regarding her new book, The Female Archangels. The book literally jumped out at me as if to say, “pay attention.” I could see music when I looked at the book and I immediately wrote to Calista. We both agreed that a music album would be a beautiful companion to her book. We talked via Zoom two days later to work out the details of our collaboration, two days later I had an attunement to the angels with Calista, and two days after that, I was channeling the song of the first female Archangel, Archeia Faith. Each angel showed up in different ways, and the creative process was a little bit different for each angel. It took me 7 months to write and record all of the material for the album. My partner and husband, Phil Rey Gibbons did final arranging and production, and the mixing and mastering of the album. Since the album’s release on November 22^nd, the album has received a lot of positive feedback and has been featured twice on Insight Timer as a Top Pick and Rising Star on their app. Both Calista and I have tested the album for use as a “fall asleep into divine resonance” sleeping aid. We both highly recommend the album for this purpose along with the following:
• meditation music
• listen to fall asleep into divine resonance
• to provide a reprieve from the shadow
• healing your body, soul, mind, and energy fields
• increase your angelic connection
• attune you to the different female archangels
• support the understanding and integration of the many angelic virtues, frequencies, and ascension codes embedded in the album
I will continue creating content for Insight Timer specifically and plan to share some courses regarding the voice, and other topics of interest within my line of expertise.

How was the test pressing?

I am a very driven individual. The test for me is to rest or pause during the creative process. Channeling is a flow and sometimes not easy to just turn off. It is necessary to rest but I am not always great at that part of the process.

Why was your album based on the book The Female Archangels?

I felt moved, impressed, inspired to write music in the energy of these wonderful Archangels. I have a history of working on angel-themed projects and music. I have always had an affinity with angels. Perhaps it is all the loss of loved ones that have put me so keenly in touch with Greater and the angelic realms. Hard to explain really. What I can say is that it feels like doing this album has brought all my years of experience and working on angelic themed projects together in one place, for a specific purpose, for this specific time frame.

What is your favorite track on the album?

I like them all equally in one sense. In other ways, I can appreciate one track over another for how it speaks to me musically, or spiritually. The Light of Grace for example may be my favorite track musically but it doesn’t speak to my spirit the same way that Ascending with Constance does. Each track is truly a favorite for different reasons. This makes sense as each angel has specific qualities that offer the listener exactly the right frequency, they are ready to receive and experience.

How do you stay healthy while touring?

When I was touring, which feels like eons ago, I would make sure to keep a good body, mind, spirit balance, and enjoy the journey. There are always variables and unexpected situations when you are touring and working in live environments. Gotta keep good humor as a priority and go with the flow. 🙂

What are you’re feeling about streaming music?

I feel it is a double-edged sword. It is wonderful that music is so readily available especially since music is such wonderful medicine, more so now than ever. That’s the good news. The bad news is that for creators, on Spotify for example, it takes roughly 250 streams to make 1 dollar. The best way to support my music or any creator’s music is to buy the music first and stream it as well. That way we actually benefit—a little bit. The other thing about streaming that is not particularly positive is that it has created a cloud where anyone can create content, even if that content is substance less and substandard. The long-term effects of this may mean that mediocrity becomes the norm of society regarding music. How will listeners be educated about what is really great vs. what is merely passable?

How can people forget about the origin hashtag # Sharp in a musical score?
Digital vs. vinyl?

It is always about education, isn’t it? If you don’t know any better, haven’t educated yourself, then there isn’t anything to remember. Ignorance is bliss? I think both digital and vinyl have their place. I started my professional vocal career at the age of 17. At that time, analog was the way of the day. You had to be really good at what you did, get it right the first time, or you had to roll back the analog tape. You didn’t get hired if you couldn’t meet the demands of getting it right the first time, at least 99% of the time. With the digital age, you can record one sentence at a time, tune it, change the timing, and who’s to know? I can hear it when a vocal is auto-tuned but an untrained ear wouldn’t know the difference. I love digital for the quick fix. I don’t like it for the laziness and apathy it creates. No motivation to be great anymore?

What are your feelings about the social uprising going on in the United States?

“The only thing constant is change.” There will be an uprising any time balance needs to be restored. For me, this is happening on a global level. America is big and, in the spotlight, continuously but I can see this unrest in other countries as well. There is a growing dividing line between people that seems to be largely based on psychology, belief systems, levels of education, and access to facts. There is so much misinformation, theories, and theories about theories. We are, as a globe, saturated in hearsay. Fact and fiction are more and more blurry. With social media as a mainstay news source for a lot of folks, without concern for fact-checking, confusion and chaos grows. Within my nuclear family, there are many different takes and leanings regarding what is going on in America and how to fix it. My conviction is that time is the best fact-checker. Educating oneself about the various possibilities, truths, and voices from every side is not a bad idea, and questioning everything you think you know is primordial. As I suggested to my daughter recently, “stay at the center point on an elevated bridge, where you can observe everything at a distance and take everything in as it comes. Think in paradox such as everything I am seeing, hearing, and believing is absolutely true, and the exact opposite, everything I am seeing, hearing, and believing are absolutely not true.” This is how I personally stay firmly in my shoes. It allows me to stay in a flow with the enormous amount of information coming through. This way, I can watch without getting stuck in a ditch of any number of specific thoughts or beliefs. There is a lot to say about the individual work that each person can do right now and how that alone could help the way of the world quite profoundly, and quickly. The Dalai Lama has said, and I wholeheartedly agree, “If you want to change the world, first, try to improve and bring about change within yourself. That will help change your family. From there it just gets bigger and bigger.”

What is the mental health situation of the United State? How can the public help the doctors and nurses on the front line?

I am currently pondering certain studies regarding the percentage of mental health issues in the United States and how this number may correlate to the 2016 elections. If this is true, it starts to make sense of the dividing line I mentioned earlier and it would also speak to the overarching aspect of mental health issues in America. As a side note, I am forever astonished that psychologists are not a mandatory part of the court systems globally, especially regarding family court matters. I think the best way that the public can help doctors and nurses on the front line is to stay informed by doctors and nurses who are on the front line and to follow advice and protocols set forth, not just by governments but by those on the front line who are handling the pandemic first hand.

What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?

Yesterday, while cleaning up my computer, The Soul of Camelot by Phil Rey Gibbons popped up. This was one of my first collaborations with Phil and is still a favorite. The words are roughly Gaelic, which nods nicely to my Gaelic, Scottish ancestors; the Stewarts (Mary Queen of Scots), the Tudors, and the Hamilton’s of Arron. Aside from the Gaelic, ancestral winks, this song has a deep personal meaning for me. Every word was written and sung from the deepest feelings of love my heart has ever felt.

How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?

Aside from touring, not sure. Perhaps music will be seen as more and more of an expendable, luxury item. Fewer and fewer people willing to buy music or license it? I suppose time will tell.

What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?

Channeling the female Archangels for my album, In the Company of Angels, doing a lot of reading and studying (as per usual), and I took a writing course by bestselling author, Jeff Brown. I plan to write more in the future. Prepping for that. I have also sung on a handful of songs written by my partner and husband, Phil, and we are finishing up a collaborative album that we will be releasing soon.

Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?

No but I’ve enjoyed more cooking with my daughter. We’ve actually posted quite a bit of material on her blog, Bella’s Kitchen: Cooking + Crafts. She is, we are, on Instagram and Facebook as well. 🙂

Are you a spiritual person?

Spiritual in the sense of “relating to or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things.” Yes.

95% of people said that they have changed the way they watch television. This includes people who don’t have television and using their computers to do streaming of programs and movies. Which is your favorite streaming channel?

Netflix. I am very selective about what I watch though. I am a huge Outlander fan, I love The Crown, have watched Reign, and I occasionally watch random cooking, decorating, or makeup shows.

Many artists are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. In October that is going to change at least on Facebook. Facebook is cracking down on live-streamed shows that include recorded music with new terms of service, preventing artists from using the platform for “commercial or non-personal” purposes, unless they have obtained the relevant licenses.
The updated music guidelines state that users “may not use videos on our products [which include Instagram] to create a music listening experience […] This will include [Facebook] Live,” and stipulates that such content should be posted for the enjoyment of friends and family only.
How do you think this will change the landscape of Facebook?

We always find a way, forward don’t we? I can use my website for example and simply advertise it on Facebook? I’m less and less a fan of social media because it is less and less social. I think that as Facebook continues to narrow its views there will be an expanse somewhere else. There is room for something new to emerge that genuinely supports artists.

How can bands keep their fans if they cannot play live in front of the fans and sell merch to them at the show?

They can do live or previously filmed living room concerts, and sell merch online. It is the same game, different playing field.

Is pay to play still a thing? Now pay to play also means things like a playlist on the internet?

I guess it is a thing for now. I mostly think about it when I think about video games. It seems there will always be the shady backroom deals that happen in places like Spotify to get your music on playlists. It’s not my world, not my story, I don’t play that way. If you’re a good artist, you can rise to the top organically. Maybe I’m just a hopeless Pollyanna but my experience in Nashville years ago showed me that it’s a pretty good idea to just work hard, be honest, and stay true to yourself.

What about Holographic concerts in our living room?

Why not! There are current scientific studies out to prove that we are all just a bunch of holographic beings anyway! Lol! 🙂

If you can’t do music what would you like to be doing?

If I ever choose not to create music, my existence will ever be a symphony. My soul will be my song. I have many interests. I would do something that makes me feel equal amounts of joy such as teaching, writing, studying psychology, epigenetics/ancestral links, and human behavior in general.

Anything you would like to say in closing.