FAYE MEANA - I MEANT TO SAY (EP) + 10 QUESTIONS

London’s own singer-songwriter and producer Faye Meana, releases EP I Meant to Say, out 9th October via Black Butter/Disorder. Her dedication to music has been a lifelong language, fully producing the entire 5-track project which includes recent single “All This Time”. Each release is a meaningful progression; having started piano lessons age five and drawing inspiration from records her parents played at home, Faye developed an early connection to songwriting and performance. By her teens, that early exposure that sparked her curiosity developed into an all-round approach to making music, teaching herself production to gradually build a catalogue that moves freely between neo-soul, contemporary R&B, funk, disco and electronic sounds.

That nature developed of a resonance to experiment runs through every chapter of Faye’s work. I Meant To Say is a fusion of songs written across different periods, united by the notion of retrospection of feelings and experiences that were difficult to articulate in the moment. The project’s three singles “The Way I Love”, “Mine” and “All This Time” all offer her perspectives on love and vulnerability, with the latest single giving an older idea new life after revisiting the incomplete offering; much like how we in real life go over things to give it a fresh, more learned eye. The project balances emotionally honest writing with mid and uptempo production to have you dancing and swaying along.

Faye’s evolution has taken her from sharing early work on SoundCloud to building an expansive independent catalogue, including her self-produced ninety8 EP and fan favourite “Giving It In”, which has surpassed 10 million streams, and has brought her music to stages including one of London’s fan fave festivals for alt genre music Cross The Tracks and the ever art supporting Roundhouse. Faye speaks to Wordplay about the artists shaping her sound, trusting her creative instincts and discovering when collaboration can be just as valuable as doing everything yourself, especially as we love to see more females getting in on the production side of things.

Photo credit: Daisy Deane / Dela Studio

How did it all begin? What sparked your love for music?

I started playing piano when I was five, so it’s really been ingrained in my life forever. Both my mum and dad are really into music, so I was raised on great music. I was obsessed with Aretha as a kid and got the Aretha Now album on CD. That was absolutely what made me want to be a singer.

Your sound pulls together R&B, disco and ’80s-inspired electronic textures. What is exciting you musically right now, and are there any artists or producers you would love to collaborate with?

I would love to work with DAMEDAME; their album has been the soundtrack to the summer. But I’d say my dream studio session would be Kaytranada, Tame Impala and Yukimi Nagano. All three have played a massive part in the development of my sound over the years, and all three dip in and out of different genres.

Tell us about the EP you’ve just released, I Meant To Say, and what vision you had for the overall story.

The name came from the fact that most of my writing is done retrospectively, about things I meant to say in the moment but didn’t. Most of the songs were written over the course of a year, except “All This Time”. I went back into the archives a few years later and saw the song in a whole new light. It became the finishing touch for the EP.

With tracks like “The Way I Love” and “Mine” continuing to shape your catalogue, how do you feel your sound has evolved since ninety8, and what parts of your musical identity feel most like “you” now?

The last few years have really been a time for experimenting sonically and trying to hone in on my sound. Of course, your style always evolves but I think I will always keep the little electronic elements that were really prevalent in ninety8 going forward.

What’s your proudest moment to date as an artist?

I think I’d have to say when I hit 10 million streams on my song “Giving It In” last year. It felt so crazy to think that a song I wrote in my bedroom had been listened to that many times. It was surreal in the best way.

Are there any artists on your radar right now that we should check out?

stevestevesteve, he’s an artist from Chicago and I’ve had his track “Way Out” on repeat for the past few months. It’s a beautiful, introspective track. I’ve also really been enjoying Lucy Park’s recent releases.

What albums are currently on heavy rotation on your Spotify playlist?

Apart from DAMEDAME’s debut, I’ve also recently been listening to MM…FOOD a lot again. It almost feels like I’m rediscovering it, which is such a treat.

What do you like to do when you’re not making music?

I read a lot. That’s probably where most of my time goes. I’m also currently learning French. I love learning languages, it makes me feel like I’m exercising my brain haha.

You’re hands-on with both songwriting and production. How important is it to you to also produce your own tracks, and how did you get into it?

I used to be very meticulous about ensuring everything was done by me and me alone. I guess I wanted to prove that I was able to do everything myself from start to finish and I’m so glad I did because I was able to cement myself as not just an artist but a writer and producer too. Now, I’m a lot less rigid about this and have enjoyed writing with some amazing people and working with producers I would have otherwise missed out on by trying to be a lone wolf.

Getting into production felt like a natural progression from playing piano for me. I could essentially produce an entire song using the skills I already had, so it was more a case of trial and error and getting comfortable with Logic.

What’s one lesson you’ve learned about trusting your instincts when creating, especially when you’re pushing yourself outside your comfort zone, and what advice would you give?

I think it can be scary to change your sound or style when you have certain tracks that are popular from a time when you were less evolved creatively. For me, I’m constantly discovering new music, so it feels inevitable that my sound would change somewhat and I always remind myself that this also means growth. I used to get really in my head about new songs not being liked because they were a bit different but people who genuinely connect with your music, stay for all phases. Writing is such a gut instinct, so my advice would be to trust that instinct and allow yourself to evolve.