Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Fein.
Hi Erin, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started my project Psychic Twin almost a decade ago, on the heels of a painful divorce. It was difficult, to say the least, because I was young, and there weren’t a lot of people that I could relate to in regards to such a heavy experience. I was living in the Midwest, where I am originally from at the time, and I found the courage to take the few thousand dollars that I had and moved to Brooklyn to pursue music in a more professional capacity. This wasn’t easy, but it was a defining moment of choosing to take care of myself by going to live somewhere that spoke to my nature. I had been in a touring band for some time previous to Psychic Twin, but I wanted badly, truly burned for the opportunity to break away from the all-male band that I had been working with and to be seen as an artist, a female artist, who could stand alone. It’s been a long journey. It has felt like an uphill battle to gain visibility as an artist. I moved from Brooklyn to LA and continue this journey. I wonder sometimes, have a lot of thoughts as to why the music industry has drawn me in so close, but yet feels so disconnected from who I am in some significant ways. It’s a jungle.
However, despite some of the challenging experiences I have had as a woman in this industry, I have felt compelled to keep creating. I released my first album on Polyvinyl Records, which opened some doors for me. Now I walk forward alone. I’ve been told I don’t look like what I’m supposed to look like, I’m not the age I’m supposed to be, but I reject that, even though it’s hard. I will continue to be vocal about how important it is to make art and show yourself, even if the entertainment industry doesn’t always open its doors to you. I am a 38 years old, female producer, songwriter, and musician. I write, record, and produce nearly all of my music myself and I have an upcoming album that I am looking for a home for. One of my fans and now friends, Michael Kemp (a wonderfully talented tattoo artist – @mkemptattooer), appeared magically out of the woodwork and offered to pay for my album to be mixed (by Adam Schoeller @as_audio_) and for my vocals to be recorded – what a true miracle for me, it is hard to express the extent of my gratitude – artists supporting artists.
I have a feeling there is more in store. I am riding out that energy as I walk forward into my second album, I have this deep sense that there is a home for it, yet to reveal itself. I will continue to create, to go where the love is, and to be bold. I cherish the healing power that making music and performing has had for me, even if I am more hidden than I once dreamt to be, I am eternally grateful to be a musician and for so many of the experiences, I have had because of it.
Interweaving melody, writing beats and basslines to carry, like a pillow below, the intricate melodies that float above, setting poetry and emotion into the music space, singing and layering vocals like a fluffy layered cake, this is what my passion is. Connecting pain and sorrow to the melody-sphere and lacing in joy too. Music is like a sonic form of psychology that we can all tap into. What will my future as a musician hold? More music, more standing up for myself and for others who feel unseen, more challenging age and beauty standards, more smashing the patriarchy and working on social justice, more synth music to carry us through dream-filled days and nights. On my next record, I wrote about: looking at the time pressure of motherhood, speaking to an unborn child, facing feeling invisible, confronting otherness, the concept of closure, and the myths we tell ourselves when we’re searching for it, life after a painful divorce and endings, addiction, the psychology of love – concepts that only time and experience have opened up for me. This is my life as an artist in LA, and I am looking to share my story with those with whom it might resonate. Do you like dancing with your eyes closed to synth music alone at night? I do.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Challenges: Being seen in an industry which beauty standards I don’t fit into, being taken seriously as a female producer and songwriter in her 30s, finding a voice in a heavily male-dominated production landscape, contended with coming from a low-income background, and trying to survive as an artist in a capitalized industry that sometimes feels like it’s lost it’s connection to art.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am Jewish by culture, spiritual by nature, I identify as a woman but see gender as fluid. I believe in social justice and the healing power of music. I believe in community. I started a volunteer trash pick-up organization in Echo Park, where I live called the Echo Park Trash Club that I am very proud of, and that my experience marketing my music has greatly helped get off of the ground: see @psychictwin and @echo_park_trash_club on Instagram – come clean with us and connect meaningfully with our unhoused neighbors. I have toured all over the world. I am proud that I write, record, produce and perform nearly all of the music I make and I am a self-taught musician and producer. I love drawing flowers, eating burrata, and I am in school right now at The University of North Texas, with the goal of someday practicing therapy and specializing in healing trauma.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Learning from Theo Henderson and his podcast, We The Unhoused (@thhheohenderson + @wetheunhoused), Diane Ackerman: A Natural History of the Senses, 99% invisible, Insight Timer, The perspective of Carl Jung, Meditating with Lama Rod Owens (@lamarodowens), Dancing with Kaylah Farrish (@fulloutfarrish), the internet, and asking lots of questions to my producer friends.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/psychictwin/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PsychicTwin/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/iampsychictwin
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-W3SZuaYJ4A
Image Credits:
Photographs: Courtney Coles / Editing: Kathy Ispache / Make Up & Hair: Christina Spina / Photo Direction: Tyler Wright / Styling: Me
