Welcome!
Hi! Thanks for exploring my campaign. For those of you who don't know me, my name is Erinn Alissa Selkis, and I am a singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles, originally from Upstate NY. I have written more than 100 songs in the last couple years, performed many of them with my band all over Los Angeles, and have chosen my favorites to record professionally and create my first EP and official music video. Having broadcast quality songs and videos will allow me to share my songs with the world on all platforms, and have music to pitch for use in film, tv, and commercials, officially launching my career as an indie artist! Oh, and I'm also 37 years old. Here I am, with you as my witness, reclaiming my dream of having a singing career, well into my mid 30's.
Truth
It feels very vulnerable to announce my age like this, because it's something I try to hide. I don't look my age (finally there's a pay off to having a baby face), so people assume I'm younger than I am and I let them. Not because I don't want to be 37; I love my 30's actually, and as my dad says, it sure beats the alternative! But in an industry where 16 year old you tube stars are born, and someone's young age is a badge of honor, 37 is kinda old. Your mid to late 30's are when you are supposed to be at the height of your career, not just realizing and starting your dream... so I have a lot of insecurity around it. And it's cool to be a twenty something waitress paying the bills while funding your music career, but not so much in your thirties. There are more expectations, risks, and much more at stake. But there's a bigger risk in living an unfulfilling and purposeless life if I don't take this chance, and I know in my heart of hearts that this is my path. So the risk is worth it. I'll admit that sometimes I wish I could go back in time 15 years and realize this path of mine then...but obviously I can't. And I'm learning to be ok with that. My journey was my journey for a reason, and I wouldn't be who I am without it. Also, I like to remind myself of people who were well into their 40's or even 60's before they found success, like Samuel Jackson, Julia Child, and Alan Rickman.
The Struggle
So what was my journey? What do I mean by reclaiming? To try and keep it short and to the point, I was a musical theatre girl on the path to Broadway. I studied and performed voice, dance, and acting intensively from a young age and continued in college, receiving my BFA in musical theatre.
Here's a video of baby Erinn from my college days playing my favorite role ever, Maggie in A Chorus Line. I later played her professionally many times.
After college, I performed at Equity regional theatres, did a couple national tours, and had lead roles in Summer stock shows. I was technically doing exactly what I had always envisioned, but I had a secret. I was battling an eating disorder, and I was miserable. I didn't like myself, and my self esteem was non existent, except when I was cast in a show- I made my worth entirely dependent upon whether or not casting directors liked me. The musical theatre and dance world was harsh, and while I was considered "normal" by most standards, I was never as thin as anyone wanted me to be- I was told daily that if I wanted to be cast, I needed to lose weight. The death of my mom when I was in college also wrecked me... I had lost my anchor, and without it, I was floating around, trying to be who these casting directors wanted me to be, because I felt like performing was all I had left. After years of eating iceburg lettuce with mustard and tunafish (the meal I concocted to trick my stomach into feeling full and get a little protein in but the least amount of carbs), and running on the treadmill for hours on end, on top of training and performing, my body started to fall apart. And my mental and emotional state was already in shambles. Simply put, I was an absolute disaster.
Coming Back Home
So I quit it all. I left the only dreams I had known behind and decided I would do something else with my life, and get myself help. It took me many years of exploration, grieving the death of my mom, therapy (highly recommend it!!), spiritual growth, etc, to heal myself and discover this new path of writing and singing my own songs. A discovery that I am incredibly grateful for today. Along the way, I learned that I wasn't any happier without music, but I was definitely happier without the pressure of trying to be something I wasn't. I now have the freedom to be exactly who I am, express myself through my songs, share my heart and soul, and connect to my listeners in a way that wasn't possible with musical theatre. I hope my music moves people, helps them put words to feelings, gets them through a breakup or hard time, inspires and motivates them, and just simply makes them smile or feel less alone.
The beautiful thing is that before I found musical theatre, I was a 7 year old with a microphone, a Yamaha keyboard, and journals of lyrics, inspired by my idol Debbie Gibson (go ahead and laugh but she was awesome) :) So, my journey brought me back home. It just took a few decades lol. But this time, I am holding onto it and running with it.
Speaking of "Home," this is a clip of the 2nd, just released single off of the EP. Enjoy this cheesy video I made :)
Where I am Now
I've been working hard to establish myself in the music world: Out of all the songs I've written, I've chosen the ones that will make up the EP, and I've already recorded 3 of them with my amazingly talented producer, Max Allyn. The first single, "Just Another," was released last summer, and has over 13,000 listens on Spotify and has been played on three online radio stations.
My band formed and we've played at many venues in LA, I've been hired to sing the National Anthem for festivals, as well as performing sets at lots of restaurants, wineries, and parties. I've been a finalist in The American Songwriting competition, and have had songs placed in independent films. I even got a song in the hands of Katy Perry's team, and though she didn't end up recording it, the feedback was that they loved it! My main goals with this EP are to have professional recordings of my songs to share with my fans (and gain traction as an indie artist), and to get my songs licensed for TV, film, and commercials. There isn't a lot I can do without having broadcast quality songs.
Why I'm asking for your help!
It's hard to express how much your contribution would mean to me.
Forging this new path takes a lot of courage, and I can't do it alone. Claiming this career at this point in my life is vulnerable, my music is vulnerable, being on stage and having people listen to the words I write from my heart is vulnerable, and asking for your support is vulnerable! But I'm doing it because it is also the most fulfilling thing I have ever done. Over the last year, I've had the support of my incredible band, my professional music friends, and my close friends, which has made all the difference to me. Now I'm taking the next step with recording this EP and promoting it. But making an EP isn't cheap! It’s quite expensive to record, produce, mix, and master songs. Not to mention the promotions, music video, pitching, photos, and PR needed after release to get my songs heard and in the hands of people who love my music and people who do music sync. I'm reaching out to you for help because the process is going sooooo slooooowly due to financials, and since I've already told you how long it took me to get here, I don't want to waste another second :)
You and I will be a team in creating my EP, and ultimately my music career. I'll be keeping you posted every step of the way.
What We Need & What You Get
We need to raise $7,000 to complete my EP and promote my music!
- Each track (3 more to complete EP) is $1500 for studio time, recording, production, mixing, and mastering. I have 3 tracks already completed, so it will be a 6 track EP.
-$1500 to finish paying for a very low budget (but very legit) music video to promote and draw in listeners. I've already filmed (it's looking amazing!!!) and spent over $2000, but I still need to finish it and promote it.
-$1000 for photos, distribution costs, guest musician pay, and other promotional materials.
These are very conservative estimates, so I'm hoping we will even surpass our goal!
If I don't reach my goal, all of your contributions will still count and will go towards as many songs as I am able to finish, so it will still be very effective.
Now what you get!!
First, you get to support a fellow human on her journey to living her dream. I will be so incredibly grateful for any amount of support you give me. Second, there are many very cool perks I am offering! A free download of my already finished songs Just Another and Home (every backer, no matter how much they donate, gets this), a download of the rest of the songs before they are officially released, a completed copy of the EP (in your preferred form of listening), playing music for your party, event, etc, custom written songs for you, requested covers, and more. If you have an idea of a perk you'd like, but I don't have listed, please feel free to ask me about it!
Know that with your support, you will be contributing not only to my growth, but also to creating a beautiful collection of songs that I hope will touch the listener and make him/her feel connected. As Billy Joel once said, "I think music in itself is healing. It's an explosive expression of humanity. It's something we are all touched by. No matter what culture we're from, everyone loves music."
