Today we’d like to introduce you to Pip the Pansy.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
All my life I have been the “creative type” but I never would have pictured myself doing what I am doing now. I was more into the visual arts… went to the University of Georgia for photography and spent four years in the darkroom with my nose in chemicals. I still love the visual arts, they play a vital role in my career… but now most would say my career is centered around music. That trajectory happened after I graduated in 2014.
In hindsight music was always there… but I think it was more like a fish in water. I just didn’t notice it because I grew up swimming in it. My older sister is an incredible classical pianist (she got that from my Papa), my younger sister has the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard and writes beautifully on her guitar, my brother could sing along to anything, my father plays guitar and would sing for us while we took baths as little kids, my mom could sing opera if she really wanted to, my uncles are still touring around the states with their guitars… it’s just something that’s always been around.
My mom put us through piano lessons when we were pretty young but I was jealous because my older sister was so much better than me so I picked up the flute and dance classes instead. Flute stuck for a little while but I would eventually stop playing so I could focus on art and theatre. I only recently started incorporating the flute again in my original music. Anyways… fast forward to college graduation and I realize that I love the art of photography so much but I just couldn’t stand the thought of making my living off of it. Wedding photography, bar-mitzvahs, senior pics, product photography, etc… all of these forms of photography can be beautiful and important but they just aren’t for me.
My skills in photography are sort of niche so it felt impossible to make a living off of them… which is hysterical because it’s not like you can make a living off original music either, ha! Nonetheless, I had written one song that summer, just for fun, and played it for my friend Gemille. He really encouraged me to pursue a career in music.
Naive me with one song in hand and no desire to apply for photography or advertising jobs thought “no problem!” I went for the “fake it till you make it” method. I immediately started a Kickstarter campaign to fund my first full-length album. Somehow, miraculously, the thing got funded… which is ridiculous having had absolutely zero material or experience to prove to people that I was going to even be good at this. But my friends and family believed in me and that was enough encouragement to give it a go. I went into the studio with the first 11 songs I had written and some of UGA’s music students filling out horn and string parts and me and my boyfriend at the time as “producers”… I mean, you could say it was a valiant effort but the finished product reflects the naivety of my process back then. I’ve since taken the album off Spotify and hope to re-work/polish some of those tunes for a future acoustic EP.
Regardless, it was an important chapter of my story. I was able to “fake” my way into venues like the 40 Watt and eventually, with my second EP, headline the Georgia Theatre. Athens was the perfect place to start my journey… the town is super quirky, has a great music scene and is small enough to get your grip on things.
For the briefest of moments, things were going great… I had played the theatre multiple times and was being courted by Elton John’s label, Rocket Music. But things quickly took a downhill turn. My guitarist was also my boyfriend and when our relationship began to deteriorate so did the shows. Touring became miserable. I broke things off with the band and moved from Athens to Atlanta. At the same time, Rocket Music closed their US offices and was no longer looking for talent, so that fell through. And underneath all that, there was another artist on the west coast with the same stage name and a trademark lawsuit was brewing and eventually turned into a nightmare situation costing me thousands of dollars and almost two years of not releasing music or touring. But that’s a very long story…
Anyways, while the legal battles were going down I traveled to Austin, TX and began recording the Royal Blue Daydream EP with David Butler, artist and producer for MISSIO. This experience along with my love for the electronic artist, Grimes, pushed me towards this style of music. I often have trouble communicating my ideas to other players, but with the electronic set up I was able to be the band in the studio and play everything myself without having to rely on other people to understand my ways of communicating musical ideas. I think it was the first time I really felt free from making music. I owe a lot of that feeling to David… he was understanding, without judgment and he took me seriously.
I dropped the EP this past November, over a year after recording it. I was legally obligated to wait until the lawsuit was all sorted out. So, here I am today as Pip the Pansy (a name that no one will want to fight me for, fingers crossed) and an electronic EP out in the world. I have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with artists like The Revivalists, Hayley Kiyoko and The Shadowboxers. I’ve gotten to play Sweetwater 420 Fest, The Rock Boat (a festival on a cruise ship), AthFest, The Georgia Theatre, The Buckhead Theatre, Terminal West. I’ve gotten to meet the coolest people including Elton John… I mean, it’s been pretty freaking amazing. I even met my husband, Sam Burchfield, because of music and I get to travel the country with him all while making music and art. Sometimes we get cloudy with the idea of “making it” that we forget that we are actually living the dream most days.
Great, 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?
The road has been anything but smooth!
The most obvious roadblock was my legal battle with another artist on the west coast. I had been performing as Wrenn, my Meme’s maiden name, for almost two years without any problem when I started getting some hate mail from the other artist’s friends. Long story short, it escalated to litigation and multiple lawyers and more stress than I ever could have imagined at that point in my career.
The whole thing was crazy considering that both artists were “baby” artists, hardly even close to nationally touring artists. At first, I was stubborn and thought there was no way the other party could win… I had two albums out on iTunes and Spotify, I was verified on my accounts and had played over a hundred shows at that point, whereas the opposing party had one track on Soundcloud…. but I found out how nasty the music business can be. If you have connections and money then you can put up a good fight.
All I had ever wanted to do was shine a light on my Meme’s name. I feel so kindred to her… that’s why I chose Wrenn as my stage name… but the lawsuit was turning me into a stubborn and prideful person, something that the name Wrenn shouldn’t represent… I was losing sight on why I chose the name in the first place…. so I sold the name for the sake of moving forward, for the sake of art. I recently wrote a song about my grandparents that I hope to release on the next project. It is therapeutic to know I can still shine a light on my Meme without having to use the name Wrenn.
Anyways, the next roadblock was coming up with a new name and a refined brand. After months of brainstorming, I finally settled on Pip the Pansy… it was quirky and awkward and different than all these chic names that are so popular right now. I loved that it got a reaction from people… some loved it and some hated it but they all remembered it.
Unfortunately, some of the people I was working with hated it enough to not want to work with me anymore… I mean no disrespect because this particular company and person (who shall remain nameless) is my friend and I respect their work to no end… but I had just spent all my energy fighting for the name Wrenn, I was not about to roll over and compromise again because the new name wasn’t marketable or was potentially offensive… and so I let go of a label opportunity for the name Pip the Pansy. Pansies are a symbol of free thought and I had to hold on to that concept. If art isn’t the freedom to express your true thoughts then what is it? I had to remind myself that I love art more than I love success.
Oh, just as an interesting side note… after I chose the name Pip the Pansy my mom gave me a pair of pansy earrings that were handmade by her grandmother. It was the most touching gift I have ever gotten… Wrenn was so important to me because it represented my grandmother. Those earrings remind me that somehow it’s all still connected. It was a beautiful gesture after all my family went through during the lawsuit.
There are other bumps in the road that I think apply to most artists… it’s never easy. You are going to starve at first or maybe forever. It’s extremely difficult to monetize original art and music. You have to figure out creative ways to get your name out there and to make a little bit of money. You have to be okay with putting your heart and soul on the line for a couple bucks or a free beer. You go through a lot of growing pains as you try to figure out what your voice in the world is and there is a constant learning curve. It’s a hard journey but the pursuit of truth is worth it.
Pip the Pansy – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am an indie-electronic artist. I write songs, I make art and I perform. I hand make all of my merchandise and stage props.
I think what I am most proud of has yet to be made… as soon as one project is finished I am hungry to start the next.
Lately, I have been spending a lot of time studying and gathering new material and figuring out what needs to be said in our tumultuous society… I haven’t completely put my finger on it but it feels like I am getting closer and so I am excited for the next batch of songs that will come out of the studio because I think they will be focused and more important than my previous work. I am trying to keep my aim true.
All artists are unique. There are a million things that set us apart from each other.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.pipthepansy.com
- Email: pipthepansy@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/pipthepansy
- Facebook: facebook.com/pipthepansy
- Twitter: twitter.com/pipthepansy
- Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7lHOhU2yPsHVb1DXh2YFgo?si=-r88aHgKRkO2DJdpBpYTcg
Image Credit:
Jordana Dale, Heather Wall, Eric Hangartner, Ryan Myers, Jake Gee
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