Who is Rachel Bailey?

Backstory: A captivating singer/songwriter born in Bad Kruezenach, Germany, Rachel Bailey takes listeners on a journey through a musical world of freedom of expression! Rachel has been singing and performing since the 3rd grade, performing in her first talent show at just nine years old. Since her start, she has shared the stage with artists such as Reggae superstar Everton Blender, R&B star Miguel, and rising star Ella Mai. She has also written songs with world-renowned R&B artists such as singer Dalvin Degrate from the famous R&B group Jodeci. For Rachel Bailey, music is life and the stage is home.

Recently relocating from North Carolina to Denver, Colorado where she has already landed new management and major gigs such as The 420 Rally (Denver, CO) performing in front of an estimated 125,000 listeners, as well as Beta Nightclub (Denver, CO), top ten in the nation for best sound quality. Rachel has also released a brand new music video hitting 12k on youtube views and now charted #1 on the DRT Indie Charts for her recent single release entitled “Get You Right”. Her new single is currently in regular rotation for comedian Sheryl Underwood’s Radio Show. Rachel is currently working on her debut album and is beyond excited to travel and perform internationally.

As you see your self, who is Rachel Bailey?

Rachel Bailey is a singer, songwriter, model, actress, and business woman. She’s also just the homie. The girl that loves wearing sneakers and Tims. She’s kinda girly kinda tom boyish. She’s super spiritual and open-minded. Rachel Bailey can be found in all of us.

What brought you to the entertainment industry and music specifically?

I’ve always been around music. My dad uses to sing and perform too and when I was a little girl I would travel with him everywhere. I remember there was a time when my dad had this show and he pulled up in a limo with these super cute dancers. That’s not even the coolest part though, this man had a whole motorcycle crew burning their tires to create smoke and the limo my dad was in emerged from the smoke. It was soooo dope! I had to have been like 6 years old. In my eyes, my dad was a star and I wanted to be just like him.

What and/or who influenced the sound you bring today?

Wow, there are so many amazing artists out there that have inspired and influenced my music. I grew up with great music. Aaliyah was my first idol for sure. Her swag, her sound, she was everything to me. I remember when I was a little girl, asking me to “press” my hair so that I could comb some hair over my eye and throw a bandana on like Aaliyah. I also grew up listening to Mary J. Blige. I didn’t understand her music as a kid but as I got older and experienced love and heartbreak she certainly gained a special place in my heart. I have a lot of super talented friends as well and they inspire me so much. We all have a different sound and I think that’s what’s most inspiring. Hearing something new and original is such a breath of fresh air.

What’s happened in your career that makes you feel this is the industry for you?

I highly believe in doing what you love because that’s ultimately what will make you happy. Music has always been so healing to me. Not only has it saved me from dark times, it’s also so much fun to create! I knew this was the industry for me the day that I wrote my first song. I was 13 years old and my parents were going through a divorce. I had no one to express myself to until I put it in a song. It was truly healing for me. I wanted to sing and write for the rest of my life.

What was the biggest obstacle in getting to your current career phase?

The biggest obstacle for me was learning to just not care about peoples negative opinions they had about me. I had to learn to love me for me and being true to myself is how I did that. I cut all of my hair off and started from scratch. I got to the gym and started eating better and began to love myself unconditionally. I think once I started to let go a little more, I became free. It’s so easy to lose yourself now days especially with social media being a part of our daily lives. We are all so unique when we are true to ourselves and that’s what makes us all so special.

Photo Credit: Tony Mansion

What do you want people to get from your music?

I want people to just feel when they hear my music. Something I love about some of my favorite artists is being about to relate to them. I want people to be able to get in their car and just lose themselves. Forget about any negative energy they might be experiencing and just have fun! I want people to feel loved when they hear my music because every song on this project was created with love.

Tell us about your current project?

This project is made of 100% pure originality. I poured my heart and soul into this project. I wanted my listeners to experience who I am as a person and most of all just keep it real with my sound. I actually stopped listening to the radio for about 4 years and only listened to an artist that I grew up listening to just to remind me of why I love music so much. I’m really interested in finding out what musical influences people will hear when they hear my album. The album is still in the works so I haven’t had a chance to come up with an album title but I think the universe will bless me with the perfect name when the time is right.

What do you feel has been your greatest life achievement so far?

My greatest life achievement so far has been me consistently growing. I started out recording on a small mic on beats headphones in a closet and now I’m charted number 1 on DRT indie charts, I’ve opened for megastar Ella Mai, currently spinning on regular rotation for the Sheryl Underwood Radio Show, and I’m blessed to be doing this interview with The Hype Magazine!

If you could collaborate with one artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

That’s a tough question! If I could collaborate with anyone I would love to collaborate with Missy Elliot. She’s so dope. She writes, sings, raps, produces and her energy is so beautiful. I’m sure I could learn so much from her too. She’s worked with some of the greatest of all times. She’s got that Midas touch!

If you had to pick one song of yours, that really explains YOU, what would it be?

I have this song called “Wannabe” on my album and that song definitely sums up who I am. It’s like a secret entrance into my brain. I pretty much say the things I don’t say out loud. The song is basically about how some people are super “Hollywood” and will act like they don’t know you even though you’ve met them a million times but as soon as they see you rising to the top they all of a sudden want to be down with what you have going on. We all know someone that’s a wannabe and that’s why I created this song. Instead of becoming jaded, we can all just recognize it for what it is and sing this song instead to keep the vibes high.

Last but not least, HYPE wants to know…What’s your CRAZIEST “Where they do that at?!” moment…

Hmmm….That’s a hard one. Probably the craziest “Where they do that at?!” moment I’ve had was when I lived in Fayetteville, NC and the ice cream truck came around the corner playing home made beats. They played the song “Do Your Ears Hang Low” and remixed it. It was actually kinda slappin. He threw some dope snares and claps in the song, chopped it up a little bit, and added some 808’s to it. It was dope! Him and his homie sold snow cones, ice cream sandwiches, rap snacks, and soda. The hustle was genius if you asked me. He was selling beats and ice cream! “Where they do that at?”. Props to them though, that’s what you call thinking outside the box. If they ever read this I hope they reach out to me! Send me some beats!

Social Media/Website

Youtube.com/OfficiallyRachel
Instagram: @OfficiallyRachelMusic
Facebook.com/OfficiallyRachelMusic
Twitter: @OfficiallyRache

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