Boston-based vocalist Indiana Rich is an artist whose soulful and introspective depth are drawing comparisons to the world’s biggest musicians. Her third album, Gemini, showcases a confident artist continuing to evolve both in her craft and as a person. Rich spoke with us about her inspiration, working with family and the trials of growing into adulthood.
You’ve been compared to Billie Eilish, Blondie and even Abba. What do you think of these comparisons? Are they accurate? Is there someone you think your music draws a similarity to?
I love it. To have my name in the same sentence with such impressive musicians is unreal. I can see how the comparisons were drawn – Billie Eilish has the moody synthesizer atmosphere down pat, and when producing my music I tend to gravitate towards similar sounds. Blondie has that rocker 80s vibe that I grew up listening to, and I only hope that my songs carry a similar rockin’, nostalgic energy. I’m not sure if I sound like ABBA per se, but I sure as hell have learned a ton about vocal arrangements from listening to their music, and vocal arrangements are the backbone of my music.
Speaking of talented female artists, who are your musical inspirations?
Like many female songwriters of my generation, I have to shout out Taylor Swift for daring to wear her heart on her sleeve and working tirelessly to perfect her songwriting craft. In my middle school years her song “Enchanted” was the catalyst for me to embark on my own songwriting journey. ABBA and Queen also deserve a huge shoutout, both inspiring me with their vocal arrangements – ABBA more on the pop side, and Queen on the rock and roll side. When I listen to ABBA I feel pure joy. Their harmonies make me feel like I’m flying, and I aspire to write music that evokes a similar euphoria. Queen taught me how to rock it out, specifically Freddie Mercury’s voice. It knocks the wind out of me in the best way. I also love a good tasty and sophisticated Brian May guitar solo. (I wish I had those chops!). Perhaps my biggest musical inspiration is my dad. There are pictures and videos of me in diapers dancing and singing along with him as he would shred on the guitar. He imparted his songwriting wisdom onto me and always pushed me in the most supportive way to challenge myself. Because of him, music constantly surrounded me and became my greatest comfort in life.
You describe your style as Pop/Rock-Cappella. Can you go into detail about this?
My songwriting and production abilities really took off in undergrad when I was the music director for the Lehigh Echoes, an all-female a cappella group. I dove headfirst into arranging, and later recording and producing three EPs for the group. During this process I began to appreciate the power of the voice more than I ever had before, which opened a whole new world of songwriting. Now when I write, I start with a basic piano track and the lead vocal and build off it with thick background harmonies and counter melodies, all arranged for the voice. If I need a guitar sound, I’ll sing the part and throw a guitar amp on it. At this stage, the song already feels thick and nearly complete. Then I’ll add in the drums and synths, and sometimes strings. (Sometimes I even beat box to the song in my computer microphone and program the drums based on what I beat boxed). Altogether this concoction is founded in a cappella, and then borrows writing and instrumentation from the pop/rock realm.
Congratulations on Gemini. I read that it’s your reflection on what it means to be a young adult in today’s world. Can you tell us why this is such a personal message, and what your own experience as a young adult in today’s world is like?
Thank you, and great question! I could write a novel in response, but I’ll try to keep it succinct. There’s this thesis about humanity, which is by no means novel, but resonates with me deeply – society is evolving faster than our brains. When broken down, the emotions we feel are simple, yet become jumbled and overcomplicated when placed within the framework of modern society. When I feel powerful emotions, I will sometimes feel grateful for them, and sometimes I resent them and then resent the society in which they exist. There are tracks like “Strawberry Lane”, which is about an unwavering gratitude for youth and childhood, and then there are tracks like “Play The Game”, a satirical evil march about being a slave to capitalism. I try and reconcile these two poles in a track like “Independence Day” where I attempt to break free from the toxic side of my internal monologue. And finally, to top it off, the track “Wake Up (It’s Alright)” is about bringing it back to basics and reminding myself that at the end of the day I’m another living creature blossoming on this planet. This is a thought loop into which I frequently fall.
How did the name Gemini come about?
At first, I didn’t know Gemini was going to be an album. I had a handful of songs that were sonically cohesive, but thematically gravitated towards either gratitude or cynicism and I wasn’t sure how to tie them together. Then, I got this melody in my head with the lyrics “I, I’m the sky, I’m Gemini” and it hit me like a truck – Gemini. The twins. The duality of man. I don’t have to be just heads or tails; I can be the whole coin.
I love that you worked with your dad as a producer on this album. What was that experience like? Would you recommend working with family?
Gemini is the third album we have worked on together, and it was an amazing experience. With my first album, “Daydreamer” the training wheels were still on – my dad and I co-wrote many of the tracks and he produced the entire project in his New Jersey studio. I had grown a lot as a musician by the time we worked on my second album, “Headphones On”, and I was much more involved in the production process, although he was still the pilot. After college, I moved five hours away to Boston and was determined to take the training wheels off and write a solo album, and with my experience arranging and producing a cappella I felt more confident in doing so. I holed up in my apartment and laid down all the vocal tracks and 95% of the instrumentation. Naturally, in my shoebox Boston apartment, I don’t have room for the sophisticated studio sound system my dad does. I brought all the tracks to him, and we listened closely together on his 801’s and made final adjustments to the mixes. For a couple tracks we ended up laying down some live guitar tracks, courtesy of my dad, a professional guitar player. We’d write the parts together and he’d execute them acoustically into a microphone. We had way too much fun with amp sounds. We polished the mixes together, and then he mastered the tracks.
Would I recommend working with family? Short answer is yes, barring that the family members working together are focused on the music, not their egos. My dad and I have a great relationship and have no issue calling the other out when something sounds like crap. Don’t get me wrong, there are disagreements, but most often they end in compromise and laughs.
What do you hope listeners gain from your music, and more specifically, this album?
Above all else, I want my listeners to be entertained by my music. On any project I do I want my listeners to feel like there are moments where they can rock out and moments for introspection. With GEMINI specifically, I focused most of my writing and production efforts on creating catchy melodic hooks and harmonies. There is something special about the human voice and I hope that the vocal arrangements guide the listener along to exploring the depths of human emotion.
You recorded your debut album just after high school. That’s quite young. I’m sure you’ve gone through both personal and professional growth as an artist. How has this recording differed from the first?
First and foremost, my vocals and songwriting have drastically improved. I listen back to my first album and want to give myself a hug because of how young and vulnerable I sound. Back then my scope of writing, lyrically and musically, was narrower – most of my music was thematically centered around daydreaming about the prospect of being “extraordinary”. The best way I can describe it is when you ask a five-year-old what they want to be when they grow up and they answer, “The president and an astronaut!” Gemini is a much more mature album in the sense that it’s not about who I want to be when I grow up, rather the growing pains I feel in the here and now. This sentiment is reflected by some funky chord progressions and sticky background harmonies. I’ve also tapped into a satirical style of writing, which has been so much fun. What better way to confront uncomfortable feelings than with some dry humor!
If you could envision yourself five or ten years from now, what does the perfect picture look like for you as a successful recording artist? Are there artists you’d like to record with, or venues you’d dream about performing in?
The perfect picture for me would first and foremost include a strong listener base. I want my music to reach as many ears as possible and foster a sense of comfort and company through this wild journey of life. I would love to collaborate with Miley Cyrus. She knows how to rock it out like no other, and I think our voices and styles would complement each other amazingly. In terms of live performances, performing at a music festival like Coachella or Lollapalooza would be especially electric with such high energy crowds who are ready to let loose. If I’m dreaming really big, it would be unreal to open for Taylor Swift on one of her world tours.
It’s obviously not easy to make it in this industry. What would you say are the biggest challenges? And the biggest Rewards so far?
One of the biggest challenges for me is patience. Gemini is my third studio album and I can’t help but compare myself to artists that made it big on their first. I have to remind myself that at the end of the day, making music is part of who I am and brings me joy, regardless of who hears it. Finding that perfect background harmony to supplement the chorus is immensely rewarding within itself. If I keep doing what I love and working hard, the confetti will fall.
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