“My parents are actors and I was so inspired and enthralled by the idea of performing for an audience and making them feel things,” she says. “I started my first band when I was 15 to escape from the horrible time I was having at school. It gave me a chance to escape my reality, meet new people, and think about the future. I had started going to gigs that year and the idea of writing my own songs and performing was so exciting. Writing songs came naturally to me because I loved writing fiction and short stories and poetry already, so I started singing those stories instead.” 

Girli now describes her sound as, “left-field, quirky alt-pop that’s vulnerable but also bold as fuck.” Her latest release is the Matriarchy album, which she recorded over eight months from the end of 2022, in London, Stockholm and L.A. 

“The songs are about how I was experiencing my queerness at that time, how heartbreak was tearing me apart but also rebuilding me better, about experiencing healthy love for the first time, my struggles with my mental health, learning self-love and healing from everything," Girli says. "It’s a rollercoaster of an album.” 

For Girli, “DIY” means having complete creative control over her art. 

“Making all the major decisions about my project and being in full control of my touring, merch, and with an independent music distributor,” she says. 

Girli spent the last part of 2023 in internet hibernation, prior to her plans for a big 2024. 

“I always take like three weeks off social media over the holidays, it’s important to me to reset and manifest for the next year,” she says. “ 

For more information, visit girlimusic.com. 

“I used to perform ‘Tomorrow’ from the musical Annie for my parents’ dinner guests—really for anyone who would be my audience,” Melson said.

Melson describes her sound as an evolving story.

“It’s changing and finessing,” she said. “I’m finding my authentic voice. I started out like everybody does, trying to mimic my idols. That was some kind of a blend of Carole King mixed with doses of Stevie Nicks, Patsy Cline, Emmylou Harris, and Mazzy Star. [My new] record vocally is spare, unaffected, understated, intimate, and tender. You’ll be able to discern every word, which runs counter to the current trend of highly stylized vocal delivery that you hear all over the place right now. I wanted to do something arrestingly pure and pristine; something different from the norm.”

While Melson was with Nettwerk Records for her first album, she’s very much a DIY artist.

“I quickly learned that being your own advocate as an artist and having the self-discipline to produce work on a daily basis and to rely on yourself to follow through is the key to long-term opportunities,” she said 

Looking ahead into 2024, Melson is hopeful that some of her new songs find their way onto soundtracks.

“I just played a couple of shows this month, and will be playing out this spring in support of the record, which comes out in May, with singles leading up to the release,” she said. “I also have some videos in the works to accompany the songs.”

For more information, visit saramelson.com.

Photo by Nicho Mageras

She has a new single called “Rock Bottom,” which she has released herself, despite label interest following that Grammy win. She’s had an up-and-down time of it, and the song sees her reflecting on that. To be fair, it’s been quite a journey.

“I’ve been singing and dancing since I was a wee babe, but songwriting became a main focus of mine in my teenage years,” she says.

Barlow describes her solo sound as Katy Perry-meets-Alan Menken. 

“I love the bubblegum pop sound of the 2010s, with the theatrical storytelling and timeless melodies of the mastermind behind so many of my favorite Disney musicals,” she says. 

As well as the “Rock Bottom” single, Barlow’s Princess Pop album will be released early in 2024.

“‘Rock Bottom’ is the first single off my album Princess Pop: A Musical Fable, dropping in 2024,” she says. “This project has been a way to tell my story. To let my fans in on my POV, experiences I’ve had, and lessons I’ve learned. Each song was written with a different crew of collaborators at different times over the last two years, and tells a piece of my story through the lens of a different fairytale.”

Having made the choice to do this herself, Barlow has no regrets.

“The music industry is not what it once was, and that’s great in some respects and not so great in others,” she says. “As an independent artist, I try to look at the silver lining that being DIY means owning all of my music, having creative power over my project, and integrity in what my brand and messaging is.”

For more information, visit abigailbarlowmusic.com.

“I’ve always been a bit of a rebel without a cause, so as I grew up I spent a lot of my practice time improvising and writing my own songs instead of practicing what I was supposed to,” Bloom says. “Since I could write, I’ve been an avid writer of poetry and journaling, and it was my father who introduced me to the idea of songwriting and adding lyrics to music. The piano was my instrument for writing, but I made the switch to guitar at age 18 and something really clicked. I performed in classical piano recitals throughout elementary and middle school, but in high school I performed my own song on the piano with a drummer in the school talent show and won first place. That’s when I knew this could be something and that my songs could reach people.”

She describes her sound as unpredictable, skirting around the punk sub-genres. That can all be heard on the recent It’s Me EP.

“It’s Me is a compilation of six songs I had written over a year and a half that all belong in the same chapter of my life,” Bloom says. “The common themes are self-love, owning and recognizing self-worth, and reflection and growth. All the songs except "Boxes" were recorded here in Nashville at Battle Tapes Studio, and engineered by Jeremy Ferguson, who also recorded my first EP. The lead guitarist on the songs, Jacob Carey, engineered "Boxes" in his home studio. The tracks feature Brian Chinino on drums, Levi J Miller on bass guitar, Jacob Carey on lead guitars, and me singing and playing rhythm guitar.”

For Bloom, “DIY” means being true to yourself and keeping it real.

“It means doing what you like versus what you think you should do or is expected of you,” she says. “I really strive to maintain this in my music and my music videos, and I think that’s something that people really like about me. That’s why my sound is a bit unpredictable, really, because I do what I want and what I like and what the songs want versus shaping it into something that fits in a box to ‘stay on brand.’” 

For more, visit verabloom.net.

“I have always loved performing, singing and dancing,” Kate says. “I actually started singing before I could talk! When I expressed an interest in creating music, my dad built my brother and I a studio for him to produce and me to sing. It was always a passion of mine to perform, whether that be in front of family, friends or an audience.”

    The glory of the internet for the modern musician is that they can literally do everything themselves. Create the music, mix and master the music, put it out there for an audience to discover, market and promote it—the online world is their oyster and it’s truly DIY.

“I am involved in every step of the music-making process, from the actual music to the business of it,” Kate says. “My music means everything to me, so I like to guide it every step of the way.”

Kate’s debut album, Super Over was released on September 15 and she’s heading out on tour to promote it in the States over the fall. It’s a wonderful piece of work and her success is well deserved. Still, it’s a huge challenge to stand out in the online space when so many other people are trying to do the same thing. For Kate, the secret is authenticity.

“I stay authentic to myself and what the songs are about. I think it’s important to do the same thing until that said thing clicks, and people start to understand why I do things the way I do.”

With the album ready to go, the remainder of 2023 will be a busy time for Leah Kate.“So many exciting things: a headlining tour this September, new album, exciting performances and an unannounced tour,” she reveals.

Go get ‘em.

For more information, visit leahkatemusic.com.

“My folks weren’t musical (my dad is actually tone deaf), but they loved music in all forms, so I was very fortunate they had some of the very best classical, pop, folk and rock in their album collections... and the forethought to have a piano in their living room in case I took to it,” Sage says. “I initially started writing songs to express my feelings about being bullied in school, but also I can remember having a very clear vision after watching shows like American Bandstand and Solid Gold that ‘That’s what I want to do!’ I just felt, instinctively, there was an otherworldly magic in performing―not only singing but also dancing and acting―and have been thoroughly immersed in the creative arts ever since!”

As she got older, Sage started writing and recording her own music, and performing live at N.Y.C. venues such as the Bitter End, CBGBs and Siné. She would eventually tour with Ani DiFranco, and she won the Lilith Fair Talent Search. Things have progressed steadily ever since.

Owning her own label, Sage is legitimately DIY but she recalls her time when she would consider herself more so.

“For me, DIY as a term brings to mind a time when I was literally recording myself in my basement, mixing my own demos, cutting out my xeroxed artwork with scissors to insert it into cassette cases, writing hand-written notes to music biz contacts in meticulous calligraphy and saying a prayer as I dropped meticulously prepared packages into the mailbox,” Sage says.

Looking ahead, Sage is working on an acoustic version of her latest album, The Other Side, and she’s performing live―check out her website for a full list of dates.

For more information, visit rachaelsage.com.

“The song I penned, ‘I’m Just a Sailor,’ became the theme,” Black says. “I didn’t know I was a songwriter until that moment, rather a poet. After the film, as an actor with a Bachelor’s degree in cinematic production concentrated in screenwriting, inspiration flowed through me to create other character-oriented songs: ‘Billy the Kid,’ ‘Feathers of a Phoenix,’ and the ‘Mermaid Song’ (sequel to ‘I’m Just a Sailor’).” The melody and lyrics emerged from the depths of my imagination via the magical piano keys as a story telling device.”

Black’s latest release is the “Puppet Show” single, featured on her Hollywood Blvd album.

Having directed her video, written her songs, and played multiple instruments throughout her career, Black has a strong understanding of what it means to be a DIY musician.

“DIY personally draws upon the painstaking process to create art with a minimal budget,” she says. “Time is of the essence to remain current and time is something that slips away quickly as a DIY artist that does almost everything on their own. It really takes a team to accomplish visceral imagery and sonic recordings. Orson Welles once stated ‘The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.’ ‘Do it yourself’ is synonymous with thinking outside of the proverbial box and relying on creativity for the answers.

“It is a daunting task to be an independent artist but the love/passion/ is there and that’s what keeps pushing me forward along this arduous adventure called being a DIY artist/musician.”

Black will next release the single “Airplane Mode,” with a video to follow. Despite the challenges that face DIY musicians, she’s here for the long haul.

For more information, visit beckblack.com.

“I started my first band when I was 16, just me and my friends trying to make music we liked,” says Austin. “Fast forward a decade, and I had toured a decent amount but never really found much wider success than our core fans. Then 2020 kinda shook everything up, and I was back to square one with my music. So, I started going in a totally new direction.”

Austin and Taryn found themselves quarantined together at their parents’ home, so they started creating music together.

“Durry honestly came about pretty naturally from us just bouncing ideas off of each other and making something we both liked,” Austin says. “We started really working together in 2020, put out our first song and played our first few shows in 2021. Then late 2021 is when we really picked up traction and the gears started turning from there.”

DIY is an important concept for the Durry pair. It’s a way of life, and it’s the way they’ve always gotten everything done. “Growing up we never had much” Austin says. “If we didn’t DIY it didn’t happen. So honestly, DIY is the only way we’ve ever done anything and I think it’s actually been a really valuable experience. When you’re writing songs, producing the songs, filming the videos, editing the videos, taking your own photos, designing your own merch, it really gives everything a cohesive vision. Now that things are moving, we’re learning to delegate those tasks more, but also trying to hang onto that DIY drive. I think that ultra-focused, cohesive vision is what has made this work so well so far.”

    Durry releases a debut album, Suburban Legend, in October— something they see as a reward for their grind to this point. But they’re not ready to slow down.

   Visit facebook.com/DURRYMPLS

“Some of my first performances were when I was a kid around six years old and my brother and sister and I would put on circus shows in the living room with silly skits for our parents,” she says. “It was soooo fun! I really enjoyed performing and making our mom and dad laugh.”

She kept learning, and eventually fame found Phantom Blue. 

“It was not easy in those times for women to be taken seriously in a heavy metal band, and I believe we broke a lot of stereotypes with what we were doing,” McDonald says.

McDonald also performs in an all-female Iron Maiden tribute called the Iron Maidens.

“It has truly evolved into something beyond our wildest dreams with a tribute band,” she says. “We are so lucky to have been doing this for almost 22 years now! That is longer than most bands and marriages last! We recently did a six-week 

European tour supporting the band Accept with 29 shows in 30-something days!”

Regarding the concept of DIY, McDonald says that music is the musician’s creation and they can cut out the middle man. “When Phantom Blue was signed to Geffen Records, the biggest major label for our genre of music, we suddenly seemed to have a large recording budget, yet it took years to finally get the album done with waiting on deadlines to come and go,” she says. “These days are different than in the ’90s. There are so many home recording methods for writing and recording, and professionals with home studios at their disposal, as well as friends who are knowledgeable at their craft, you don’t really need to spend that money anymore.”

For more, visit theironmaidens.com.

“I grew up in Northwest Detroit, where public schools offered music lessons,” Gross says. “The traveling instructor would go around asking if anyone wanted to play an instrument. My hand shot up, so I volunteered to learn drums. My parents had gotten divorced when I was 7, so I was feeling spiritually lost. I discovered an alternate world existing on our big hi-fi radio, and became obsessed with music.”

Gross works with his “wife, best friend and partner” Linda Lexy, a renowned DJ, podcaster and all-round music expert, with Funky D Records. 

“I had been producing records for Fat Possum Records in Mississippi, and also done some things for Alive!/Bomp,” he says. “I had a huge body of work that people needed to hear. Lexy suggested we start a record label, so our daughter, Melanie, and I, designed a logo, using our dog Nigel’s head. The releases have all been well received. Lexy brings skills at promotion, booking live Funky D Events, den mother, A&R person, or whatever needs to get done.”

“The biggest nod of approval came from producer Don Was, who played bass on three of our releases,” Gross says. “Don is brutally honest, and while listening to a playback, he remarked, ‘It shouldn’t sound this GOOD, but it does!’”

Lexy adds in conclusion: “To me, DIY means trusting ourselves, our instincts and what we feel, what we connect to most and want to represent us as artists and music lovers. It’s what motivates us to stay the course and not compromise our integrity when it comes to what we are presenting to the world with what we release on Funky D and all of our promo to support it... We are the epitome of DIY. Detroit It Yourself.”

For more information, visit funkydrecords.com.