Melanie Faye

Melanie Faye, playing her signature sky-blue Fender Stratocaster.

WHO SHE IS 

Melanie Faye is a 22 year old R&B guitarist and songwriter from Nashville, and her charm lies in the fact that she’s a dreamer who caught a lucky break. In 2017, a video she posted to Instagram of her shredding on her sky blue Fender Stratocaster went viral; it was retweeted by SZA and commented on by John Mayer. In an interview Mayer did with Billboard, he cited her as the last guitarist who blew him away. He knew her only by her old instagram handle, @rainbow_fever_1998_, and admitted that he had to look up her real name. 

So who is this girl? What’s her story?

Faye grew up in Nashville and has said her first introduction to guitar was through Guitar Hero, inspiring her to pick up the real thing. She attended the performing arts high school Nashville School of the Arts, where she studied jazz guitar. 

After her video went viral, she racked up followers and critical acclaim. She opened for rapper Noname in Chicago, then in 2018 she went on her first tour with Maggie Rogers, another example of an artist catapulted into the spotlight by a celebrity’s notice. Faye has recorded tracks with Willow Smith, Mac Demarco, Haley Williams, and other talented artists. 

WHY YOU SHOULD LISTEN 

In Faye’s playing, one can hear the influences of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Johnson, Michael Jackson, and Eric Gale, among other notable R&B and rock artists. Faye has said that some of her guitar runs are inspired by the vocal stylings of singers such as Mariah Carey and Kelly Price. Yet despite all these influences, this incredible mix of styles and musicians, she has a sound that is sweetly unique. Her usage of jazz chords as the foundation for her playing creates a complex, richly textured outcome; her fingers seem to fly across the strings and the guitar riffs sound closer to vocal runs than hardcore shredding. (Don’t be fooled though, she can shred just as well as the best of them.) 

When listening to her play, it almost feels like you are eavesdropping on her jamming in her bedroom, playing purely for the joy of it. You almost expect to hear her laughing, or exclaiming when she hits that note *just right*. Her songwriting speaks to the nostalgia of childhood, the pains and joys of growing up, and the uncertainty and bittersweetness of young love. 

WHAT YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO

Everything. Listen to everything. Because, why not? Faye has one self-titled EP out, and four singles. Once you’ve gotten through her Spotify discography, you’re not done yet. Watch her TinyDesk concert, filmed in her bedroom in August 2020, when the world was forced inside due to the coronavirus. After that, check out her Summit LA18 guitar tribute to Jimi Hendrix and Mariah Carey, which is available on YouTube. Speaking of YouTube, she has a channel where you can find guitar lessons, covers, and snippets of originals. Lastly, the place where it all began: Instagram. Employ those stalker skills you use when finding information about a friend’s new significant other and scroll through Faye’s instagram account, which is now @melaniefaye.