Faye Webster: KCRW Live from HQ

Intimate performances, fresh sounds, and candid conversations with a view.

Written by Marion Hodges Apr. 25, 2024

Atlanta singer-songwriter Faye Webster cut her teeth as part of the high school rap collective PSA, then quickly established herself as an in-demand music photographer while simultaneously releasing five LPs over the span of the past decade(ish). Beginning with the bare-bones indie-Americana of 2013’s Run and Tell, she’s steadily established a sound all her own, combining her love of Southern roots music, indie-folk, hip-hop, and R&B — all filtered through dryly confessional wit.

On her acclaimed new LP Underdressed at the Symphony, Webster grapples with going viral via her previous records I Know I’m Funny Haha (2021) and Atlanta Millionaires Club (2019), and makes the experience somehow universal — her lyrics vocalize what so many of us think, but rarely say out loud. “I’m good at making shit negative,” she sings on “Wanna Quit All the Time.” “Right now I hate the color of my house…” It’s this ability to parse the mundanity of daily life through her lowkey-yet-distinct vocal twang and hip-hop bonafides that bolster her cross-generational appeal to hit straight in the gut.

While in town for her rapturously-received Coachella debut — complete with an appearance from her childhood pal Lil Yachty to perform their collab “Lego Ring” — Webster stopped by KCRW to get up close and personal. Check out the session to witness Webster (lead vocals, guitar, pianette) and her band — Noor Khan (bass, backing vocals), Matthew "Pistol" Stoessel (pedal steel, guitar), Annie Leeth (keys, sax, violin), and Charles Garner (drums, backing vocals) — drop a jam-packed set of Symphony highlights, including “Wanna Quit All the Time” and “Thinking About You.” Plus, back-catalog sensation “In a Good Way.”

And check out the interview below to hear Webster breaking down her “eBay Purchase History” to KCRW’s Novena Carmel. It includes the life-size Minion statue currently guarding the entrance way to her home (she’s really into Minions).

Explore more KCRW Live From sessions

Credits:

KCRW Music Director: Anne Litt
Interviewer: Novena Carmel
Director, Editor, Colorist: Angie Scarpa
Director of Photography: Kylie Hazzard
Camera Operators: Rachel Bickert, Kylie Hazzard, Angie Scarpa
Recording / Mix Engineer: Nick Lampone
Assistant Engineers: Hope Brush (Front of House), Katie Gilchrest
Executive Producer: Ariana Morgenstern
Producer: Anna Chang
Digital Producer: Marion Hodges
Digital Editorial Manager: Andrea Domanick
Lighting Design: Jason Groman
Art Director: Evan Solano

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