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Rachel Loy |
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 In the spring of 2003, Rachel Loy was a pop star. She had a deal with Epic Records for the release of her self-penned single, "The Same Man," written for a friend who was serving in the Marines in Iraq. The pretty ballad was about reconciling the peaceful man she knew with the soldier who was fighting overseas. As the war unfolded, the song received nationwide attention, including extensive radio airplay and a live performance on the Today Show.
Loy's good fortune continued into the summer, as Epic flew her all around the country, arranging for cowriting and demo recording sessions with hit producers like Cliff Magness and Steve Kipner.
Then, as quickly as it had been switched on, Loy's spotlight went dark. In September she was unceremoniously dropped from Epic's roster. She returned to Boston that fall, just a regular Berklee student. In six short months, Loy had learned firsthand that the music business can be so fickle and move so fast, it can give a person whiplash.
But is she bitter? |
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No way.
"It was the absolute best thing that could have happened to me," she says. "I'm definitely not bitter towards the music business, even though it was a blow that knocked me on my back for a couple months."
Though it was short-lived, Loy's experience with Epic was instrumental in her development as an artist and as a person. In the hopes of "developing her sound," the label hooked her up with a variety of A-list songwriters and producers, the kind of people who had made stars of Avril Lavigne and Christina Aguilera. During these sessions, Loy would share her ideas for songs, while various producers and cowriters tried to mold her in the label's image, searching for a mega-hit that would promise a return on Epic's investment.
Although Loy was grateful for the opportunities she was given, artistically, things just didn't feel right.
"It was fun, but it was like, 'Hold on a second! I can't picture myself honestly creating something like this,'" she says. "I had no idea who I wanted |
 to be portrayed as. I had no idea what kinds of songs I wanted to write."
When she submitted the resulting demos to Epic, executives there said she lacked "direction." Though the rejection was painful, it brought with it some clarity.
"When it comes down to it, one person is going to like [my music] and one person's not. So I may as well do what I want to do. Then at least I like it," she says. "That's the main thing that I learned from all this. I have to really know myself and know what I want, or no one can help me."
In the end, her whirlwind relationship with a major label helped Loy develop a professional maturity well beyond her 20 years. But then, she started her professional life earlier than most. Loy was just 14 when she and her older sister, Sarah, landed a weekly gig in her hometown of Austin, Texas. Every Friday night for nearly four years the Loy Sisters Band performed at a club on the city's famed Sixth Street, with Rachel Loy playing bass, singing, and sharing songwriting duty.
Forming the band was her father's idea. A musician and former producer, he encouraged his daughters to play several instruments, sing, and write their own songs. He was the one who first put a bass in Loy's hands, taught her to play with confidence, and convinced her that she could have a career as a performing artist.
Eighteen years old and with four years of steady gigging under her belt, Loy arrived at Berklee ready to "conquer the school," she says. "I would see the key players in all the big shows and I knew I wanted to be like them. I knew from experience it takes a while to get established, so I got started right away."
Right off the bat, the confessed extrovert pursued high-profile gigs, eager to make a name for herself on campus and in the Boston clubs. She quickly became a sought-after bassist, as much for her laid-back charm as her solid bass grooves. At the same time, she honed her songwriting skills in classes with faculty members and mentors Pat Pattison, Jimmy Kachulis, and Jack Perricone.
Few who knew Loy were surprised when Epic came calling in the spring of her junior year. As she left Berklee for the summer, she had high hopes for her impending recording sessions and the possibility of future releases with Epic. At that time, returning to Berklee the following September seemed like "the worst-case scenario." And coming back to school that fall indeed proved difficult. "Berklee was a hard place to be. I was really unmotivated and extremely insecure," she says. "People would come up to me and say 'What's up, rock star? What's going on in your life?' and I'm like, 'Nothing.'"
Loy laid low for a semester, licking her wounds, all the while working on new songs. Now, a year after her moment of fame, she's back in the swing of things.
"I'm in five BPC shows. I'm out there again," she says. And once more Berklee is a fun place for her to be. "I really love and appreciate this place so much. I see the benefits of this education in my music all the time."
Loy's confidence has returned, along with her ambition. She jokes about "building the Rachel Loy Empire," and plans to begin recording a new album after graduating in August 2004. She's looking forward to giving the music business another try – this time on her own terms.
"The business is not some evil animal trying to eat you up. And, you know, you're talking to somebody who got chewed a little bit."
So what exactly is the Rachel Loy Empire?
"I want to be a longstanding artist. I want to have a distinctive sound that when people hear it, they go, 'That's Rachel Loy.' To do that takes more than just songwriting and more than just performing. It takes vision."
"Even if I have to do it all by myself. I know that I will do it. It's just about hard work."
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