For a while, Rachel was still very nervous about playing in front of groups of people. “Thankfully I’ve moved past being nervous all day for a show,” she says, laughing. Once she began playing regularly she was able to transform her nerves into excitement. Between graduation and now Rachel did a college tour, where she experienced playing to large crowds and empty hallways. It was playing to various types of people that helped Rachel become comfortable with playing in general. Safe to say the nerves have worn off. “It’s not as big an ordeal as it was before,” she says, laughing. Writing is Rachel’s favorite part of being a musician. When writing she has a unique formula when it comes to putting together a song. She sits down with an instrument by herself and “mumbles, hums and speaks gibberish” until it becomes something. She finds it hard to write with others because her writing process is “embarrassing.” Her songs come to her all at once, and she compares songwriting to a lump of clay. “I have all this stuff and slowly it turns into something that can actually be shared,” she says. Rachel’s writing has changed dramatically since she first learned to write and she says her music has grown because of it. She’s learning to communicate her ideas and thoughts through her music, as well as learning to work with other musicians. She’s currently gearing up to release a new EP later this summer, which has been a goal of hers for a long time now. Above all, Rachel wants to be able to keep music as a career for as long as possible because “this is the work [she] loves to do.” Once the record is out she’ll continue building her fan base and getting her music out to a wider audience. One thing’s for sure, Rachel Brown is a name to know. NKD
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