Callie Crofts

On the first day that Callie Crofts picked up a guitar she wrote a song. To this twelve-year-old daydreamer, expressing emotion through song came as naturally as running barefoot through grass on a hot summer day. Crofts’s childhood in the tiny farming town of Firth, Idaho, was like something from a storybook. Her father had been a professional musician since before she was born, and many nights she fell asleep to the sound of his bluegrass band practicing on the back porch. She was the youngest of 5 children in a country home filled with music and laughter. However, there was one experience, shared with her family, that would define all other experiences for her - when Callie was born her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer, and 8 years later she passed away. “I never thought, I want to play guitar, or, I’m going to try songwriting.” says Crofts. “I realize now that my daily confrontation with death at a very young age stole a bit of naivety and invincibility from me. I was a deep thinker. I needed to connect - to share real emotions with other people. Music was, and always will be, my therapy and meaning in a world where tragedy exists in abundance.” Although tragedy may have been the vehicle that carried deeper and darker realities into Crofts's life, her songwriting was never a vehicle for depression. The delightfully witty and intelligent lyrics that came from such a young mind constantly astounded people who heard her songs. Even as an adolescent girl, Crofts's lyrical subject matter ranged from deeply comedic analogies on love to messages of friendship and humanity in a dark world. In 2010 Crofts released her debut album “Zen Garden” although she had no audience to speak of. She was now married and living in Utah Valley. She had no degree, a part-time job, and a drive to somehow make music her life. Shortly after the release of her first album her music career was brought to life when her video for a Beatles cover song went viral on YouTube. She quickly won the hearts of a devoted global audience with her original songs, their catchy melodies and relatable lyrics. In the following years she traveled worldwide while pursuing her musical dreams - from Utah to Singapore to Los Angeles. In 2013 Crofts took a deliberate turn from her early folky acoustic sound to form indie alternative rock band, My Fair Fiend, with members Austin Cross (guitar), Zac Bryant (drums) and Kyle McCann (bass). The band's self-titled debut album was released in August 2013 and displays a darker, more haunting side of Crofts's songwriting. The title, My Fair Fiend, is meant to represent the release of her inner Fiend - a sort of artistic reincarnation. This sudden change in style was brought about after Crofts emerged from a turbulent divorce and reached self-actualization. “My music was suddenly raw and deeply true,” Crofts said. “It was no longer tamed or molded into an image I thought I should fit. It was just the pure expression I needed to help me survive the darkest and loneliest time of my life.” Although the new sound varies greatly from that of Crofts’s early work, “My Fair Fiend” is receiving praise from old fans and industry professionals alike. "There's a symbiotic quality to the music that makes it impossible to unglue the elements from each other. You can't just focus on one thing, it comes to you as a whole." -Marcos Codas, Goetia Media “The band creates dark, contemplative music charged with wit and raw emotion.” -Kristina Smith, The Universe (BYU) Singer/Songwriter. Check out my full band here: http://www.facebook.com/myfairfiend