Jamie Drake

One of LA's best-kept musical songwriting secrets for over a decade -- collaborating with the likes of Sondre Lerche, Jim James, Moby, Sarah and Sean Watkins (Nickel Creek), and Mikael Jorgensen (Wilco) – Jamie Drake moved to the front of the stage with the 2019 release of her debut album Everything’s Fine (AntiFragile Music). The album, peppered with indie-folk-pop stylings wrapped in lush orchestrations, drew critical praise from around the world.

On New Girl, the sophomore album coming from Drake, her love for early 1970s Laurel Canyon folk unexpectedly meets Rio de Janeiro. Across the LP’s 11 tracks, the listener finds a raw and emotionally brave follow up that once again displays her ability to evolve as a dynamic artist. New Girl’s bossa influence came as a surprise - inspired by Getz/Gilberto '76, the live album by Stan Getz and João Gilberto, which Jamie discovered for the first time in 2020 while living in upper Ojai, California. “I listened to it every day while riding my bike around Meiners Oaks with my dog Moxie and a JBL speaker in the basket. I knew those songs had gotten into my marrow when I met and wrote ‘It’s A New Life’ with (producer) Rich Jacques as it’s the first song I’ve ever written with a bossa feeling to it. I knew I would make my next album with him after that. The feeling of that song was the world I wanted to keep living in musically.”

In the fall of 2021 Jamie and Rich reconvened along with artist and multi-instrumentalist Austin Myles Grant to start working on the new album. The trio was invited to record at a private residence set in the Santa Monica mountains. Seeped in the quiet of nature, they could fully unfurl and connect musically. In two weeks, New Girl was born.

Drake’s LP, ”Everything's Fine,” released on AntiFragile Music in the fall of 2019 and she toured nationally with artists like J.S. Ondara, Shawn Colvin, Josh Radin and Cat Clyd. She has been a regular at Largo for “Watkins Family Hour,” hosted by Sara and Sean Watkins, as well as Sondre Lerche’s monthly residency. Drake was also a part of Spotify’s BETA program for artists and was on the cover of their “Modern Eclectic” playlist for over a year and a half, winning her the attention of new fans across the globe in a time when playing live had ended for the foreseeable future.

Now, this June 2022, Drake’s love for early 1970s Laurel Canyon folk unexpectedly meets Rio de Janeiro in “New Girl,” once again displaying her ability to evolve as a dynamic artist in her time. “New Girl” is a raw and emotionally brave follow up to her last release, with 11 songs primarily recorded in single vocal takes; keeping her best performances along with raw, minor imperfections. The album was recorded in the Santa Monica mountains with producer, Rich Jaques, and fellow artist / multi-instrumentalist, Austin Myles Grant. It releases June 10th, 2022 on AntiFragile Music.