babename

At the intersection of indie rock, dreamy pop, and jangly folk one finds the fearlessly vulnerable world of babename. Jamie Averley writes from the heart -- specifically the heart of a pandemic-times-baby-queer stumbling their way into a life worth living. Mildly awkward and painfully sincere, babename looks at the world through reborn eyes. With gentle wit and melody, their journal-esque overshares bring us into journey through fantasies of new beginnings, sapphic yearning, and musings on identity, power, and possibility.

For as long as they can remember, music has been the way Jamie Averley makes sense of the world. Songwriting offers both a window into someone’s thoughts and an emotional outlet in a way no other form of writing can. That sense of connection - between sound, story, and self - has guided their path from early piano lessons to the deeply personal songs that now define the debut record from babename.

By 2020, during a period of solitude and self-reckoning, music became even more intertwined with identity. Coming into their trans identity opened new creative doors, as artists born of the emotionally literate, confessional queer indie scene of the late 2010s (Boygenius, MUNA, Katie Pruitt) offered both representation and liberation.

Songwriting classes through School of Song soon followed, including sessions with Robin Pecknold, Miya Folick, and producer Philip Weinrobe (Adrienne Lenker). Writing a song a week, Averley learned to quiet their inner critic and trust the imperfection of an honest voice. What began as an exercise in craft became a practice in self-acceptance. Emboldened by Weinrobe’s challenge to release an album by their next birthday, Averley set to work, tracking at Studio Litho and Earwig Tacoma.

Highlights is a time capsule of transformation. A collection of songs about queerness, self-discovery, loss, and the courage to return to oneself. It explores the tension between leaving and coming home, the ghosts of religious trauma, the ache of global upheaval, and the beauty of finally taking up space in one’s own story. Still early in their career, Averley approaches their art with gratitude and curiosity. Each deeper step - writing, recording, performing - has returned meaning tenfold. “My voice, even as it wavers, has something to say” says Averley. “These songs have given me clarity and self-knowledge. I only hope they can do the same for someone else.”