What defines a ‘successful’ musician? Is it the amount of money they make from their art? The amount of followers they have on their social media? The number of views or streams they receive? From the perspective of a consumer, these numbers often equate to what an artist has accomplished. With the way the music industry has progressed, the common ‘fan’ has been transformed into a bookkeeper, and people often let statistics dictate what they determine as an achievement. To an artist, these numbers can mean nothing, as there is nothing outside of their own mind that can determine their success. For Lindsay Powell, best known now as Fielded, success is measured by how satisfied you are with the music you create. Artists like Fielded represent the difference between a true musician, and a businessman. What some people would view as mistakes were just stepping stones on the path Fielded took to become the artist they are today.

If you grow up with a passion for music, it only makes sense that you would dream of being a famous musician yourself. The idea of being a ‘diva’ on stage and touring the world performing your songs drew Lindsay in, and made them want to chase this dream. “I think it’s my spiritual calling. I’ve probably been a musician through many lifetimes.” Around 2003, when they were 15, Lindsay started writing music and songs. Even from this young age, they could tell the music industry was much different for women than it is for men. They noticed a trend where every indie label had their one token female artist, who was made to fit a certain image. It’s hard not to let insecurities alter your thinking, and make you believe that you too needed to be special, or look a certain way, to become an ‘indie darling.’ Around age 17, Lindsay would sign with Infinity Cat records, where they would release their first two albums under the name Cake Bake Betty. Their first album, “Songs About Teeth,” which they themselves now describe as ‘very twee, and very young,’ showcased the early signs of their song writing talents. The success of this album, and their second album “To the Dark Tower” afforded Cake Bake Betty the opportunity to tour the country and Europe, where they got to live out some childhood dreams of being on stage. The success of Cake Bake Betty would be enough for some artists, who would choose to follow the same formula they had been using to maintain this success. But for Lindsay, Cake Bake Betty wasn’t the end goal. They knew that this wasn’t who they wanted to be forever, and realized that they longed to become the more adult version of themselves. This desire for change leads to the birth of Festival, a new band Lindsay started with their sister Alexis. Festival released their first album “Come Arrow Come” in 2008, and toured shortly after. This project did not last long, as Lindsay still had this urge to change and experiment more. This is when Fielded is born. Fielded started as a noise project, so that Lindsay, a person who sees themselves as a producer first, could have more freedom to experiment with sounds and genres.

“I wanted to be challenged more. Fielded was a rebellion. I probably could have had more success (with previous projects) and I struggled with that decision. I didn’t want to do something I was growing out of, and then have to do that thing for the next 10 fucking years. I struggled with that decision a lot in my 20’s, but I’ve gotten to a place where I am so so glad I stepped away from that and decided to explore myself. Even though for years, no one gave two shits about Fielded, I was just doing it for the love of the game. There were tons of nights when I just broke down crying after shows, like ‘What the fuck am I doing? No one cares about this.’ But that’s what decides, you know, are you a business person, or a true musician?"

Looking at how Fielded has operated over the past 10+ years, you can definitely tell that this is not the art of a person who looks at music as a business, but one that acts based on their passion. With their more exploratory and experimental music style, it may seem hard to put Fielded in a box. With their last two releases on Backwoodz Records “Demisexual Lovelace” and “Plus One” we got a look at the more hip hop inspired and soulful r&b side of Fielded. They said that their new album is very different from their last. Proving again that their desire to experiment with music fuels them, Fielded worked with a co-writer and a studio band for the first time to create this new project. This project marks a new experience for Fielded, where they can delegate some responsibility and execute their vision best. Artists often struggle with the idea of wanting control over everything, but their skill range can limit the result of a product. Being able to have others help bring their ideas into reality, Fielded is able to focus more on being the lyricist again, and the executive producer who can show a more truthful vision.

A huge part of what makes Fielded so great is watching how they are constantly growing and changing. A lot of their mentality toward the music industry and making music as a whole has been shaped by the trauma of identifying as a female musician and being compared to others. Constantly being put into the box of “woman who makes music,” and told they had to be something else drove Fielded to exist in a way that can not be compared or replicated. Pushing the boundaries of genre, and age, and expectation, and image, all other rules and criteria that they had been made to feel oppressed by before, Fielded has been able to craft a career of thoughtful and unique music that they can genuinely enjoy every aspect of making.

“Im 36, I’m not like 24. So for me, I think when I got to around like 33, I was like ‘Well, this is it.’ And it was really honestly based on other women, I’ve seen people be ageist towards women in the music industry, and also just what other women were telling me about the music industry and getting older. I was like ‘I guess I’m done? I don’t know if I should just disappear and float away on an ice cap.’ But I got through that period of thinking nobody’s ever gonna care, and thinking I aged out of music, through therapy and other ways and just dialoguing with people, I got to this place where I’m like ‘Oh… I can just make music til I’m dead, it doesn’t matter. And no ones cared about Fielded much at this point so far, so what does it fucking matter? At this point, just keep making albums. Im doing this because I love it.”

I think there’s a lot to be learned from Fielded’s career so far. Their most success as Fielded came after learning how to make music for fun, and personal fulfillment versus chasing a goal. Their experiences guide their decisions, and help them grow as an artist. No project is the same as the last, because no human is the same as they once were. Having this dynamic energy has helped Fielded experiment with a variety of genres and speak truthfully about their emotions through their music. While this was once viewed as a project Lindsay created to escape and explore, Fielded now has become a direct representation of who Lindsay truly is as an artist, a creator, and a person. While it is unexpected that this journey would lead Fielded to become nestled in the soulful hip hop pocket of Backwoodz Records, their beautiful and eclectic voice shines brightly, and is a welcomed contrast to any rapper they appear alongside. I think its safe to say we can expect more great things from Fielded in the future. Keep your eyes peeled for Fielded’s next album, which their boyfriend has hilariously described as “sexy gospel music,” and will showcase the next chapter in their growth as an artist.

"Music is like my religion. I grew up catholic but my forever religion is music, its how I pray, its how I get through my day, its what guides me, its how I meditate on my experiences… I mean, I would be making music if nobody gave a shit about it.”

As always, here are 10 great movie recommendations from Fielded:

• 1: Mother Goose Rock n Rhyme (1990)
• 2: The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
• 3: To Die For (1995)
• 4: The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
• 5: Beetlejuice (1988)
• 6: The Warriors (1979)
• 7: Ms. 45 (1981)
• 8: Star 80 (1983)
• 9: Wild at Heart (1990)
• 10: Boogie Nights (1997)