From Bedroom Recordings to Album Release: Lindsey Ferguson's Journey

Welcome to this week's Indie Artist Music Hustle with Blonde Intelligence. I am your host, Ms. Roni, and I always seek to give you exquisite cranial repertoire. Ever wondered what happens when musical passion meets life's unexpected turns? Lindsey Ferguson's story captivates as she reveals the winding path that led to her debut album "Being a Girl" on this episode of Indie Artist Music Hustle.

Lindsey takes us from her early songwriting days at age 11 through her music business education at NYU, where she gained crucial knowledge about distribution, royalties, and promotion strategies that many independent artists miss. She offers a fascinating comparison between the New York and Los Angeles music scenes—noting that while both cities overflow with talent, LA's physical spaciousness creates more opportunity for meaningful artistic connections and collaborations.

The heart of our conversation unveils the deeply personal journey behind "Being a Girl." Lindsay's album chronicles her evolution from struggling with dating in New York City to completing her master's degree during pandemic isolation (celebrating her virtual graduation alone in her childhood bedroom) to falling in love with a producer who taught her production skills over Zoom. That creative partnership blossomed into both romance and artistic collaboration when she moved to Los Angeles, forming "Ned and Wendy the Band" with her now-fiancé.

We dive into the tension many artists feel between creative authenticity and marketing demands. Lindsey candidly admits that social media pressures initially deterred her from fully committing to music, though she's now reluctantly embraced platforms like TikTok while maintaining her artistic integrity. Her approach balances building a genuine online presence while acknowledging the practical necessities of music promotion.

Listen to "Being a Girl" on all streaming platforms and follow Lindsey's musical journey on Instagram @lindseybinsey95 or YouTube at Lindsey Ferguson Music. Whether you're an aspiring musician or simply love hearing stories of creative resilience, this episode offers both practical wisdom and heartfelt inspiration. Remember to follow me @BlondeIntelligence or hit me on the website for questions, scheduling, or to cop your merch at www.Blonde-Intelligence.com.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
Hello everyone.
Welcome to this week's IndieArtist Music Hustle with Blind
Intelligence.
I'm your host, ms Ronnie, whereI always seek to give you
exquisite cranial repertoire.
This week we have a veryspecial guest.
We have Ms Lindsay Ferguson.
Say hello to everyone.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Thank you, Ronnie Hi.

Speaker 1 (00:27):
How are?

Speaker 2 (00:29):
you doing?
I'm doing.
Well, I've been promoting therelease of my new album, being a
Girl, this past weekend, and soI've been kind of on the
computer or on my phone prettymuch non-stop for the past
several days.
So we're getting a littleoverwhelmed, but happy.

Speaker 1 (00:50):
Okay.
Well, what we're going to do iswe're going to start out with
letting you tell everyone alittle bit about yourself.

Speaker 2 (01:00):
Sounds great.
So I'm a 26-year-oldsinger-songwriter.
I live in Los Angeles with myfiancé, jordan.
He and I are also in a bandcalled Ned and Wendy the Band.
I started making music for funwhen I was like 11 years old.

(01:24):
I've been writing songs for aslong as I can remember and after
I graduated from college Imoved to New York City where I
got my master's in musicbusiness at NYU and while I was
doing that I was working on someof the songs that are on the

(01:44):
album that just came out, andthat was actually how I
connected with my now fiance andthen, during quarantine,
decided to move to Los Angelesto live with him and start our
band, and it's just been sort ofa musical whirlwind for the
past two years or so and I'mreally excited to have put out

(02:08):
my first album after all of that.

Speaker 1 (02:11):
I feel really good about it okay, so tell me this I
interviewed another artist onceand she told me that she felt
like Los Angeles was verycongested and people trying to
make it in different aspects ofthe entertainment industry.

(02:32):
So do you think, coming fromNew York, coming from New York,
do you think that between bothplaces, which place is the best
place for a new artist to starttheir career?

Speaker 2 (02:49):
oh, okay, that's I think.
I think it really.
I think in part it depends onthe kind of music that you're
making, um, and I mean, I I'mhonestly not entirely sure right
now what, what kind of genresor sounds would would work best

(03:11):
in what city.
But I know, at different times,you know, you've had more of
like an underground, you knowpunk scene in New York and
meanwhile you've got sort oflike you know the hippie music
and then moving forward, thenyou have more of like a hip hop,
you know sound in LA with likeindie in New York cities.

(03:40):
But I guess what I've found isthat I think, because there is a
little more space in LA,there's still a ton of people
and we're all kind of trying todo the same thing, but like
physically, there's more space.

(04:02):
Um, when you do come intocontact with people, I think
there's there's more time thatpeople put into getting to know
each other, whereas in New Yorkeverything's very crowded,
there's people all around,you're moving at a much faster
pace.
So sometimes I think personalconnection, which can also be a

(04:23):
creative connection, can be, youknow, missed in that city, and
I think for me that's been thethe biggest like positive of
living in LA has just been thatpeople take more time to connect
with each other, and that'sbeen really helpful as an artist
okay, so tell me this I knowyou told me that you started

(04:46):
doing music as a hobby when youwere 11 and that you moved to LA
to be in a band.

Speaker 1 (04:53):
So, with this being your first project, have you
ever done anything else as asolo artist outside of a band,
or is being in a band a brandnew thing for you?

Speaker 2 (05:07):
um, yeah, I I've, as as a solo artist.
Um, I've released severalsingles before this album.
Um, I recorded a live albumwhen I was in london a couple
years ago and you know I'veplayed.
I I was in London a coupleyears ago and you know I've

(05:27):
played live at a couple of smallvenues, specifically in New
York.
I've played at like Pianos andRockwood and Arlene's Grocery,
which are all kind of like EastVillage spots for young artists.
This is my first time havingmoved to LA.
This is my first time being apart of a band and that's an

(05:54):
entirely new experience, becauseI think before I was in a band,
making music felt more likejust something I've always done
and not quite a hobby.
It's more, you know, a part ofme than that.

(06:15):
But now, being in a band,there's a little bit more
intention, a little moreplanning.
You know, working with anotherartist, collaborating, it's not
just kind of the, it's not justthe stuff that just comes out of

(06:36):
me on a regular basis.
You know it's it's it's it'smore of a practice and you know
it's like a sport.
You know I'm not just really,you know I'm not just someone
who happens to be good at, youknow, dribbling a basketball
when I'm playing around with it.
Now it's like I have topractice the drills, I have to

(06:57):
figure out the offense and thedefense and it's, I think it's
been really.
I think that's been really goodfor me as an artist.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
Tell me how do you think your background in music
business has helped you as anartist.
Well, I mean well, wait aminute, let me let me back up,
help you as in not making somecommon mistakes that you see
other new artists make yeah,yeah, it's, it's.

Speaker 2 (07:33):
It's been very, very helpful in that way, um.
So again, you know, I justreleased, um, my my first big
album as a solo artist, and I'vedone all of the marketing for
it, all of the promotionalcontent, all the outreach, um,
and the courses that I took inmy master's program really

(07:59):
helped me with, kind of like thefirst steps.
You know, figuring out what areall the outlets that I can send
my music out into, what are,what are, you know, areas that I
hadn't thought about before,that I hadn't thought about
before, like, you know, pr Ihadn't thought about, you know,
press releases when I wasreleasing my singles, when I was

(08:23):
early, whenever I was younger,and so, you know, I started
looking into pitching to musicblogs, which led me to this
really cool site called Musosoup.
I don't know if you've heard ofit.
I have a feeling it's probablymuch more common than I ever
realized, um, but you know what?

(08:46):
there's several of them oh yeah,maybe I should.
Maybe I should try a couplemore, but uh, you know, looking
into something like that wasreally helpful, you know,
knowing it's not just aboutposting on my own social media,
um, and then you know,distribution can be a

(09:10):
complicated thing.
Figuring out how to get yourroyalties, making sure you're
also collecting publishingroyalties and not just the
recording royalties.
You know it's almost impossibleto make any money as a musician
anymore unless you're playing alot of live shows.
So to make sure that you're,you know, getting revenue from

(09:34):
all possible streams is reallyimportant.
Don't forget about your merchsales.

Speaker 1 (09:37):
What'd you say Don't forget about your merch sales.
What'd you say?
Don't forget about your merchsales.

Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yes, yes, well, I actually I did.
I made merchandise, I usedShopify to set up an online
merchandise store and that'sbeen helpful.
So, yeah, it's been fun kind ofthinking strategically and

(10:06):
coming up with, like an overallcreative plan for how to get
music out there, how I want tobe represented as an artist and
also just like creating theartwork around the album.
It's been really fun.

Speaker 1 (10:21):
Tell me a little bit more about your album.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
So yeah.
So the album started when I wasliving in New York city.
I was getting my master'sdegree.
I was a decree degree.
I was a single woman doing theonline dating thing, having a
hard time and eventually COVID.

(10:47):
So you get in the album to kindof travel with me back home to
live with my parents.
I actually finished my master'sdegree online.
I had my graduation ceremony Iexperienced while sitting in my

(11:07):
childhood bed by myself.
I remember I asked my dad if hewanted to watch and he asked
how long it was and I told himand he was like that's okay, so
I just sat in my room by myselfwhile I graduated from my
master's program and finishedschool.
I did throw my little hat up inthere.
We got hats, so that was good,um, so during that time that I

(11:30):
was at home, I kept writing andI had never, um, tried to
produce any of my own musicbefore.
I'd always sought otherproducers to work with or
thought that songs that Irecorded on my own weren't, um,
you know of the quality of musicthat I could actually release.
So I invested in a microphoneand a DAW and I got Logic and I

(12:05):
started trying to produce my ownmusic and at that time I was in
touch with a producer who I hadworked with remotely before and
over FaceTime and Zoom.
He started giving me kind oflessons in how to produce and we
ended up falling in love and sothat's all, that's all in the

(12:29):
album, love and uh.
So that's all, that's all inthe album.
And so then from my parentshouse I moved to Los Angeles
where that producer was alreadyliving, and he and I moved into
a house together and the finalseveral songs of the album are
songs that I wrote and recordedand produced or co-produced with
my fiance from our house thatwe're in now in Los Feliz.

(12:50):
So you get sort of this, youknow full story, not full story
in my life, of course, but kindof a story of a young woman
who's, you know, dealing with alot of the you know daily
struggles that we deal with.
You know daily struggles thatwe deal with and you know I, and

(13:12):
then of course the non-dailystruggles, like COVID, but of
course we all deal with that too.
And I think you know it's sucha long album because I've been
recording these songs notknowing how I would release them
, but when there was finally afeeling of resolution in my own
life.
That's whenever I knew it was.
It was ready to go out into theworld.

(13:35):
So you know it's, it's, it's ajourney.

Speaker 1 (13:37):
The album so you would say that the album is more
you into your life yeah, yeahit's.

Speaker 2 (13:58):
It's a very, it's a very intimate album.
Um, it's very personal, but Ido think that because it gets so
specific and so personal thatthere are actually really um
kind of like tangibleexperiences and feelings that
that listeners can can connectwith are there any songs that

(14:19):
you cook from the album?
Um, well, I mean, there are somany songs that I have written
um over the last four years anda lot of them the majority of
the songs that I've that I'vemade are not in the album.

Speaker 1 (14:34):
Um talking about all the songs that you made.
But you know how, when you gothrough all of the songs and
you'd be like, okay, this madethe cut for the album, then
we're gonna have a final cut.
And you come to the final cutand be like, yeah, so were there
any songs that you had to cutfrom the album?

Speaker 2 (14:54):
um, I'm trying to think I once I really once I
decided I was certain that Iwanted to release it as an album
, um, and not just break it upinto smaller eps, and I and I
put the album together.
I think everything that I Iincluded in the first run is
still on there, okay tell meabout social media.

Speaker 1 (15:22):
I have heard they call the beast.
I have heard of and called timeconsuming and people just get
other people to do it.
What is your personal take onsocial media as being an artist?

Speaker 2 (15:34):
um, it's honestly the it's a large part of the reason
why I quit off um committingfully to being an artist for as
long as I did, why, I mean, Ithink when I was in grad school,
especially because it was amusic business program, so many
of the professors were talkingabout music from the business

(15:58):
perspective, from making moneyfrom data, and everything was
social media.
Social media, they need to havethis many followers and this,
this many likes and and theyneed to have a brand and and
look this way and this aesthetic.
And I was so not into that and,um, I and I felt really, um,

(16:25):
really disheartened by that, bythis idea that, okay, well, if I
want to be a music artist, thenI have to commit all my time to
social media, but I really justwant to make music and, um, I
think recently, I mean it hasfor the past, you know, month,

(16:48):
that's absolutely been the case.
I have been completely consumedby social media and, you know,
I'm really excited for the daywhen I can hire someone to do it
for me.
But right now, you know, Ithink I, now that I, now that I

(17:12):
am putting myself out there asan artist, I want to make sure
that the foundation of you knowthese sites where you're seeing
who I am, how I'm presentingmyself.
I want to make sure that I havecontrol over that and that you
know what is being put out intothe world is really coming from
me.
You know what is being put outinto the world is really coming
from me and then at some point,you know I can hand it off with

(17:33):
something that's already youknow kind of in the shape that
I'm looking for and say, yeah,just continue with this.
And yeah, I just got a TikTok,like five days ago.
I put that off for a reallylong time because I also I'm I'm
very like, sensitive to noisesand things and I find TikTok to

(17:59):
be incredibly overstimulatingand I hate how, if I open it, it
just starts playing immediately.
Um, that are your settings.
I can, I can fix that.
Yes, I'm learning so much.
I gotta fix that because itseems like a kind of unavoidable

(18:19):
, uh, necessity as far as likepromoting yourself as an
independent artist.
But I I also hate being on itokay, well, I thank you for
coming.

Speaker 1 (18:35):
I want you to tell everybody your social media
handles how they can find youthe name of your album, your
latest single, anything elsethat you would want to tell us
about Lindsay okay.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
So I am on Instagram at lindsaybinsey95 Lindsay Okay.
Um, so I am on Instagram atLindsay Binsey.
Nine five, uh.
L I N D S E Y B I N S E Yunderscore.
No, there's no underscore.
I'm sorry, just go straight tothe nine five.
I'm too much social media.

(19:09):
There's too many differentthings.
Um, you can find my band oninstagram at ned and wendy
underscore the band, and that'sn-e-d-a-n-d-w-e-n-d-y underscore
the band.
Um, I'm on tiktok FergusonMusic, I think, and I'm also on

(19:36):
Facebook as Lindsay Ferguson.
You can find my music on yourpreferred streaming platform.
My newest album is called beinga Girl, and I'm also on youtube
as lindsey ferguson music, andI guess all I would like to
leave you with is uh, I reallydo, uh, implore you to listen to

(20:04):
the album.
I think that any listener willbe able to find something to
connect with in it and, ifnothing else, it is an hour of
getting some sort ofunderstanding of what it means
to be a girl you heard her.

Speaker 1 (20:20):
You can find her on all streaming platforms.
You can find her at lindseyferguson music, on YouTube,
facebook and her Twitter and,I'm going to assume, instagram.
You can find us on the podcast,on all your podcasts and
preferred podcasting platforms.
Find us on YouTube, facebook,instagram and on the website at

(20:44):
wwwblonde-intelligencecom.
Thank you for coming.
Thank you for coming.
Thank you.
Bye.