Every artist has something to say, a story to tell, or message to send. And each has a desire to connect with listeners through their music. Bay Faction, Banshee, Nieman, and BØRNS are no different. These four artists, who have established careers and loyal fanbases, use their music about love, loss, personal growth, and healing to inspire audiences. While each artist has a different perspective—Bay Faction’s rock ethos, Banshee’s “scream pop,” Nieman’s R&B storytelling, and BØRNS’ indie-pop sound—they are all committed to innovation underscored by their partnership with DistroKid, a platform that helps independent musicians keep control of their music while distributing it to the masses.
American Songwriter caught up with these artists to talk about their creative processes, upcoming projects, and how DistroKid has supported their journeys.
Bay Faction
The trio of Jake Nuffer, James McDermott, and Connor Godfrey has been making music for over a decade. They released their self-titled debut album in 2015 and found a dedicated following. However, the band decided to break up in 2020, choosing not to continue. Fast-forward to 2023, when the band got back together with a new song, “Drive Home.” They recently released a second song, “Sunshine,” to the delight of fans, and have a slew of new projects planned for 2025—as well as the 10th anniversary of their debut album—to look forward to.
American Songwriter: What were the early days like for the band when you guys first got together?
James McDermott: It was really great. There was no pressure, there was very little direction, and it was a lot of fun. It was just the three of us, and we really focused on people. We played a bunch of house shows in Boston, Massachusetts, played in people’s basements, recorded in people’s basements, and just tried to figure it out from there. And the early days of touring were also a lot of fun. We did it mostly in our three-seater pickup trucks up and down the East Coast, also in backyards and people’s parking lots and things like that.
AS: Where did the name Bay Faction come from?
JM: I think we were looking for geographical relevance at the time. And being from Massachusetts, there’s not a whole lot of regional pride, I guess. So we found a place, Massachusetts Bay, and we were like, we’re a faction of musicians from the Massachusetts Bay Area, and almost a decade later, nobody still knows what that is.
AS: For folks who have not heard you guys or would be new to you guys, can you describe your music and sound?
JM: Bay Faction overall is a hyper-confessional, hyper-personal documentary style of songwriting. And the music itself is now turning into a faster rock feel. It’s like The Sheer mixed with the most recent post-punk wave happening. We’ve always been inspired by songwriters of the ’80s, a lot of Midwest emo of the late ’90s, and this rock meets the rest of the world production style that has taken us a long time to stumble across and figure out and formulate.
AS: What do you want people to take away with them when listening to the new music “Drive Home” and “Sunshine” that is out now?
JM: If you had to boil it down to one, the overall message is awareness, and take pleasure in your awareness. There’s so much in every single interaction. It’s awareness. If you’re truly searching for a more exciting life, focus on your awareness and the things around you.
AS: You’ve been working with DistroKid to get your music out. What has it been like working with them?
JM: Fantastic. Yeah, it’s been great. And it’s great too because you can do the splits and everything like that. So you can do co-writes and things, you get the email, “You can add it to this track,” and it’s really easy to track your royalties. They’ve done a lot to streamline that and to clear the veil between you and getting your music on Spotify.
AS: What does 2025 look like for Bay Faction?
JM: A lot. It’s going to be a lot of touring. We’re taking the next couple of months to really upgrade our live show. It’s going to be a lot of new music, and it’s going to be building towards that longer project that I mentioned. So yeah, you can see us on the road. We’re going to be out quite a bit starting in February. We have a monthlong full U.S. tour, and by the time this comes out, we’ll have a smaller project out, an EP.
Banshee
Rachel Knight, professionally known as Banshee, an LA-based former heavy metal singer, is taking her music in a new direction. After releasing three studio albums— F–k With a Banshee (2021), Fairy Metal (2022), and Birth of Venus (2023)—Banshee is set to release Fables this week. “I call it scream pop, so it’s pop but with screaming,” she says of her current vibe. A return to metal isn’t out of the question for Banshee, but for now, the artist who writes, sings, and produces all her own music is staying in the ‘80s pop, high-fantasy world of Fables.
AS: Where does the name Banshee come from?
Banshee: I’ve always loved mythology, and the name just clicked; it made sense because I scream a lot in my music. But also, I am very outspoken, and I say what I want in my music, so it’s literal and figurative.
AS: For people who have not heard your music, can you describe it and tell what your sound is today?
Banshee: I call it scream pop, so it’s pop but with screaming, basically. I’m inspired by synth-pop and dark wave, which sounds like vintage pop. If ’80s pop music had metal screaming in it, that’s my current vibe.
AS: You took a little break and switched from heavy metal. Did you find this type of music more energizing?
Banshee: To be honest, this was my plan all along. I love all the different types of music. And I’ve been kind of threatening from the beginning that one day I’m going to go into pop, and I’m going to bring screaming into pop. It was going to happen, and I just felt like now was the time.
I might do metal again one day. I still love it. I love all different types of music, but I think pop is also a challenge for me in that [it’s] creating something commercial. Because I do it all myself, start to finish, I produce everything. So, to have a finished product that sounds like something that could be on the radio is very validating for me and fun, as just a challenge.
AS: You have a new album, Fables, coming out this month. Can you share what we can expect from it?
Banshee: It is more pop-sounding. It’s inspired by dark wave, synth-pop, city pop, and dungeon synth, and it’s more upbeat. It still has the same Banshee energy, but it’s less angry and more upbeat, I would say, and you can dance to it.
AS: What do you want people to come away with when listening to Fables?
Banshee: I hope it brings them to another world, somewhere else, somewhere good. And I hope that it empowers people. One of the main messages of the album is truth versus lies, so I hope it inspires people to think for themselves and seek the truth.
AS: You’ve been using DistroKid to distribute your music. How has it been working with them?
Banshee: I found them when I was just looking for a way to distribute my music and just be in control of it. It’s been great working with them. I love being in control of my music and everything. I love the transparency and the fact that there’s an option where if you pass away or something, your music is there forever. Before I found DistroKid, I thought there was so much red tape in trying to get my music up there. So it just made everything easier and simple.
AS: What else can we expect from you in 2025?
Banshee: More music. I’m going to do another pop project, more pop after this.
Nieman
Nieman, a Filipino-American artist who met his wife of four years singing in church, is taking the music world by storm. His 2017 single “Why Do I Still?” hit the Top 10 on Spotify’s U.S. Viral charts, and he followed that up by releasing “Knots” with his cousin Moira Della Torre, the Philippines’ most streamed solo artist. He recently wrapped a tour opening for Filipino-American artist AJ Rafael and released his R&B track “Shoot My Shot” to rave reviews. With more music on the horizon, Nieman has become an artist to watch.
AS: How did you get involved in music and songwriting?
Nieman: I started in church. I was on the worship team. I grew up in the church where my parents met and actually where I met my wife. My parents were both part of the choir, so I was always surrounded by music. My mom is an incredible singer, and I just grew up in ministry and singing in the church, so that’s when I started. I just grew up loving music and loving singing.
AS: For those who haven’t heard your music, how would you describe it?
Nieman: I am a R&B pop artist. I grew up with R&B music—Brian McKnight, Boys II Men. I grew up on NSYNC, with pop and stuff, so I am drawn to narratives and emotional lyrics.
AS: You released “Shoot My Shot” in October. Can you tell us a little about that song?
Nieman: I love the phrase ‘shoot my shot.’ I’ve been hearing people say that when they want to try to pursue somebody. I always thought it was fun. I always loved the writing exercise of being able to build a world around the theme of love but in a different space. So with this song, I was like, “Man, it’ll be really cool to write a love song, but by way of basketball.” I’ve always been a basketball fan. I just grew up playing basketball and watching with my dad. I was like, “Man, it’d be cool to have something that feels like it would be someone’s basketball highlight mixtape.” I wanted something that felt massive.
AS: So I have to ask: Did you shoot your shot?
Nieman: I did. And what’s funny is that she rejected me first. But this was before I even shot. I just had a crush. Before I even wanted to share my emotions toward her, she messaged me on MySpace and was like, “Hey, I see you as a little brother.” And I’m like, “OK.” Long story short, I pursued, and it worked out. We’ve been married for four years.
AS: Is there an album in the works for these songs that you have been releasing more recently?
Nieman: That is my plan. I know it’s a singles game right now, but honestly, I have always been a body-of-work guy. That’s just the way that I grew up listening to music, and that’s what I really respond to. I am planning an album with “Bet on You” and “Shoot My Shot,” and I have another song called “TLC” on the way; it’s all kind of sonically in the same world.
AS: Can you talk about using DistroKid for your music?
Nieman: I heard about DistroKid a few years back through friends who were using it. Everything that they offer artists, as well as all the resources they have, was incredible. Especially to be able to do that for just one yearly price was unreal. What was nice about DistroKid is that it gives you all the tools, and I always felt like they wanted to boost and encourage artists to see their full potential. The fact that they’ve just been so friendly, available, and straightforward from the jump has just been such a dream.
AS: What do we have to look forward to from you in 2025?
Nieman: I recently announced that I have a headlining show at the Echo in LA on March 14. I have new songs coming out top of the year. So I’m excited just to get everything out there. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this excited for these releases.
BØRNS
Early on in his career, BØRNS found himself with many successes: He had a hit single with “Electric Love”; released his breakthrough album Dopamine in 2015; and did a collaboration with Lana Del Rey, to name a few. After a brief hiatus from the spotlight, he returned in 2023 with Suddenly, an EP of personal growth and loss following his father’s death. As he continues to heal and share his music independently, BØRNS is ready to keep moving forward with his second EP in two years, Honeybee, due out later this month. With the 10th anniversary of Dopamine coming in 2025, the Michigan native is ready to look toward the next chapter of his already storied career.
AS: I have to say, before now, you have had a pretty impressive journey throughout your career—starting with the release of Dopamine in 2015 and the single “Electric Love,” which was a big hit, and you’ve worked with Lana Del Rey and Halsey already. Can you talk about those experiences and how they have shaped you as an artist?
BØRNS: I moved out to LA about 11 years ago now, nearing 12, and I knew very little about the music industry. I just came out here with the goal of trying to further my repertoire and just write better songs, and just learn from other writers. Then I ended up extending my stay out here until that turned into getting into a record deal and touring. It all happened very quickly, and yeah, I was lucky to collaborate with other talented young artists and have Lana in one of my songs. That felt pretty surreal at the time because I just remember listening to her Born to Die record and being like, “Wow, this is different,” and being very impressed by it. I would never have guessed we would collaborate just a few years later. That was a very humbling experience because I really look up to her artistry. She has such staying power and just a long career that I also look up to.
AS: After all that, you took a break from the spotlight; you went on a hiatus. How did that reenergize you to return in 2023 with new music and your EP?
BØRNS: It gave me a chance to slow down, and I’ve been doing a lot of touring before that, and I feel like that time really allowed me to reconnect with why I love music and what got me into music in the first place. And that’s just writing good songs and becoming a better writer, musician, performer, and producer. So it was a time to really hone in on my craft and build a new body of work and do that in an independent space, too, because the records I was making before that, there were more opinions around. I was kind of learning as I went along. Finally, I was able to create the opportunity to do it on my own terms, and that was very liberating.
AS: Your new EP, Honeybee, is coming out this month. Can you give us a preview of the overall vibe and the kind of stories you’re telling with the new music?
BØRNS: Honeybee is a continuation of an EP I put out in the summer of ’23 called Suddenly. The Honeybee sessions were not long after the Suddenly sessions. The instrumentation is similar, and some of the same musicians played on both records. Honeybee is a collection of some of the songs I wrote just after my dad passed away. I was working on the Suddenly EP, and as I was finishing that, my dad passed very suddenly. So I feel like that was also just a new experience and something that I was able to connect with him through the music because I was really close with my dad. I feel like this music is kind of healing, too, and connected to something new that I don’t totally understand yet. So Honeybee is the light after this darkness and isolation. There are more hopeful-sounding songs on Honeybee, finding love and finding a partner that have brought a lot of love to my life—kind of a journey.
AS: You released “Grateful For” in December. Can you tell us about that song?
BØRNS: “Grateful For” is a song that’s sort of my life between Michigan and California. It’s just a song acknowledging where I came from and where I’ve ended up, and now finding a home in LA but still feeling the home of Michigan in my heart. So, it’s a song about the past, the present, and the future.
AS: You’ve worked with DistroKid. Can you talk about how it’s helped you?
BØRNS: I feel like there’s just been a lot of clarity in our conversations about how it works. And also, I think the way that they put the platform together online is just very comprehensive. There’s a levity to it or something. It’s very user-friendly, and it feels very simple. There’s nothing hidden, and they’re not trying to take a percentage of my masters. It’s important to me moving forward that I’m able to own the music that I create so I can sustain myself as an independent musician. DistroKid has made it very clear that they also believe that’s true, and that makes me feel very supported and comfortable working with them.
AS: You have Honeybee coming out in January. What can we expect from you in 2025 beyond that?
BØRNS: I am in the conversations of live shows and that’s a whole new beast, especially being independent now. So that’s something that I’m trying to figure out. Also, 2025 is the 10-year anniversary of Dopamine, so that’s very exciting. We’re figuring out some fun things around that.
Photo by Elizabeth Elder
