Rebecca Crecelius was born in Panama City Beach, FL in 1981 to an artistic family. In addition to lessons given by her parents, she studied piano, guitar, recording, digital music composition, and vocals through formal and informal lessons. At 15, Rebecca Crecelius performed with Lakeland Regional High School at Carnegie Hall and since 2002, after graduating with a BFA from Rutgers University: Mason Gross School of the Arts, she began focusing attention on the merging of her previously pursued genres: poetry, sound art, and folk music.
Around this time, Rebecca Crecelius was also given the nickname Beckah Sundah by a fellow musician friend. Previously used with the intention of being a stage name, Beckah Sundah has become a sort of alter ego of Rebecca Crecelius. Currently, Rebecca Crecelius and “Beckah Sundah” are working on an album together which they hope to release along with a corresponding fashion collection. You can find samples of works in progress and final songs under the playlist entitled “May 2015 Album Taster” at the following link:
Rebecca Crecelius is also a muti-media visual artist. For more information regarding these works, please visit the following links:
Website: http://www.rcrecelius.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Rebecca-Crecelius-182580408490811/
Twitter: @R_Crecelius
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user24621791
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=454959182
Exposed Vocals: How did you hear about Exposed Vocals? What made you decide to sign up?
Somehow, we got connected through Twitter. I read the description of the company, and was impressed.
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
The way I’ve always answered this question in the past is that I have never lived anywhere more than four years consecutively. This was true until recently, so I’ve grown up sort of all over, but mostly the length of the East Coast through the South in America. I was born in Florida, and then moved to Alabama, Texas, New Jersey, and then back and forth between New Jersey and Florida. In my adult life, I’ve also lived in Virginia, Upstate NY, and Manhattan.
I’m not sure that someone ever decides to be an artist. I think that a person only really decides his or her medium based on their comfort level and connection. Since Leonardo Da Vinci is one of my idols, my defining of what art is can be rather vast sometimes too.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
I was born with my name, so you’ll have to ask my mom about that. My father passed several years ago. Yet, the name Beckah Sundah, the alter-ego collaborator of mine, was given through an online chat with my friend in New Jersey while I was is Virginia. I was upset because I thought my name was too long for a stage name, so we got to chatting. My mom spells my nickname Becca, my dad spelled my nickname Becka, and the family name of the Grandmother on my mother’s side is Sundae. I thought Rebecca Sundae would sound too suggestive, because since being in America our family has started pronouncing Sundae like the desert. The name is Norwegian, so he and I came up with different spellings in hopes that it would be pronounced phonetically. We came up with a new spelling of my first-name nickname as well, so that it would look balanced. Hence, the birth of Beckah Sundah. The two dots over the “u” gets removed sometime, because of ease.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
I like SoundCloud, because you can see where your music is most popular. It’s nice to gain some feedback when you share your work, and this way you’re sort of guaranteed that.
Many years ago, I made an album with another friend. We compiled the songs, and made a C.D. that we gave to family members for Christmas. I also wrote, and put a song on a C.D. I made for him on his birthday, so yes I give music away for free sometimes.Otherwise, all other stuff was not something I most likely gave. For my art and music, I use the Internet primarily for promotion and hope that my faith in people being true to their word of wanting to support the arts will prevent them from not following through with their claims by downloading without paying and the like.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
Not really, because I’ve been doing this since the early 2000’s. I have known famous musicians, owners of record labels, and have even volunteered for events like SXSW to get experience and connections. Due to me being female, poor, older, and the maker of abstract sound I may have some additional struggles that lathers may not face too. I think it’s luck and if people like you.
Exposed Vocals: Do you ever make mistakes during performances? How do you handle that?
I have only performed a handful of times, and my primary issue is that I shake like a leaf if I am singing solo. The only way to handle it is to just keep singing I guess, and keeping your eyes fixed somewhere can help too.
Exposed Vocals: Do you tour? Anything interesting happen on tour that you think our readers would enjoy hearing about?
I have never toured.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
My life is my main inspiration. My process varies. Sometimes I’ll write the music on the guitar or piano, and then come up with lyrics. Sometimes, I’ll write a beat, compose all of the instrumentation, and then either open my journal to a random page and compare the lyrics while singing or write new ones from scratch. It all depends.
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
I have an art website, Facebook, SoundCloud, and my Twitter is sort of catch-all for everything. I’m not sure if she’s supposed too, but Beckah Sundah also has a Twitter and a blog. She’s been slacking on the blog lately though.
Exposed Vocals: What are some really embarrassing songs that we might find on your mp3 player?
Texas Town, which I wrote in 2006 I think. It was my first attempt at trying to write a song with a little more “Pop” to it.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
I would pay off all of my debt, and then see if there was any left over. If not, I may have to get a part-time job.
Exposed Vocals: Any planned studio upgrades? What are you working with now?
There is nothing planned, but I know what I need and want. Right now, I’m just using my phone and guitar, but I have a whole studio set-up on a box somewhere.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
Interestingly, Beckah Sundah is much better at this than me. She got an insane amount of followers on Twitter almost immediately. I, on the other hand, struggle with this right now.
https://m.soundcloud.com/beckah-sundah
Exposed Vocals: If you could perform anywhere and with any artists (Dead or Alive) where and who would it be with? Why?
I don’t know. It would be impossible for me to perform with people that I worship, because I would be too dumbfounded to speak or do anything.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
There are a couple of things, but I’m looking for funding right now too. If I can find it, Beckah Sundah and I will be putting out an album to coincide with the release of a fashion collection with the aesthetics of Glam Rock and Grunge Rock mixed together. Other than that, I am also working on a song or two. I was hoping to get a band formed in order to maybe perform them one day, but that doesn’t seem to be something that’s going to happen at this time.
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
Make other things.
Exposed Vocals: Do you remember buying your first album? Who was it? What was going through your head?
No, I don’t remember the first album I ever bought. I remember my first concert, and the first time I heard Nina Simone though. The first concert I went too was Debbie Gibson. I was in elementary school, and I remember wanting to be her.
Finding Nina Simone was like finding God. My best friend and I were in the mall, and I got a hankering to listen to more blues and jazz. At that time, I had stopped listening to country almost entirely and was only listening to metal and rock. We went to the section, and I immediately picked up an album. It had a song on it entitled, “Black is the Color of My True Love’s Hair.” I think that was the name. Anyways, I was secretly in-love with someone who had black hair, so I got it. When we went back to her house, we popped it in the C.D. player, and as soon as it started we both melted into the bed with our eyes just staring at the ceiling. I don’t think either of us budged until it was over. I know I didn’t.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
This is a hard one for me to answer, because I just do things. There’s really no formula or way to explain it. Sometimes I start things too, but can instinctively tell if it’s the right time or not. If it’s not, I move on to other things until it is.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
The year 2016.