Monika, Beverly, Lena Fayre

Monika Christodoulou has been writing and performing her original songs on the Athens, Greece music scene since she was a teenager. After early breakout success with a string of deeply emotional self-recorded tracks posted online, Monika's 2008 debut LP was a platinum seller in her homeland, and she quickly became a major concert draw across Greece and Cyprus, headlining all the major festivals. Her second LP, released in 2010, continued Monika's success at home, but she was already becoming restless, for a different sound and a new direction. On a trip to New York in 2012, Monika made a pilgrimage to Daptone Records' Brooklyn headquarters, to see where some of her favorite artists recorded -- from Sharon Jones to Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson. Almost on a whim, Monika knocked on the door, and Homer Steinweiss (founding member of the Dap-Kings & Menahan Street Band) answered. Soon she was playing demos she had on her phone for Homer and Thomas Brenneck (MSB, Budos Band, etc). The connection was immediate, and the next stage of Monika's career began.


Beverly is 16 today. I heard she was a bratty baby, she drank all the milk. Bev is sooooo hot right now. She's always really hungry and I don't know why. Sometimes she eats cap'n crunch til she thinks she's gonna vom - then she eats more. It's weird. She's still growing I guess. She'll eat anything and everything. I heard Beverly ate her father's strat, then her mother's purple slingerland drum set...so crazy. She keeps getting bigger. She must be like 9 feet tall. I don't think Bev showers either. She's a dirty girl. Her hair is stringy and she doesn't care. Also Bev refuses to stop putting her hand in Tim the pit's cage. Tim's gonna bite that hand clean off one day... Did I mention, she wears waaay too much makeup and mismatched plaid. Frankie and Drew say her style is tacky, but I just think it's so Beverly.


Featured in February 2014?s "10 New Artists You Need to Know" by Rolling Stone Magazine, videos from Lena Fayre's self-titled debut EP boast more than three million views on YouTube and have received several awards including a songwriters' competition for the song "Silver."

Heavily influenced by art, literature and fashion, Lena's musical interests growing up included Elvis, The Cure, David Bowie and other U.K. rockers. A Los Angeles native, the teenager's sultry songs encompass an indie-folk vibe with rhythmic trance elements sprinkled in the tracks.

Lena's musical style exemplifies a wide range of genres and is evident on her gritty follow-up LP which features a deconstructive, experimental sound. She started her journey with writer/producer Jimmy Harry and Sean Gould in Hollywood creating melodic and energetic driven songs, based around heavy programming and lush vocals.

Following these sessions, Lena left Los Angeles to record at producer Chris Keup's White Star Sound studio located in rural Virginia, where they worked with a variety of eclectic collaborators from the Dirty Projectors' Olga Bell, to Bon Iver's multi/instrumentalist Reggie Pace and acclaimed solo artist Matthew E. White.

Upon her return to L.A., Lena worked with industry veterans Liz Phair, John Alagia and Nolan Sipes at the Village to complete the album. ?