Senior Edie Wellman knows what it means to live life on the edge—or over it, in this case.
Full-time student, performer and songwriter, Wellman releases her first-ever mixtape “Over the Edge” Nov. 12. She hopes to use the mixtape to spread her sound, described by Wellman as “hip-hop with an R&B sensibility,” and get her foot in the music industry’s daunting door.
Signing on with her manager, senior Jessie Mark, a year ago, Wellman took last semester off to concentrate entirely on her music. Wellman said the sacrifice was well worth it.
“I think a lot of misconceptions about the music industry at large [are] that you have to be really talented and it’ll happen, but it’s really more a question of how hard you’re willing to work,” she said.
Now that Wellman has committed to music professionally, she’s working on honing her signature style. Her earlier, more alternative songs, some of which can be listened to on Myspace, are not representative of the new direction her music has taken.
“Over the Edge” is named after her first single, and the songs mostly focus on issues that face modern women.
“I’ve found a lot of the songs I write deal with how girls—we’re normal in this generation but just something pushes us over the edge,” Wellman said. “We’re kind of... a little crazy about things, namely boys. So a lot of the songs deal with that sort of idea of being pushed over the edge and not being sure where you stand.”
Wellman is hesitant, however, to label herself strictly as a love songwriter.
“I write more about relationships,” she said. “As a 22-year-old, of course the predominant relationships you’re focusing on are the more romantic ones, just because they’re so interesting.”
The song “Over the Edge” commences with Coldplay’s “Clocks” for roughly eight bars. In addition to Coldplay, the mixtape also features samples from artists such as Kanye West, Usher and Seal. The recognizable sound is designed to draw in the listener initially, but Wellman hopes people will tune in long enough to hear what she has to offer.
Mark, who worked with Mike Posner, Trinity ’09—a musician who is climbing the charts in recent months—recognized potential when she saw Wellman’s talent and decided to team up with her.
“Edie’s sound is completely authentic. Edie writes all of her own material, is a lyrical poet,” Mark wrote in an e-mail. “What you see is what you get, and to me, that kind of talent is undeniable.”
And sure enough, chief above performing and recording—and even Wellman’s love of singing—is her passion for songwriting.
“I think everybody has something [they’re good at], whether they find it early in life or late in life,” Wellmen said. “[Songwriting] is sort of the only way I think I can really fully express myself.”
Since age 11, Wellman has been writing her own lyrics. And although she regards writing as the most vital and personal part of the musical process, she hasn’t written off collaborating with other songwriters in years to come.
For now, Wellman focuses on her mixtape and an EP to be released in Jan. 2011, which will contain all original content by Wellman.
Pursuing what she loves is not without its sacrifices, though. Juggling classes, thesis writing and her music have been both a daunting and exciting feat.
“If you make the decision as to what you want to do with your life, you have to be prepared to make it the entirety of your life, and you really can’t have a plan B,” Wellman said. “You have to push with plan A as hard as you can”.
Regardless of how her mixtape and EP are received, Wellman has every intention of pursuing music as her career. With that accepted, she can only anticipate the future and hope that her music speaks to a broad audience.
“I would really love to have music where you can say, ‘Yes, I know that feeling,’” Wellman said.
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