girl crush: jessica lea mayfield

This girl is golden. At 22 she has mastered the art of stark vulnerability. Her lyrics are piercing in a way you can't quite place, and her sound is the perfect mix of blues and country, with a little bit of rock mixed in for extra spice. At 15, she recorded her first album in her brother's bedroom, printing only 100 copies. One of those copies miraculously fell into the hands of Dan Auerbach (respect) and after sending her a message on MYSPACE - yes, I'm serious - they hit the studio together and have been releasing amazing music ever since.

"I think she's dark and moody in a mysterious way," Dan said of the recording experience. " I'm just always really excited to make music with her."

If that isn't enough reason to dub her a badass I'm not sure what is. 

Who: Originally from Ohio but spent most of her childhood in Nashville. She recently bought a four-bedroom 1890s farmhouse in Ohio and painted one of the guest bedrooms red, white and blue so she can tell her guests they're sleeping in "America." She's freaking weird and I love it. 

Sounds Like: A sexy and disarming collision of country, old school rock and a little bit of pop. Got that? It makes sense in my head and when you listen maybe this will all make sense. Think Lucinda Williams with a little Jenny Lewis-ness while looking like a teenage version of Michelle Williams. 

Her and Mr. Auerback: Dan discovered Mayfield's first EP White Lies on MySpace when she was still in high school. Supposedly Dan sent her a message like this: "Hey, I play in a local band called the Black Keys. Let's hang out." They recorded eight songs on day one of their friendship and Dan has released all of her albums since. I love a good collaborative effort. 

Mean Romantic: Since she began writing at the age of 11, all of her romantic experiences ended up documented in music. In her early stuff she wrote about firsts - first kiss, first boyfriend, first heartbreak - and in her last two albums she's moved on to more raw emotion with more, um, agressive lyrics. How does she describe it? "The new album is kinda me being a dick." 

Listen Now: Our Hearts Are Wrong (Tell Me) 
"my self-esteem is heating up the room, you're intimidating as all hell but I ain't scared of you"

You've Won Me Over (With Blasphemy So Heartfelt) 
"and it's okay if you love me cause you love everyone that you know
and it's okay if you kiss me cause you kiss all the girlies you know
and i'd stand my ground if i had a leg to stand on
and you should avow for your award winning performance
cause you won me over"

You're welcome. xoxo.