BABE #324: PEARL ADAY - Musician
Pearl is a singer, songwriter and mama who leads a life completely immersed in music. She spent so much of her childhood on tour buses and in venues that becoming a musician simply seemed natural. After graduating with a degree in creative writing, she auditioned for a gig that she would play for nine years: touring as a backing vocalist in Meat Loaf’s band, Neverland Express. She’s since toured with Mötley Crüe, supported Heart, opened for Velvet Revolver, and recently released an album dubbed as ‘California Country Rock n’ Roll. We loved sitting down with her at Bourbon and Beyond to learn all about making it in the industry, giving it your all (no matter the size of the crowd) and knowing when to focus on what matters most (like raising a rockstar in-the-making).
The Basics:
Hometown: Woodstock, New York
Current city: Los Angeles, California
Alma mater: Emerson College
Degree: BFA, Creative Writing
Very first job: I worked in a deli making sliced cold cuts, egg sandwiches and cleaning
Hustle: Musician
The Interests:
Brandon Hanks
Who’s a babe you admire and why?
Two of my best girlfriends. One is named Mary Giuliani. She’s a self-made premier caterer to the stars out of Manhattan; a mother who runs her own massive company. She caters for some of the biggest events in Manhattan, from HBO to Nespresso. Also, Chudney Ross. She’s my oldest friend in the world; we’ve known each other since we were 5 years old. It's really special. We have all this history and now our children are friends. Chudney runs a company called Books and Cookies, through which she promotes children's literacy and activities using the arts.
How do you spend your free time?
I have an 8-year-old son, so when school is in, I have a set schedule. We wake up and make breakfast and lunch, and do the school drop-off. Then, I usually go to yoga or spin class. I come home and do some work—this is when I write songs. I have that short window in the day between drop-off and pick-up, but that's what it's about. You do what you have to do because you get to do what you want to do. “Have to” and “want to”—if you can make them be the same, that's really valuable.
The Hustle:
Tell us about your hustle.
My hustle is trying to get people to let me make music on their stage, give me an opportunity to get in front of an audience—whether it's five people or 500 people (or hopefully 5,000 people). That's really what it's about: searching for the opportunity and the people who will help you make that opportunity real, do what you can to take advantage of it, and then go and do your best. It's just always something that my dad taught me. It doesn't matter if it's five people or 500,000 people—you always give 1000000 percent.
Tell us about your career. What got you into music?
I grew up in music. My father is a performer, so I grew up on tour buses and in venues. I've always been immersed in music and I always wanted to make music, and thankfully I was born with the talent. So, it just seemed natural to me; it's just what feels right. I did go to college for creative writing—I wanted to go to music school, but my father encouraged me to go for something else. After that, in 1993 I actually joined my father's band, Meat Loaf. He had an album come out, and asked me to go on a world tour with his band—but he made me formally audition first. He said, “We're going to play Madison Square Garden. We're going to give you a live microphone, you're going to stand on the side of the stage, and you're not going to be live in the audience, but the sound guy's gonna record everything you sing. Here's the CD; learn it.” I sat on the side of the stage and listened, and learned all the harmonies, and sang, and I got the job. I played with Meat Loaf for nine years, and then I sang with Mötley Crüe for a year.
How have your past professional and academic experiences prepared you for the work you do today?
My college education is very important to how I moved forward with my writing. There's something to be said for learning about poets, and the difference between poetry, and prose, and fiction, and nonfiction, and fantasy, and all of the different authors, and how they each crafted what they wrote, and why they're so different from each other, and what made them stand out. You know, you can't always just know those things by reading works. Studying and education is everything.
What’s been your biggest career milestone?
I think being invited to be the musical guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” and when I did three nights as a featured guest vocalist on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” I mean, you can't get away from that being a big deal, right? Also, opening for the Velvet Revolver tour. Slash invited me to come out and join them on their last U.K. run. That was a really big deal to me. It was an amazing opportunity, because they didn't need anyone else to open for them. We were playing in front of sold-out crowds, which is invaluable for someone like me. Also, supporting Heart. Those are big deals.
Brandon Hanks
How has being a woman in your industry affected your experience?
It makes you tougher—you have to put up with a lot of shit. I can't tell you how many times I’ve walked into a club and my band is on stage and I go to walk up on the stage and the staff tells me, “Oh no, no, no, honey, you can't go up there.” And I'm like, “This is my fucking band.” Just keep doing what you're doing and never be a shrinking violet, because you can't be. As soon as you are, somebody is going to treat you like one. You deserve to be here just as much as that guy.
Who are some women in your field that you look to for inspiration?
I just saw Joan Jett live—she opened for Heart in Los Angeles. We just went to see them at the Hollywood Bowl, so yeah—them, always, forever. Lady Gaga is just wonderful. Bonnie Raitt. Diana Ross has been an inspiration to me for my entire life. She's the one who told me you can be anything you want to be. Nobody else ever said that to me.
What’s your career and/or life advice for other women?
You’ve just got to keep moving. At least for me, it's true. If you slow it down, if you have a second of doubt, it can overwhelm things very quickly. Surround yourself with people who believe in you. Sometimes it's really hard to push yourself if you feel alone. If you have a friend, or parent, or a significant other, they can say, “You're going to do this!” And you can go: “You know what? You're right. I'm going to do this.” That's been the most valuable thing in my life—having and finding good people who stick with me—who want to stick with me, and I want to stick with them. Eventually, you find out that you want to stick with yourself.
In partnership with: Bourbon and Beyond
Bourbon and Beyond is a Louisville, KY-based festival featuring a perfect blend of bourbon, food, and music. Learn more about the fest here and keep an eye out for 2020 dates soon!
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