Artist Etty Farrell chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about her cover version of “He’s a Rebel,” where she collaborates with Perry Farrel of Jane’s Addiction.
Born in Hong Kong, Etty Farrell moved to Bellevue, Washington at the young age of 10. She then began pursuing her career in dance, training as a classical ballerina until she moved to Los Angeles to attend the Edge Performing Art Center.
In 1997, she joined Jane’s Addiction’s Relapse Tour as a dancer, where she met her future husband, Perry Farrell. From there, she expanded her career as the lead vocalist for the band, Satellite Party, and as an entrepreneur in the creative aspects of various music festivals. She has released a new song as well as co-hosting a new nightlife concert series, Heaven After Dark, alongside her husband.
Her new song, “He’s A Rebel” features her husband, Perry Farrel of Jane’s Addiction. Etty describes what she envisions the song to be about, commenting, “‘He’s A Rebel’ is a cover of the original 1962 song by The Crystals. This was an amazing song that I got to play around with alongside Perry. Music and the entertainment industry is something we both share a passion for, so this was a no-brainer.”
On how she and Perry ended up working together for this song, she retorts, “We even got a few friends to play on it too to create even more vocals like Taylor Hawkins (from the Foo Fighters) and David Bryan (from Bon Jovi). The group dynamic that went in toward making this song was actually quite interesting. Since the song was recorded during the pandemic, everything bounced around online between us–no one was in a single room together at once.”
When asked about her best tips when it comes to performing, Etty takes a moment to think. She then muses, “I could say practice or create the best setlist. But, for me, I think the two biggest things are to get out there and be your unapologetic self. It may be scary and intimidating, but if you don’t chase after what you want, you’ll never get it. You have to go onto the stage with the mindset that you are going to give the best possible performance you can–everything else is up to the universe.”
Even in the face of a pandemic, Etty kept herself busy with volunteering and work. “I was involved in a fundraising event with CORE (Community Organized Relief Effort) that my friend Soleil Moon Frye introduced me to. It was about helping countries that were lagging in COVID-19 vaccinations, so we pledged and helped with the entertainment portion. I also have to mention the creation of the Heaven After Dark series.
After living a very constrained life due to the breakout of COVID-19, and even before the pandemic, festivals were becoming more and more similar, and people were gradually turning away from nightlife experiences. So we began to conceptualize what would break this issue, to build a series that would raise energy and consciousness, and that was how we ultimately came up with Heaven After Dark.”
Looking towards the future, Etty would like to continue down the path she is currently carving out for herself. “Since we have a studio at home, I’m constantly making music, creating possible tracks, and recording songs. At the same time, I want to continue my involvement with planning festival events. Heaven After Dark is something I am extremely excited about and can’t wait to see what the future holds for it”.
Etty has always been grateful for her fans, exclaiming “I’d like to thank all my fans for their continuous love and support. I know the past few years have been difficult for all of us, so I hope you’ll like the new song “He’s A Rebel” and that it’ll bring a little light into your lives. I’m working hard to release more amazing music in the future! Lastly, come out to enjoy life and music at Heaven After Dark concerts”.
“He’s a Rebel” is available on Spotify.
To learn more about Etty Lau Farrell, follow her on Instagram, Twitter, and Spotify.
