Scarlet Parke: How I Became an Independent Singer and Songwriter

Scarlet Parke is a singer and songwriter. Originally from Seattle, WA., Scarlet was introduced to me through my audio producer, docuseries editor German Ceballos. Immediately after listening to her songs on Spotify, I knew I wanted her on the Feisworld Podcast. Why? Scarlet approaches music not only as a musician but as a businesswoman, making music a sustainable career.

“Scarlet is a dark and seductive vocal powerhouse that blends the world of blues and pop. Her voice says a million words without you meeting her in person, reminds me of one of my favorite jazz singers, Amy Winehouse.

Scarlet doesn’t have a degree in business or marketing. She learned everything in the real world. Her childhood wasn’t easy. When she was 17, her parents split and she had to take care of her younger siblings with little support. Music had always been part of her life. But it was when life became even more difficult, she realized what it means to be saved and embraced by music.

Show Notes:

[05:00] How did you meet with Germán via Instagram?
[7:00] How long did it take from starting the idea to buying the plane tickets and shooting the music video?
[9:00] What was your initial idea behind Parke Ave, and what is it exactly?
[13:00] What was the beginning stage of Parke Ave? How did it all start?
[16:00] What is the venue like? How many people do you usually get?
[17:00] What’s the current process for joining?
[22:00] You mentioned that you have to do ‘a little bit of everything and that you also enjoy doing it. How do you feel about your role having to do multiple things?
[23:00] Your upbringing/origin story had a lot to do with who you are today. Can you share that story with us?
[24:00] How did you start singing opera?
[29:00] What was going through your head when you were leaving high school? Were you thinking about college or about getting a job?
[30:00] Can you take us back to the beginning of your ‘new music career’. When was that?
[33:00] How did YOU change after moving to Seattle? How did that impact your life and music?
[36:00] Tell us about your single Moonlight. What is that song about and how did you write it?
[42:00] How did you learn all the skills that you have today on your own?
[43:00] Do you play any music? How do you write your songs?
[50:00] Who are some of your current and past inspirations?
[51:00] What’s your vision for Parke Ave in the future? What do you want to do next?

Favorite Quotes:

[11:00] It’s a little bit of everything. It’s a little bit of event planning, it’s a little bit of marketing, it’s a little bit of modeling, it’s a little bit of everything! I was just like ‘Where can I find the information for this?’. That’s why I started Parke Ave.

[12:00] Artists now are way more responsible [than before], so it is stressful, but it is also not a competition anymore. Every artist has the opportunity to be heard, so I think for the first time artists can help each other…

[14:50] One thing I’ve always really valued was people’s feedback, particularly from another artist to me.

[28:00] It was a rollercoaster for sure. It really opened my eyes to a whole different side of the world that I had no idea about. I was so sheltered. Everything was so easy up until that point in my life…

[42:00] There are two things that I hate, and that is (1) paying for something that I can do myself, and (2) being told that I can’t do something. That has led me to everything in my life. I loved singing and I didn’t know it could actually be a profession. But it just kept coming back up.

[43:00] At some point you have to ask yourself ‘what is actually stopping me? what is in the way?’. If it’s just me, then I can get the hell out of the way and I can do this.