Skylar Grey
Skylar Grey
Holly Brook Hafermann, who goes by the stage name Skylar Grey, is an American singer and songwriter from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, under the pseudonym Holly Brook, at the age of 17, she signed a publishing deal with Universal Music Publishing Group and a recording contract with Linkin Park’s Machine Shop Recordings imprint. She would later release her debut album, Like Blood Like Honey, under the aforementioned labels in 2006...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPop Singer
Date of Birth23 February 1986
CityMazomanie, WI
CountryUnited States of America
Putting out a debut album is a bit scary - I want it to be just right, so I took some extra time to finish it. Eminem's increased involvement has been such a blessing; I'm getting guidance from an artist I really admire and trust.
I'm a shy person, so I get really nervous going into interviews.
I played trumpet in school once because I joined band because a cute boy played trumpet too. And I was really bad at trumpet.
I love New York. I first came here with my Mom when I was in 9th grade. I took the subway for the first time and the doors closed between me and my Mom, and I was so scared. I could see her through the window and I didn't know what to do. I got off at the next stop and she caught up to me, but I couldn't stop crying.
Writing songs for other people was never the goal for me.
I moved out to L.A. when I was 17, dropped out of high school, and pursued a career in music.
Mazomanie doesn't even have a stoplight, so it doesn't do a lot. But the cheese curds there are unbelievable. I've never had them anywhere else, even at places in California that claim to have the real thing. There's a cheese factory in Arena, Mazomanie's neighboring town, and they'll give you fresh curds that are so amazing.
Don't Look Down” is her official debut as Skylar Grey, the singer, born Holly Brook Hafermann and raised in Mazomanie, Wis., has been making albums since she was a tween. Grey and her mother sang as a folk duo under the name Generations; they released three indie discs. “I learned a lot about professionalism, how the show must go on even though I feel like [expletive] sometimes,” Grey remembers. “I have a lot of experience in the studio, performing onstage, talking to an audience. I learned most of that stuff when I was performing with my mom.
I lived in a cabin in the woods in Oregon, and I'd basically given up on the music industry for an indefinite amount of time. And while I was out there, I came up with a very specific vision of what I wanted my music to sound like.
Alex [Da Kid] does have diversity, not just in what he produces, but what he hears. He has this knack for finding talented people.
I didnt have any knowledge of the music industry when I first got to L.A., and I really didnt know on a creative level what I wanted to sound like, so I had to do a lot of experimenting. It led to a spiral of depression and being broke.
One of my biggest problems is I get bored too easily, and I like to experiment too much, to the point where I confuse myself and I confuse my fans.
I write a lot about the past because I really see things clearly in hindsight.
Once I've learned all those things and gotten through the hard times, I come out feeling really powerful.