Hello world! My name is YaYa Whatever and I'm a rock star from Chicago, IL.

I’ve been playing piano since I was about 3 years old. It wasn’t until I was 14 when I got a real piano that I started to write my own songs. I listened to rock & pop music & I would sometimes get in trouble for wearing black lipstick to school. I also put glitter on everything. That basically sums me up. I love music & writing & singing. I used to hold music as the center of my universe but as I’ve gone through life I realize that it’s just one of many ways I like to express myself.

The material is ready, and the musicians are waiting -- this Plaid Dog campaign is the final step toward creating my first ever, professionally produced studio album.

This campaign is raising funds for my professionally recorded album with Carter Sanders in Boston, MA. Carter is a seasoned Boston-based producer and engineer with experience working with both established and up-and-coming musicians. Together, Carter and I are digging into my original material, writing arrangements, and reaching out to local musicians to bring the songs to life. 

We’ve been able to cover the costs of recording and producing one song, which is ready for you to check out right here on this page. This first song is called “Sake of Love,” and you can check it out above!

While I’ve been able to fund the recording process for "Sake of Love” on my own, to create an album of songs of this quality, studio costs add up quickly. With that said, this campaign can give us a unique opportunity to collaborate and make great art together. Your donation will cover the following costs of my project:

1. Pre-Production: This is where everything starts. Carter and I will start crafting the arrangements for each song slated for the album. We’ll hold rehearsals to fine-tune the songs and arrangements and talk through new and exciting ideas for how to approach the recording process.

2. Recording: This is when we enter the studio and start capturing the music and where the songs become what you'll hear on this album. This campaign will play a huge role in making sure we have enough time to capture great performances for every member of the band.

3. Mixing & Mastering: Each track will get mixed to create the right balance between instruments, texture and color that make up a track. As a final step, the album will be mastered from beginning to end so that the listening experience is cohesive and carefully choreographed from start to finish.

And what will you get for your generosity and support? So many awesome things!

I am so appreciative and grateful for any support you can lend to this campaign. In exchange for your generosity, I've put together a really exciting group of gifts that are available exclusively through your participation in this campaign.

Check out some examples below and a full list to the right!

I’m in the early stages of building something cool here. I have a small team I’m working with in Los Angeles. I love working with people on projects so I saw this as an opportunity to grow my network of collaborators. Having different perspectives is very important to me. I’ve come to realize that what we say isn’t particularly unique or special but it’s how we say it that matters. I am forever grateful to everyone who has & will be donating to this campaign. Art is so important. 

If you're ready to contribute, just click the "Back This Project" button on the top right of this page! Every little bit counts, and I’m so grateful for all your support

If you have folks in your network that would be interested in supporting me, please feel free to share this page with them.

Thank you so much for checking out my campaign page. I can't wait to share this music with you.