ABOUT

Pepper Proud was raised in the small Appalachian valley town of Lewisburg, West Virginia where her love of music and storytelling began. Influenced in part by her Appalachian culture, she picked up the guitar and mandolin and began to write and play her own style of Folk & Americana music. 

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She moved to Santiago, Chile during high school where she developed an interest in language and the impact that music can have on culture. With her new found passion for how music can influence perspective, she headed off to Radford University to study Music Therapy & Performance Arts. 

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In 2007 she moved out West and settled in Seattle where she found her niche participating in the "Round" sessions; multimedia performances at the Fremont Abbey that brought together a lot of artists in the Folk/Indie scene.

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Her first solo album "Riddles & Rhymes"(2012) was released in 2012 and in the top 10 for the Seattle Folk Music Charts in 2013- the debut album received a fair amount of national publicity from The Seattle Weekly, Indie-Music.com, Performer Magazine, Beat-Surrender, Kithfolk, and internationally through the reputable UK based Folk-Words Blog. 

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That same year she began playing with the local Seattle band Citta Flow; a world electronic music project, where she met Masaru Higasa - after a few performances together they teamed up and formed - The Yaima Music Project. 

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Yaima released it's first album "Pellucidity"(2014) in Oct 2014 through Jumpsuit Records- a record label/artist collective committed to social change through hands-on community action days, educational workshops and gatherings that foster building and nurturing regenerative and sustainable communities. Alongside the release of Yaima's "Pellucidity"(2014), Proud released her second solo album "The Water Chapter"(2014). A folk music album devoted to the essential elemental companion- Water. 

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Yaima's second album OvO was released in the winter of 2016.

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Through a process of gradual, peaceful, progressive changes Yaima’s second album “OvO” (2016) offers audiences a state-of-the-art conceptual experience. “OvO" immediately captivates the listener with an over-arching and enchanting story line that portrays the simple life cycle of a seed. The prominent motif of the Seasons weaves the album into perceived chapters, each section reflecting themes, lessons and impressions opportune to it’s season. “OvO”means "seed" or "egg" and stands for the point in time or space at which something starts- the next evolution. The Owl appears on the cover art as well as in the title "OvO" and represents the elemental energy of the Wind. Owl stands for the truth and the ability to navigate through the darkest night by finding and listening to the wisdom and light from within ourselves. OvO’s overarching theme of the cyclical nature of life creates a sense of deep connection to the music that listeners around the world have been keen to rediscover each time they listen to the album. 

 

Her message is simple- it's time to share the love. love. love.