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In a field dominated by manufactured singers who thrive on packaged beats by controlling producers, 18 year old Le Fay has cultivated a titanic career devoid of such industry starter pack essentials. The young musician whose real name is Neave Morgana Dempsey hails from Auckland, New Zealand and takes after her rockstar father Bo Dempsey, guitarist for the 80s metal band Reckless. While her father's legendary dance moves and gothic attire have undoubtedly been passed down to his daughter, Neave is adamant that their music styles are completely different.

The quietly confident teen has always been motivated by creative impulses and a desire to write out her feelings. Growing up listening to the likes of Stevie Nicks, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos, Le Fay knows the importance of musicality and songwriting. “People call me a singer, but I think my biggest strength is writing. I think that’s why I connect with my fans so well because it’s words and feelings coming out of my head and my heart.” Le Fay was signed onto a development deal with Universal at the impressive young age of 12. After a few years of cultivating her songwriting and vocal skills, she successfully released her first LP, "Pure Heroine", a full-length album that garnered critical praise and culminated in two Grammy Awards in 2014.

AGE: 18

HOMETOWN: I’m from the Shire. Kidding, I'm really from Auckland! It’s a running joke for most people who aren’t a Kiwi since people equate New Zealand with Lord of the Rings, which I’m not too miffed about.

WHO IS LE FAY: All of my family and friends call me Neave. That is who I am when I'm offstage. My mom predicted from the get-go people wouldn't be able to pronounce my real name right, so I decided to come up with a stage name. Since I was very little, I was obsessed with deites, everything macabre and creepy. My favorite color is black, I love Wednesday Addams and could sing the whole soundtrack of The Nightmare Before Christmas by the age of five. I was and still am an odd girl, but my family never condemned me for that. My middle name is Morgana, which my mom got from the Arthurian legend. So, loving witches and the enchantress Morgan, I decided to use "Le Fay" as my official moniker whenever I take the stage.

FITTING IN EDUCATION: My father found fame at a young age and so he knew the importance of maintaining normalcy in my life. My schedule is very hectic, and he brought structure and discipline to my life when I was still finishing up school and making music. Most of the day I was at school, and then for half of my evening I had to study and do my homework. The remaining time I had in the evening was dedicated to music, and I also had weekends to go to the studio. I think it all came down to balance and realizing what was important in my life. I made a lot of sacrifices, but it's been paying off.

DISCOVERING MUSIC AS A CAREER: As soon as I learned how to write, it’s all I ever did. My family and friends would just give me notebooks and pens, and I would be the happiest girl in the world. I wrote poems, songs, short stories and even uncompleted novellas. When I first got my hands on Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird”, that’s when I had really settled on becoming an author. Playing music and singing were just interesting hobbies for me, and I never thought I could make a career out of it. My best friend is the one who would go through my writings, and she always came back to my songs. She’d be like, “This is refreshing. This is relatable.” So, not long after I was signing a deal with Universal to start working on my EP The Love Club.

THE DEBUT LP: A lot of people ask me where Royals came from and it’s a combination of my background and observing the world and what we value. My father traveled the world and is this crazy rockstar, but that fame almost devoured him. He was bound to this industry that's obsessed with materialism and destructive behavior. To know he came back to New Zealand to rebuild his life and regain that normalcy for himself, I can see how nervous he is about me stepping out into a similar limelight. Also growing up as a teenager and comparing my music tastes to my friends, they would always say I am stuck in a different time period. “None of it is my truth.” That’s exactly what I said to my producer Joel Little when he asked me how I felt about music right now. So, that was my challenge when writing "Pure Heroine".

DEALING WITH HER FAME: I had initally been offered by Universal a tutor for homeschooling and the opportunity to move to New York, and the answer was a flat out no. I don't need to run away from home because people leave you alone here in Auckland. I also have a great group of family and friends who both support me and ground me. We have a lot of amazing artists here in New Zealand, but we don’t really have this crazy industry that exploits and makes money off the more known acts here. There’s a common respect for people’s space, which is why I am hellbent on staying here.

DOWNTIME: Most of my free time is spent hanging out with my friends and indulging in my other interests. I love traveling around New Zealand and Australia, and I tend to take long trips during my vacations. I spend a lot of time at local coffee shops to entertain more writing, and I also play the guitar or piano for friends who do open mic nights. Sometimes, I have really cool ideas for songs when I’m at the cafe, and I just bolt to the studio because it’s important to me to get it recorded. I won’t lie, a lot of my headspace is centered around my music right now. It’s a very inspiring time for me, which is great.

HEARING HER OWN SONGS ON THE RADIO: I know most people have this great sense of pride and excitement when they hear their songs on the radio, but I always feel anxious. You spend a lot of time and effort creating these songs that you like, and you have to wait to get an audience’s response. So, to me the radio is like judgement day. I was overwhelmed when I heard Royals on the radio for the first time. I had to calm down and tell myself, “This is what you’ve been waiting for, working so hard for and this is the start of a very exciting journey."



For more on Le Fay and to listen to her Pure Heroine LP, please visit the artist's website.