Navigating Self-doubt, Addiction and Virtuosity as an Independent Musician w/ Rebecca Mardal

Taken aback by the sound of Green Day’s “American Idiot” at 11, Rebecca Mardal picked up the guitar and started to explore its ins and outs. Her early teenage years were not only spent as the founding member of a locally renowned punk band, but also as guitarist for an otherwise all-male metal band.

“More often than not, I walked home crying from those metal rehearsals”, Rebecca recalls. Despite inviting her in to play, Rebecca’s growing presence in the band seemed to annoy the boys, who always found ways to bring her down. Despite taking a toll on her mental health, the experience ignited something in her. From that moment on Rebecca decided to go all-in on the guitar, in a way where no one would be able to dismiss her skills or mansplain the instrument to her. This is how Rebecca sums up this turning point: “I decided to become STFU-good”.

Aged 19, Rebecca went to study at London’s Tech Music School and took on the role of an in-house session and live guitarist for an independent UK Hip-Hop label. However, she pulled the plug on her studies after two years and moved to Liverpool. Unfortunately, things went south for her, as she lost all her savings to the record label. Getting through this messy situation, she took on a gig as a cold caller, getting people to sign up for charity donations: “I just needed to save money to start studying again”.

A few years later, Rebecca earned herself a Bachelor’s degree in Music at Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, handed to her in person by Sir Paul McCartney himself. This was a time when Rebecca’s so… Read More