Women-led Daydream Believer Creative Supports Artists and Nonprofits

We know women are powerful. And when they join forces, they are unstoppable. Two music industry veterans — Adrienne Lake and Charlie Faye — did just that to create Daydream Believer Creative, an Austin-based creative services agency unlike any other. Why it’s different goes back to these two women’s varied experiences that naturally crossed paths along the way.

Adrienne has been in the music industry since she was 18 when she got her first job at a music venue in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona. Around the same time, she took a road trip with friends that passed through Austin and fell in love with the city. While she knew then and there that she’d move to Austin someday and even considered going to the University of Texas, Adrienne ended up staying in Tucson to study at the University of Arizona. After college, she gained a variety of experiences in the music industry including working in A&R (artists and repertoire) at major record labels and music journalism.

“The long-term plan was always to move to Austin,” says Adrienne. “I just got a little distracted.”

The sidetracks served her well as she became an expert in several arenas of the music business. Adrienne continued to visit regularly and, in 2011, finally put down roots in Austin. Since then, she has worked as a talent buyer for SXSW and many prominent venues including Parish and Empire Control Room & Garage. She’s also worked with many talented Austin-based artists — one of those being Charlie.

“Charlie and I had known each other for quite a few years,” says Adrienne. “I had booked her bands, and we have always been looking for that niche that needed to be filled here in the Austin music community.”

Charlie started out in the music industry as an artist, best known as the lead singer in Charlie Faye & The Fayettes, a retro soul-pop girl band. She’s a captivating singer, songwriter and musician who has not only self-managed her own career but has also been a consultant to many other Austin-based artists.

“I became known among my friends as somebody who was good at the business side of things,” Charlie says. “So I ended up just helping a lot of friends, and then eventually started doing consulting for artists on a more professional level.”

When the pandemic hit in 2021, Adrienne and Charlie knew it was time to collaborate. They both were ready for a change. Adrienne had just worked tirelessly to put together extensive programming for SXSW, which got canceled, and then she — along with many others in the industry — got laid off. Austin Music Foundation, a nonprofit organization that both Adrienne and Charlie have worked with throughout the years, reached out to see if she could do artist consultations.

“These musicians who were used to a steady stream of live gigs suddenly had the rug pulled out from under them,” says Adrienne. “And they were very upset and lost. They needed to be reminded of what they were doing right.”

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Meanwhile, Charlie was a newly single mom to a beautiful daughter, who she wanted to spend as much time as possible with. Since she knew she wouldn’t be performing as much with COVID and her young daughter, she was ready to focus more on her consulting.

So, in 2021, Daydream Believer Creative was born. Adrienne’s vast experience in the music industry coupled with Charlie’s unique experience of years as a self-managed artist come together synergistically for a consultancy that can provide holistic support to artists.

“I think having been an artist myself, I understand where artists are coming from,” says Charlie. “I understand what they’re up against and what it feels like to have a record finished, this thing that you’ve worked so hard on for so long. I do feel like it’s helpful to have that perspective.”

Meanwhile, Adrienne has that experience of working on the other side for over two decades: she understands what record labels, talent buyers and press are looking for from artists. While they have separate clients, Adrienne and Charlie collaborate often, especially with clients that require both of their perspectives.

“We provide the strategic support to keep our clients inspired, invigorated and in control of their professional goals,” says Adrienne. “We saw a demand in the Austin music ecosystem for our experience and skills. We want to be a combined voice for the many amazing creative projects coming out of this community.”

News has spread quickly, and all of Daydream Believer Creative’s clients have come from word of mouth. Both Adrienne and Charlie are reenergized as new business owners, getting to support so many artists and nonprofits they love on a deeper level. Needless to say, Daydream Believer Creative — and the dynamic duo behind it — is here to stay.

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