Steady Holiday is Dre Babinski, the moniker that encapsulates the nostalgic nature of her work — there’s a kind of beautiful sentimentality that surfaces when listening to Steady Holiday’s music, comparative to watching a Cary Grant film or a warm idyllic memory washing over you.
Growing up, Babinski recalls her father always listening to oldies on the radio. At the time it was something that merely underscored her childhood upbringing it wouldn’t be until later she would translate this environment as a source of inspiration.
“I loved it but I also didn’t question it,” says Babinski. “I began playing the violin at school when I was 10 and started playing along to songs like “Downtown” by Petula Clark or “Crying” by Roy Orbison. When I sit down to write music nowadays, I think I unconsciously come back to the sensibilities of that era.”
While Steady Holiday is Babinski’s solo musical act, the artist is no stranger to a range of collaboration. Having recorded and toured as a violinist and backup vocalist for Dusty Rhodes and the River Band and the other half of Miracle Days’ partnership, Babinski brings her transformative experiences to her arrival as a solo artist.
Perhaps it was this accumulation of experiences that propelled the artist into the solo role she was destined to fulfill — the new venture sparking a new kind of inspiration that isn’t always so easily achievable when working closely with other artists.
In early 2015, Babinski put the wheels in motion by beginning the recording process under Steady Holiday. With the release of her single “Your Version of Me” the artist gained even more momentum through the single’s success — the work receiving praise from both critics and fans alike. By 2016, Steady Holiday released her debut solo album Under The Influence (produced by Gus Seyffert). Described as hauntingly expressive, listeners began crediting the album’s success to Babinski’s vocals, which enlivened the album’s themes and emotional atmosphere.
“Help me I’m a superstar
but narrowly I’ve missed the mark
drifting, fading, no regard
I’ve slipped into a cycle”
“Superstar” is the seventh song on Under The Influence, imparting a message that could very well describe the artist’s artistic journey — there’s a nod here to the range of Babinski’s achievements earned thus far in her musical career, along with identifying her place and status with the release of her debut album.
These personal touches radiate throughout Under The Influence, the melancholic filled verses paired with the stunning string arrangements set the soundscape for Steady Holiday’s emergence into the world. When asked about what she chooses to explore in her writing, she dives deep into the lyrics from the listener’s standpoint.
“I’m always looking to uncover things about myself and universals in human nature,” says Babinski. “Which is an interest much bigger than music but tends to show up in my songs. It helps me make sense of the world and soften to what I don’t understand. I’ve been writing from perspectives other than my own recently, and empathy is the best tool for that.”
With the circulation of Under The Influence, Steady Holiday is soon called to perform at Coachella by the festival’s very own co-founder Paul Tollet. With this caliber of a platform, Babinski boldly begins her new chapter of sharing what was once a private channel of expression to thousands of listeners.
“I want people to have their own experience with my music rather than explain all my intentions,” notes Babinski. “I do hope that it’s inclusive and evocative enough for people to create their own meaning and memories with it, in the same way that Hallelujah wasn’t written for me, but it was.”
In terms of Babinski’s songwriting process, she often draws inspiration from words that resonate with her on a creative level. “Most of my song ideas begin with the stuff that sits on top, the vocal melody and lyrics,” says Babinski. “Usually it’s a phrase I read or overhear that sticks with me then I’ll find a melody that shapes nicely around it.” Such inspiration can strike almost anywhere but Babinski notes it happens commonly when driving or walking about yet hardly ever when sitting down to intentionally write.
This fluidity in her craft, Babinski keeps her process balanced by focusing heavily on where a song’s inspiration goes — spending time on refining an idea, rebuilding it, then deciding if it should be fully fleshed out to be shared with the world.
“Sometimes a complete thought is the result of a lot of conscious work,” says Babinski. “And sometimes it just appears like tethered magic. I never know when or how it’s going to happen.”
Steady Holiday’s music is available for licensing through Marmoset. Listeners can also check out Steady Holiday’s second album Nobody’s Watching, released in 2018 on Barsuk Records. The artist’s second album is a collection of stories that align with recurring themes of fear and greed throughout history — something Babinski notes as a fitting encapsulation of today’s climate.
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