Rachel Wyre is Minneapolis-based sing songwriter with a whole Minnesota vibe. Her voice is sweet but strong. She has new music coming out all spring with a Single Release Party + Community Benefit show coming up at Aster Cafe on Friday, March 27
Please tell us about yourself and your music.
I’m Rachel Wyre – I’m a Minnesota-based singer-songwriter. I was born and raised in the Twin Cities and currently live in South Minneapolis. Music has always been an important part of my life but it’s been a winding journey. I started playing piano when I was 5 years old, began percussion in grade school, and picked up acoustic guitar shortly after. Guitar was mainly an accompaniment to singing, both of which I never had any formal training on. At the age of 15 I started gigging at coffee shops around town, playing a range of covers from Bright Eyes to Janis Joplin. I kept this up through college in Menomonie, Wisconsin. After graduating I moved back to Minnesota, started a corporate job, and kind of left music alone for quite some time. I only got back into it recently as a way to channel my energy with the heaviness of the world but have made a lot of progress in re-discovering myself as a musician.
Over the past year I’ve been recording my music with Midwestern Records and plan to release 4 singles in early 2026. My music drifts between folk, pop, and country influences. I’m drawn to meandering melodies and heartfelt storytelling and I hope that comes through in my music.
You have a number of debut singles coming out in 2026, starting with Shy Girl. Assuming the song reflects you or part of you, what is it like to take on something so public as performing as a shy girl?
Shy Girl is absolutely autobiographical. The song explores themes of social anxiety and self-acceptance, which are both things I’ve struggled with, but it’s wrapped in an upbeat and ironic pop song. While I have days when I feel shy, I’d say I’m more of an introvert. Performing isn’t actually that intimidating to me because it’s a way to express myself and it offers a deep connection with the audience. I find it easier to express myself through my music and lyrics because I can be intentional about what I’m trying to articulate and I can – to an extent – control the outcome, which I love as an anxious person! I also like sharing music with others in hopes that they might connect to it or be moved by it. I think that’s partially why I started performing way back when I was a kid. My family and friends would come together and it was the connection, warmth and support that I loved; the performing part was secondary. When I perform today, I usually have a few people come up to me afterward and say they connected with the lyrics of a song or that this one song was so relatable, and it’s really humbling to know that emotions are generally pretty universal. Those connections are what I remember about performances and what motivates me to keep doing it.
I just love Stop for Coffee, it calls back the best of road trips. And a glimpse of what it’s like to road trip to small towns in the Midwest. The lyrics are straightforward and the tune is easy to connect with but it evokes such memories. It makes me wonder how you approach song writing, lyrics first, music or emotion?
That’s so affirming! I feel like if you grew up in Minnesota or have spent a decent amount of time here, you really start to cherish the time spent on the north shore or near a lake and how truly beautiful it is. This song is unique in that it was probably the easiest song for me to write and it broke some of my usual songwriting habits. I wrote this song for my husband and it is based on true events. We had actually just returned from an annual trip to Michigan and I sat down with my guitar and stumbled upon the waltzy picking pattern on my guitar. The lyrics came pretty much in tandem with the melody. It was probably the quickest song I’ve ever written – I wrote the entire song in under an hour – it just came very naturally.
My typical songwriting process looks a bit different. Usually, I don’t have an emotion or theme in mind when I sit down to write – it’s kind of an exercise of “what’s going on subconsciously?”, which can be freaky at times. I usually start on guitar and find a chord progression or riff that I find interesting and then I repeat that over and over again until I start to hear a certain melody line. Once I have a few words or phrases in place, it’s a game of mad libs to fill it in from there. I sometimes source from old notes or voice memos on my phone (I have hundreds) and see if anything inspires me, or I start from scratch and see what comes of it.
You have a debut EP in the making, what spurred you to start and accomplish just a big job?
Yes! I wrapped up my debut project and will release 4 singles in early 2026.
It has always been a dream of mine to record something – my primary motivation was to have an artifact to say “I did it”. The problem was, I only had one original song! I had a really hard time writing music until about 2 years ago when something clicked. I think I reached a level of maturity and had enough time to process and develop a perspective on the stories I wanted to write about. Once I had 4 songs that I actually liked and was proud of, I thought, why not now? I sometimes feel a little behind in my musical journey, but I had reached a place personally where I was ready to record what I had. I honestly didn’t expect to keep writing or pursuing music after this. But since I started I’ve gone on to write 15+ songs and played ~8 shows! I really enjoy the process and feel very fulfilled with music back in my life.
Please tell us where we can see you play around town.
I’m really excited to be back at Aster Cafe on Friday, March 27th for a Single Release Party + Community Benefit show! My 4th and final single comes out that day and I want to celebrate that, but also give back to the community that has been hurting, so I’ll be donating 100% of ticket profits to mutual aid funds benefiting immigrant families impacted by recent events here in Minnesota. Tickets are $15 and music is from 8:30 – 10:30 pm. Tickets and reservations here.
Mostly Minnesota 