Spotlights On: Lee Fayssoux

A Storyteller Finding His Voice

In just over one week, Americana-country artist Lee Fayssoux will be heading to Nashville for the 12th annual Josie Music Awards. A triple nominee, he emerged among 100,000+ artists for a second year running after a previous nomination in 2025. This year, he’ll be competing in the categories of Country Song of the Year (“Be With You”) with vocal category nods, as well as for the Americana genre (“Cold”). 

Fayssoux performs live; a blessing he's come to love since taking a chance on music full-time

Both songs were singles released in 2024, and the nomination announcement has also built anticipation for Fayssoux’s most recent album, Cotton Blossoms; an album 16 years in the making, finally released on August 28th. The album is an expression of how he approaches all of his songwriting: with truth. 

"All the songs I write are about things I've experienced, or reflections on where I come from,” he described. "True stories make the best stories when you're writing music"

Farmhouses and Family Legacy

Cotton Blossoms touches the full range of Fayssoux’s life—from homages to his family’s heritage land in North Carolina, to drawing on elements of the old-school Appalachian/Western style in tunes such as “Cold”. After a trip he took home two years ago, many of these songs began to form in the back of his mind: especially seeing parallels in many of the old, falling-in farmhouses that can be seen in certain spots across Northern Michigan. 

Seeing the property after so many years, he began to wonder how those who have since passed look down on the change that has happened. He notes that the farm was roughly 250 years old and has since dwindled to around 100 acres of land from the few thousand his family originally owned. 

"How hard did they have to work to have that?,” he pondered. “How hard did they have to work to keep going?"

Cotton Blossoms explores his reflections, with the central themes discussing gratitude for a simpler time and honoring the hard work behind what’s left. The album discusses several throughlines that are standard to his music, including place, family, and faith. 

From Appalachia to the Midwest

“Cold” specifically brings out an old-school Appalachia sound that’s native to his state, with a “dark, out-west” sound that he wanted to maintain. “Be With You”, his other Josie Music Awards entry, came with more full production, including a pedal steel and fiddle. 

Fayssoux's style reflects his often-country sound.

“Dogwood Flowers,” on the other hand, is a stripped-down track written for his mother and his wife, and recorded with Chip Stead at Homestead Productions. Based around memories from his childhood, with dogwood trees and azalea bushes on the property, the song is a tribute to how he grew up and how those memories have held, even hundreds of miles away.

His producer, Chris Calleja of Northern Tracks Recording, built a Midwest folk/rock influence into a handful of the tracks in his latest album, pushing Fayssoux to explore new bounds in his sound. 

"He pushed me out of my comfort level,” he described. “You're growing when you do that kind of stuff."

Cotton Blossoms, among other tracks recorded and released to date, was done in Northern Michigan with Michigan artists and producers, only solidifying his connections to Indian River and the state, despite not being originally from the area. 

A Leap of Faith to Northern Michigan

In 2007, he met his wife Andrea, an Indian River native. After beginning to build a life and family together, they began entertaining the idea of returning to her hometown in 2017, and a whirlwind of well-timed coincidences led to them being set up to move in the same two-week trip they made to visit family. 

Now nine years later, Fayssoux has found this to be the foundation for an uncertain future that has led to more success than he planned, especially when it came to music. 

"Some folks would say that's the stars aligning... I just say that was God's plan,” he reminisced. "The community up here has been so supportive. Everyone wants to succeed, and they want each other to succeed.”

The Long Road to the Stage

Throughout his early adulthood and to date, Fayssoux spent 15 years in and out of studios before releasing his first single, “Carolina Man”, just two years ago. 

For him, the fear of judgement struck, causing his hesitation to put his music out there for so long. Drummer Evan Price, among many other friends and loved ones, encouraged him to take the leap and stand with authenticity, which is what eventually led to the discography now known by his fans today. 

While the journey to stage was lengthy, it was worth every leap.

"It's not going to be for everybody. I'm just going to be me, be authentic. They can like it or they can’t,” Fayssoux said. 

With an upcoming second round of nominations to the Josie Music Awards, it’s clear to see that authenticity has awarded him his growth as an artist thus far. 

"I don't like to think of myself too highly... it kind of breaks my heart for [artists who don't get the support]. I'm very blessed,” he said, talking about his thankful anticipation for the upcoming event.

What's Next

September 11th, Fayssoux is hosting an album release party for Cotton Blossoms at Northland Brewing Company in Indian River, with music starting around 6 or 7 P.M. Featuring an hour-long original set with a full band, plus merch and a second hour of live music, it will be his biggest event before the upcoming trip to the Grand Ole Opry for the 2026 Josie Music Awards. With 70 of 100 physical copies of his album already sold, he looks forward to seeing even more of how people react to his latest works. 

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To listen to his latest album, or keep an eye out for any future shows Fayssoux will be playing at, check out his website or follow him on Instagram. Find his album listening party at Northland Brewing Company at 3798 S Straits Hwy, Indian River.