Peyton Lescher
Peyton’s Place
Singing Her Own story
By Ariel Thomas
St. Augustine musician Peyton Lescher is busy. She’s a regular performer at hot spots like Auggie’s Draft Room and Colonial Oak, has an album due out this summer, and is this month’s cover story…for good reason.
The fresh-faced singer is no newbie to performing or even writing her own music. She says that her upcoming album features lyrics she wrote from as far back as when she was thirteen years old.
“My upcoming album is so special to me,” Lescher says. “I always knew I wanted to record and release an album, but this past year in St. Augustine has really helped me learn exactly how to go about the process. I’ve met some amazing people who have wanted nothing more than to give me advice and guide me through the process while always answering the endless questions I asked them.”
Lescher has written all her own songs alongside her bandmates Dominic Steenson and Spencer Dupree. She cites leading single “Bright,” an upbeat and encouraging song, as a counterpart to the sassy and sultry “Dark” — both tracks on the album that reflect her experiences so far in life.
“The album is a fun one and I am so excited for people to hear it,” Lescher says.
When drawing inspiration for music, she looks to the leading ladies of pop: Sia, Ariana Grande, and Amy Winehouse. Lescher admires their grace and often looks to them for creativity in her writing process and onstage persona.
But Lescher does not confine herself to just one sound.
“The most challenging part for me as a musician is finding a sound that I want to stick to,” she says. “Because I perform so many different places in St. Augustine, I must have a vast set list filled with many different genres. Some of those genres, I’ll admit, I enjoy more than others. In the end of the day, I get to do what I love to do and it’s always a great time.”
And as any good creative, she is often her toughest critic.
“In reference to the album, the hardest part for me was telling myself that what I’m writing or creating is good enough for people to listen to,” Lescher says. “I obviously want it to be perfect, but I have to remind myself that I’m making this album for me and if It's not music that I want to listen to or would listen to, then it’s not truly representative of me and the story I want to tell.”
Lescher began performing at the age of five back in Chicago, IL — her hometown. She started taking guitar lessons her Freshman year of high school and was doing sets at Jacksonville restaurants by the following year. Her most memorable set was right here in St. Augustine at last year’s Sing Out Loud Festival.
“That entire day was so much fun; it is something I don’t think I will ever forget,” she says. “We were actually able to build a makeshift stage in the pit of the Amphitheatre due to weather so it was an unreal experience being able to look out into the audience and see everyone. I’ve seen so many amazing acts at the Amphitheatre so it was very cool to be able to see things from their perspective.”
Lescher remains grateful for her chance to do what she loves — getting to meet new fans as well as other musicians.
“It’s so rewarding to be able to perform, which is something that I’ve always dreamt of doing, and that people want to listen,” she says. “The audiences are always so receptive, engaging, and kind. It’s a very rewarding experience to be able to interact with people who share a passion for and enjoy listening to music.”
Look out for her album this summer and keep up to date with her on Facebook at Peyton Lescher Music. As for the future, she hopes to meet some of you soon.