- 23 Maj 2007, 13:30
#804495
Leslie Feist (born Friday, February 13, 1976 in Amherst, Nova Scotia) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She performs as a solo artist under the name Feist, and as a member of Broken Social Scene.
Raised in Regina and Calgary, Feist got her start in music as the lead vocalist for a punk band called Placebo (not the more famous British band Placebo), who won a local Battle of the Bands competition and were awarded the opening slot at a Ramones concert. After five years of touring, Feist was forced to take time off from music to recover from voice damage. She moved from Calgary to Toronto in 1998 and took up guitar; by 1999, she was the guitarist for By Divine Right. She also released her debut solo album, Monarch (Lay Down Your Jeweled Head), that year. The album was financed by a grant from the Canadian government.
In 2000, Feist moved in as a roommate with Peaches and Gonzales, and appeared as a guest vocalist on The Teaches of Peaches. She then joined the recording sessions for Broken Social Scene's albums Feel Good Lost and You Forgot It in People.
Feist then moved to Paris, and while in Europe, she collaborated with Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience as a guest vocalist on their album Riot on an Empty Street. Feist recorded her second solo album, Let It Die, in Paris in 2002 and 2003. That album, a combination of jazz, bossa nova and indie rock, was hailed as one of the best Canadian pop albums of 2004, and got her two Juno Awards (The Canadian equivalent of the Grammys). This album also helped her to gain a significant international audience.
Raised in Regina and Calgary, Feist got her start in music as the lead vocalist for a punk band called Placebo (not the more famous British band Placebo), who won a local Battle of the Bands competition and were awarded the opening slot at a Ramones concert. After five years of touring, Feist was forced to take time off from music to recover from voice damage. She moved from Calgary to Toronto in 1998 and took up guitar; by 1999, she was the guitarist for By Divine Right. She also released her debut solo album, Monarch (Lay Down Your Jeweled Head), that year. The album was financed by a grant from the Canadian government.
In 2000, Feist moved in as a roommate with Peaches and Gonzales, and appeared as a guest vocalist on The Teaches of Peaches. She then joined the recording sessions for Broken Social Scene's albums Feel Good Lost and You Forgot It in People.
Feist then moved to Paris, and while in Europe, she collaborated with Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience as a guest vocalist on their album Riot on an Empty Street. Feist recorded her second solo album, Let It Die, in Paris in 2002 and 2003. That album, a combination of jazz, bossa nova and indie rock, was hailed as one of the best Canadian pop albums of 2004, and got her two Juno Awards (The Canadian equivalent of the Grammys). This album also helped her to gain a significant international audience.