It’s only four months into 2008 and Leslie Feist has already nabbed five Juno nominations, four Grammy nominations, a BRIT Award nomination, and is the first Canadian to win the United States’ Short List Music Prize. It’s unquestionably the year of the Feist.
“I love working with Feist. We wrote a song together called ‘Brandy Alexander’ on The Reminder,” said singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith.
The Reminder debuted at no. 2 in Canada and went on to sell 1.2 million copies worldwide. If that’s not enough, the record also stands to be 2007’s most bought album on iTunes.
That’s not half bad for a follow-up to 2004’s Let It Die, which is praised as one of Canada’s best recordings of that year.
It was 1999’s Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) that started it all – Feist’s solo career that is.
It seems she was simply born with musical know-how. At the young age of 15, Feist formed a punk band in Calgary that started her on this path. From there she found her place in bands like Broken Social Scene and By Divine Right, and hasn’t put down her guitar since.
“Everything that Feist is now, she was then,” said By Divine Right front man Jose Miguel Contreras.
“She has a lot of charisma. When I first met her it was really obvious. I remember the first time I heard her play guitar. She is just awesome.”
Canada’s indie scene queen continues to astound the nation as she finds colossal success and a reigning place in the mainstream.
