To be an artist these days means more than creating catchy, relevant and replayable songs — which is already a monumental feat — but to create a unique and unforgettable experience for the audience.
Blending their own distinct brand of hyper-pop with lyrics ripe with modern dissent and a ferocious but fun live show incorporating elements of drag, Feura demands attention.
Performing since the age of nine, Feura grew up in Simcoe County, attending Hillsdale Elementary, Forest Hill Public School and then Eastview Secondary School. It was at Eastview that Feura started to explore music as part of the choir and was involved with theatrical production with local professional companies Drayton Entertainment, Theatre by the Bay and Talk Is Free Theatre.
Now based in Toronto, Feura has quickly established an undeniably exciting presence both sonically and on stage. Alongside an electrifying performance, Feura is a producer, DJ, event planner and, most importantly, a conversation starter.
I had the opportunity to ask Feura a few questions about their origin as an artist and what’s in store in the not-too-distant future.
RV: How did Feura come to exist? Are there particular artists, drag and otherwise, that inspired the Feura we see today?
F: Feura is an accumulation of all my artistic experiences that come together starting with musical theatre as part of the children’s chorus, then in high school with choir and live performing with guitar. There are also my directing experiences in high school.
I have two distinct sides to myself — directing (the backstage aspect of theatre) and musical performance. Feura emerged when bringing those two sides together along with coming to terms with my queerness and the expression of it in my performance.
When I started to go to drag bars and saw the queens performing, I was inspired in how I wanted to perform. As well, there are the club kids from the ’80s, which were very much ‘we are who we are’ with an ‘authentic self’ attitude, their rock creativity
expressed unapologetically.
RV: What is it about your brand of hyper-pop that makes it an effective platform for your commentary on current societal issues?
F: My music follows a pop structure merged with my ‘say-what-I-want-to-say’ punk attitude. I am not necessarily making something for mainstream radio; the music combined with the lyrics is a continuous experiment.
My music is fun, but the message may be serious. I use the music to soften the blow. By making it danceable, then people are more willing to listen and the hook can play over and over in your head.
I love writing the hook first and my goal is to make something that people will enjoy dancing to. My brand encompasses the music, the beat, the energy while my lyrics are very introspective — looking at myself, my place in the world and the world around me. My unapologetic attitude and calling things as I see them has resonated with my audience who are drawn by my honesty.
RV: You've said that your ultimate goal, every time you step on stage, is to be the best entertainer you can be. How do you achieve that?
F: There is a lot of time and energy that goes into being a good entertainer. First, I go and see a lot of other performers and learn from them.
Behind the scenes, I think about my costume, make-up, dance moves and all the other aspects of the performance that not only entertain but get the audience engaged. Like when I envisioned the video for my first single, I was immersed in all aspects of the production in order to bring my vision forward.
I am expressing myself through many disciplines and continue to learn. I’ve taken a music production course and DJ'ing course. I combined theatre and politics at university. All of this to say I am more than just the music that I create.
In order to do this, I am open to learning as much as I can in various art forms and I am open to learning about what makes people tick.
I try to engage people with differing views and try to have open discussions about culture, society and politics. This inspires me.
RV: What can people expect from your upcoming debut EP?
F: They can expect more dance music with thought-provoking lyrics. Much more introspective and the theme is on the exploitation of self… on how I am exploiting myself to meet other people’s expectations.
The full EP will be released later this year.
RV: If you could get three people in a room together to talk about an issue close to your heart, who are the people and what do you want to talk about?
R: That’s a bit of a difficult question, because I have so much to learn.
I want to talk with local community leaders so that I can learn how best to engage in actions that matter where I live now. I have been out helping at the encampments in the parks with homeless people and I am interested in learning more about what I can do for climate change, advocating for the BIPOC community, etc.
I thrive on doing more than just thinking about what to do. My creative expression is my way, I guess, of contributing because I want to have an impact on others to pay attention and get engaged on what matters.
Right now, I am collaborating with other artists and working on building a community where we can share our voice and message.
Don’t get me wrong, not everything is serious. I also want to be fun, sexy, campy and if I am sad, it will be with a banging beat.
RV: If you had the ability to stream one song, other than your own, to everyone on the planet simultaneously, what song would it be?
F: Doron Electra’s My Agenda. It is a satire about spreading the gay agenda and I think would be funny if it was streamed to everyone at the same time.
To stream Feura’s single and to keep up to date, click here.
