Back with new music but the same unapologetic attitude

We’re about to hear a lot more from Fefe Dobson. The famed, multi-platinum Canadian recording artist has a new album on the horizon – her first since 2010. Dobson kicked the summer off with the June release of her latest single, “HUNGOVER,” giving fans another taste of what’s in store for the anticipated album. This follows the 2022 release of singles “Recharge My Heart” and “FCKN IN LOVE.” With a career over two decades strong, Dobson has been decorated with several awards, nominations, and music certifications on the way and penned hit songs for the biggest names in the business (think: Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez). She’s even toured with Justin Timberlake – something she manifested as a teenaged fan (more on that later). Shooting to quick fame in the early 2000s as an edgy Black pop-rock artist – a widely-acknowledged outlier in a male-dominated space – Dobson continues to do things her way. And, if the past is any indication of the future, we can expect more unforgettable hits from the celebrated artist. 

Back to the start

Growing up in Scarborough, Ontario, Dobson says she was “obsessed” with entertaining her family and friends with music from a very young age. “It was kind of the way to keep the energy up because things were quite heavy; that’s how I coped,” says Dobson, who learned to play the piano at the age of 13. “My love of musicals was very intense. I loved The Wizard of Oz and Judy Garland very much. I listened to all types of genres because my mom played a lot of music in the house. It was all over the map; she’d play Tears for Fears, then Janet Jackson or Lisa Lisa. Meanwhile, my sister was playing Guns N’ Roses, Nirvana, and Boyz II Men. She’s eight years older than me. So, she was playing bands that reflected how she felt at that point. And I just was emerged in it and it’s kind of what created a love of music for me.”

It wasn’t long before performing in her living room turned to performing on Dobson’s school’s stage. After her elementary school friends summoned over a teacher, Mrs. Anderson, at recess to hear Dobson perform Madonna’s “Like a Prayer,” Dobson began performing for her school. This included a production of Dobson’s beloved The Wizard of Oz. “Mrs. Anderson put a lot of heart and effort into these show,” reflects Dobson. “We had a full script, all kinds of props, and my mom helped make the costumes. It was a big deal.”

By the time high school rolled around, Wexford Collegiate Institute – a Toronto high school for the arts with a rich musical theatre program – was a natural choice for Dobson. Here, a teacher called Ms. Miriam was influential in teaching Dobson everything from stage presence and projecting, to discipline. “At one point, she also helped me actually get to school, because there was a time when I couldn’t afford to get there,” says Dobson. Things would quickly change for the young musician. 

It was during high school when Dobson – influenced by the likes of Green Day and Nirvana and, inevitably, crushing on boy bands like NSYNC (“I saw every NSYNC concert,” she says) –  formed her first band. At just 16, she was offered a record deal with Jive Records – Britney Spears’ label – but she turned it down, due to her preference to perform rock music, not R&B and pop. 

“The band situation happened when I started working with [celebrated Canadian music producers] Jay Levine and James Bryan McCollum to make the first album,” says Dobson. “And then we put a band together because it just made sense for the genre I was making and yeah, we had to get it on the road.”

From high school to the top of music charts

Success came quickly for Dobson, who signed with Island Def Jam and released her self-titled debut album in 2003. So quickly, in fact, that she didn’t even realize it was happening. 

It wasn’t until she heard her hit 2003 single “Take Me Away” playing in New York when it finally started to sink in that Dobson could really make a name for herself as a musician. She was just 18. “It was playing on the radio and I was like, ‘My God; that’s so cool,” says Dobson. “But even then, I still don’t think I could completely take it in. So, I think it was when I started doing shows and being around crowds and seeing how infectious the energy was – it was so amazing – that I started to realize, ‘Wow, this is something that’s really happening in my life right now.’”

The album went platinum in Canada and gold in the United States and also featured the successful singles “Bye Bye Boyfriend” and “Don’t Go (Girls and Boys),” which made the Canadian Hot 100 chart and earned Dobson two Juno Award nominations. 

Coming into her own

While some artists may assume a great deal of pressure experiencing success at such a young age, Dobson was rolling with it – well, for the most part. “Being 18, all I was really thinking about was, ‘Do I have my Converse? How are my jeans? Ripped enough? Are my boys going to call me back? Don’t forget the lyrics,” says Dobson. “These are all the things that were going on in my head. When I was that age, I wasn’t really thinking about the pressures of everything.”

Fefe Dobson does reveal, however, that photo shoots were always anxiety-inducing in her younger years. “They were always petrifying for me because I hadn’t figured out who I was,” she says. “At that age, you’re still developing your style and growing into yourself. I would wear clothes and be like, “Now, how do I wear my hair?’ I just didn’t understand myself.” 

Once she did grow into her brand and style, there was no changing it for anyone else. Dobson cites a challenge of her early days as the ability to be her true self without having to alter her image. “It was often a struggle just to actually be heard and seen and to stick to my guns with the clothes I wanted to wear, the genre I wanted to perform, the way I move – everything,” says Dobson. “That all represents my brand and who I am, and all those things I’ve become over the years. It’s something I’ve had to stick to my guns for. I’m not a big person of following trends or following things because I always kind of go backwards; I’ve always been influenced by, [the] 60s, 70s and 80s.”

With that said, Dobson admits that her main hurdle – and something she’s definitely not alone in – has been questioning herself. “I struggled a lot with ‘Do I do this, or do I do that?,’” says Dobson. “Meaning, ‘Do I put those pants on? Because if I do, and I’m photographed in them, now it’s out there forever. Do I sing that song?’ It is about doing what’s right internally, and that’s always been hard, because you’ve got to find your balance. You have to also be open and true to yourself. So, it’s a very interesting balance.”

Setbacks and steps forward

This internal struggle wasn’t the only challenge Dobson faced as a young artist. “I’ve had many setbacks in my career,” says Dobson. “I’ve had moments of ‘What do I do here? How do I get past this?.’” Most notably, Dobson’s second studio album, Sunday Love was cancelled before its scheduled mainstream release in 2005, when Dobson split with her record label due to creative differences. 

“I remember getting signed to record deal when I was first starting and it was the biggest dream come true; it was everything. I don’t have a plan B and I never have,” says Dobson. When Island Def Jam and I split, it was like my world came crashing down because it was all I knew and I didn’t know what to do. I had a great team around me though, who really helped me through it. But when those moments where you feel like ‘My gosh, everything’s falling down; what do I do now?’ The album that I worked so hard on, which was Sunday Love, is not going to come out and my life is ending.”

Dobson knew she had no choice but to pick herself up. “Finally, I went back to drawing board and started working on the Joy album and then I got resigned with Island Def Jam,” said Dobson. “I’ve definitely had my setbacks. My heart gets broken very easily. I’m very emo. But, those things put a fire under me and push me further to help kind of steer me in a new direction – or the right direction – and I’ve been very thankful for that.”

Sunday Love was eventually released independently in 2006 and made available for digital download in 2012. Released in 2010, Dobson’s album Joy included the smash hits “Ghost” and “Stuttering,” which became radio favourites. In the wake of its success, however, Dobson took a step back from the spotlight in 2014 to relocate to Nashville and sink her teeth into songwriting. 

The highlights

Like many successful and ever-evolving musicians, it’s difficult for Dobson to pick just one career highlight to date. But touring with Justin Timberlake – who she joined on his 2004 ‘Justified’ tour in Europe, opening for the global superstar – is near the top. “That was a big one for me for many reasons, but mainly because it gave me this confirmation that I was manifesting and that I was on the right path,” says Dobson. “I had been telling my friends since high school – before I was even signed – ‘One day, Justin Timberlake is gonna know me; he’s gonna know me.’ And they were like, ‘No, you’re crazy.’ So, having it happen was like a confirmation for me in a way.”

Dobson also cites performing “Deep Mountain High” for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 25^th anniversary Induction ceremony in 2010 and performing with Paul Shaffer as a career highlight. 

“That was a special one for me because just in the it’s pretty small room,” says Dobson. “It looks big on TV but it’s pretty small and Green Day was in the room and just like some of the people I’ve looked up to.  I remember going out there and being super nervous and then doing it and a couple of them stood up. And that was really sick for me. I was really cool.”

Dobson also has fond memories of music legend Lenny Kratitz. “I was doing a radio show with him – his bass player actually played on my first album – and just sitting with him and being so open and having this brother-sister energy…I don’t know, there have just been moments like that that meant a lot to me,” she reflects. 

From the stage to the screen

Not just a talented musician, Dobson has also proved herself a celebrated screen actress in TV and film. 

Dobson appeared as one of her biggest influences, the late, great Tina Turner, in the hit NBC series American Dreams. In 2011, Dobson joined the cast of Sudz Sutherland’s independent film “Home Again” alongside Tatyana Ali and Stephen James, in the supporting role as Cherry C. The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in 2012 and earned Dobson a nomination at the 2012 Canadian Screen Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. Dobson has also appeared in a handful of roles since. 

New music and next moves for Fefe Dobson

If you’re looking for an anthem of the summer to celebrate those shameless nights out, Dobson’s latest single, “HUNGOVER” could be it. “I guess it’s pretty self-explanatory,” says Dobson of the new track. “It’s me just having a wild night and I sometimes tend to do things I probably shouldn’t after some champagne and tequila. I have a problem kissing people and I have a problem texting when I probably shouldn’t. And I always love; I’m a lover. So, I may text and be like, “I love you, why don’t you [love me]?’ So, I’m just wild. And the song is basically, ‘Yeah, I’m a hot mess, but I’m going to do it over again. Whatever.’”

As for the summer, Dobson has a slew of shows lined up across the country. She’ll also clock in hours mixing and mastering the album, which we can expect in the early fall. Dobson calls the upcoming album “a happy medium between the first album, Sunday Love, and Joy,” and says it was written over two months when she was staying at Toronto’s Royal York Hotel. “There’s a little bit of everything in it,” she says. “Everything that you’re hearing in it, I was sort of living at the time – whatever problem. It’s a major reflection of where I was at those two months at the Fairmont.”

Naturally, the album reflects Dobson’s evolution as both a person and an artist. 

“Starting at 18 and growing up in the industry,  just living life, I was [being] a teen,” says Dobson. “I’ve gone through relationships. I’ve been married. I’ve lived in different cities. I’ve dealt with my inner child, all of fun things. It’s just about figuring out who you are, recognizing that I’m a beautiful woman, and about growing into yourself and not being so hard on yourself. I’ve always been very vulnerable; I don’t talk much about my personal life, but I put it in my music. So, people know where I’m at in a relationship; like, ‘Oh, she’s with somebody,’ or ‘She’s not.’ I mean, it’s pretty clear when I start putting up stuff.”

Advice for young artists and using her Voice 

Dobson acknowledges some of the challenges for today’s young artists; namely, social media. 

“Honestly, I think the greatest challenge is social media,” says Dobson. “There’s a lot of beauty to it, where we get to kind of get to narrate what we want and control that narrative. But, at the same time, there’s a lot of pressure in social media. There’s a lot of pressure to look a certain way; there’s a lot of pressure to do a certain thing. And, there’s no such thing as mystery. So, then you’ve got to find ways to be mysterious on social media. There are those who are used to social media and grew up with it – because I didn’t grow up with it – who have found ways to make it cool. But there’s a lot of pressure on females when it comes to things like filters. They’re a very fun thing, but can also be very dangerous.”

Dobson had some simple, but ever-important advice for young artists.

“Be yourself, the very thing that you may be afraid,” says Dobson. “It’s probably the coolest thing to just be you. If someone gets it, they get it. If not, they can f*** off, really.”

Dobson is also just as vocal when it comes to lending her voice to important causes. Back in 2012, she joined forces with a handful of other Canadian household names to re-record Cyndi Loper’s “True Colours” to raise awareness about bullying. Released during Bullying Awareness Week, the song was a huge success and generated important funds for Kids Help Phone. During the COVID-19 outbreak, Dobson and Canadian pop star Tyler Shaw united some of Canada’s most notable names in music – from Bryan Adams to Justin Bieber – to perform a charity single of “Lean on Me” (Bill Withers), which raised over $200,000 in pandemic relief efforts.

“When it comes to other singers and songwriters, I’ve looked up to people because I admire what they stand behind, what they believe in, and what they support, and their words and actions means a lot,” says Dobson. “When I was young and if I saw Mariah Carey on MTV or whatnot, if she said something, it stuck. What we stand for and what we support can go a long way. I am passionate about things myself, my siblings, and my mother have been through. My mom was put through a lot as a child, so I’m very protective of kids.”

Balancing it all out

Although Dobson is no stranger to a night on the town when back home in Toronto, she now resides in Nashville and maintains a lifestyle that facilitates a sense of balance – including a passion for baking. 

“I live in the woods in Nashville and I disappear,” says Dobson. “Then, I come to work. I do my thing and I can party, and obviously I could be hungover, but I have to center myself a lot of times because I just need it. I have three dogs out in Nashville and literally I just sit out on my patio and there’s deer walking around and turkeys. I don’t know, nature just really just centres me.”

As for her favourite thing to bake, apparently her lemon bars are out of this world (yes, that’s a hint, Fefe). 

Credits

Shot by: Nick Merzetti; Fashion/Art/Editorial Direction and Production by: Steven Branco; Makeup by: Angela Lee /Judy Inc.; Hair by: Duyen Huynh, Lighting Assistant: Alejandro Silva Cortes; Wardrobe Stylist: Sharad Mohan; Wardrobe Assistant: Kareem Allan Mcclean; Production Assistant: Francis Chang; Beauty Retouching by: Angela Lee; Retouching by: Nick Merzetti. A Stamina Group Production. Special thank you to U3 Official on Ossington, The Webster Yorkville, Versace Yorkville, and Coach Canada / Jane Gill PR and VIEREN for their assistance with wardrobe pulls; as well as INK Entertainment / Bisha Hotel, Lori Harito and all of the hotel staff for their assistance with locations for the shoot. It truly takes a village, and it couldn’t have been done without everyone’s support.