In this post, we explore the Feist album 'Multitudes' through her own words in interviews. We compiling insights from her interviews on podcasts, radio shows, and music magazines. These conversations offer a unique glimpse into the mind of an artist like Leslie Feist. Let’s dive in.
| Where? | Media | Title | Published | Interviewer | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vulture | Magazine | Feist Is in Her Full-Circle Era | 2023-04-10 | Emma Madden | [1] |
| The Guardian | Magazine | ‘I was singing myself through the grief’: Feist on losing her father – and finding her voice | 2023-04-08 | Laura Barton | [2] |
| Before The Chorus | Podcast | Episode 58: Feist (Interview) | 2023-08-23 | Sofia Loporcaro | [3] |
| Sodajerker | Podcast | Episode 259 - Feist (Interview) | 2023-12-22 | Simon Barber, Brian O'Connor | [4] |
| Q with Tom Power | Podcast | Feist on Multitudes, motherhood & memories + Nico Paulo’s new record | 2023-04-17 | Tom Power | [5] |
| Song Exploder | Podcast | Feist In Lightning - Song Exploder Episode 254 | 2023-06-01 | Hrishikesh Hirway | [6] |
Before The Chorus
Episode 58: Feist
Feis uses "Breadcrumbs" for re-encounter ideas
Feist uses the image of breadcrumbs as she retrieves her ideas for a later time: "And so I'm going to put a breadcrumb in the forest in the form of this particular line so I can re-encounter that idea again in 10 years and five years, in six months, 30 shows from now."
[3]
Sodajerker
Episode 259 - Feist
Feist's songwriting and the sock puppet
If you're invited to the Sodajerker Podcast, you'll get an in-depth look at songwriting. In this episode, the three musicians Feist, Simon Barber and Brian O'Connor talk about the album 'Multitudes'. It's about how songwriting for an album and touring relate to each other. Feist describes how the songs were not written in isolation from touring. She calls it an “inductive process” in which the songs are written. Feist gives a visual example of this, namely a sock puppet: "So it's actually been like the sock puppet was turned inside out and all you see is the threads put back together, turned back into the sock puppet, turned inside out again." [4]
Q with Tom Power
Feist on Multitudes, motherhood & memories + Nico Paulo’s new record
Feist's success and later music
The end of the interview addresses Feist' songwriting after her great success.
Tom Power asks Feist to what extent her great musical success at the time (especially her song “1234”) ad an impact on her. Particularly how this success influenced the music she made from then on.
Feist talks about the influence of success on her later music production. There was a joking break for instruments such as the glockenspiel and the tambourine. But that this was only temporary. After a few years she tried to remember what life is about and get to a place where she can be in the moment. Writing her new music is not about repeating something or being different. It's about capturing the new moment. The music is the result of her inner longings. Feist hopes that listeners can find a similar emotional connection to her music. Feist appreciates it when people listen to her music with a headphone experience. Her job offers the opportunity to create such shared experiences.[5]
References
[1] Madden, E. (2023, April 10). Feist on multitudes, motherhood, arcade fire, and twee-ness. Vulture. https://www.vulture.com/2023/04/feist-multitudes-album.html
[2] Barton, L. (2023, April 11). ‘I was singing myself through the grief’: Feist on losing her father – and finding her voice. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/08/feist-multitudes-arcade-fire-interview
[3] Loporcaro, S. (2023, August 23). Episode 58: FeIST | Interview. Before the Chorus. https://www.beforethechorus.com/post/episode-58-feist-interview
[4] Episode 259 – Feist. (n.d.). Sodajerker. https://www.sodajerker.com/episode-259-feist/
[5] Feist on Multitudes, motherhood & memories + Nico Paulo’s new record | Q | On Demand | CBC Listen. (2023, April 17). CBC Listen. https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-50-q/clip/15978636-feist-multitudes-motherhood-and-memories-nico-paulos
[6] Dolan, M. (2024, August 5). Episode 254: Feist. Song Exploder. https://songexploder.net/feist