Feist

Early life and musical beginnings

Leslie Feist was born on February 13, 1976, in Amherst, Nova Scotia, to artist parents Harold and Lyn Feist. Her father was an American-Canadian abstract expressionist painter who taught fine arts at Mount Allison University, and her mother was a ceramics student from Saskatchewan. After her parents divorced, she moved with her mother and older brother Ben to Regina, Saskatchewan, to live with her grandparents, and the family later relocated to Calgary, Alberta. In Calgary, she attended Bishop Carroll High School and Alternative High School, initially aspiring to be a writer while singing in choirs. Feist holds dual Canadian and American citizenship through her father, and her uncle was guitarist Dan Achen of the 1990s rock band Junkhouse.

Her professional music career began in Calgary in 1991 when, at age fifteen, she founded and became the lead vocalist for a punk band named Placebo. This band won a local Battle of the Bands competition, earning them an opening slot at the Infest 1993 festival where the Ramones performed, and it was there she first met future Broken Social Scene co-founder Brendan Canning. In 1995, Feist was forced to take a hiatus from music to recover from vocal cord damage. She moved to Toronto in 1996 and quickly immersed herself in the city's music scene, learning to play bass for Noah's Arkweld after being asked by Noah Mintz despite never having played the instrument before. She later became the rhythm guitarist for the band By Divine Right, touring with them from 1998 through 2000, and also worked at popular Toronto music venues The Rivoli and Lava Lounge.

Solo career breakthrough

Feist's solo debut album, Monarch, was independently released in 1999 and produced by Dan Kurtz. Her major artistic and commercial breakthrough arrived with her second album, Let It Die, released in 2004. The album was developed from home recordings called The Red Demos and was shaped during extensive touring in Europe with musician Gonzales. Let It Die achieved international sales of 500,000 copies, earning a platinum certification in Canada and a gold album in France. It also won her two Juno Awards in 2004 for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Album. The track "Mushaboom" gained further exposure through use in a Lacoste men's fragrance advertisement and the film 500 Days of Summer. In 2005, she contributed to the UNICEF benefit song "Do They Know It's Hallowe'en?" and released an album of remixes and collaborations titled Open Season in April 2006.

Her third album, The Reminder, released in April and May 2007, catapulted her to international fame. Recorded at LaFrette Studios in Paris with collaborators including Gonzales, Mocky, and her touring band, the album was propelled by the single "1234", co-written by Sally Seltmann. The song became a surprise top ten hit after being featured in a television commercial for the iPod nano, reaching number eight on the Billboard Hot 100. Following the ad, weekly downloads of "1234" jumped from 2,000 to over 73,000, and The Reminder's sales increased from 6,000 to 19,000 copies per week. The album sold over one million copies worldwide, was certified gold in the U.S., and won the Juno Award for Album of the Year in 2008. The Reminder earned Feist four Grammy Award nominations, including Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album.

• Let It Die (2004): Sold 500,000 copies internationally, certified platinum in Canada and gold in France.
• The Reminder (2007): Sold over 1,000,000 copies worldwide, certified gold in the United States.
• "1234" single (2007): Reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart.
• Juno Award for Album of the Year (2008): Won for The Reminder.
• Grammy nomination for Best New Artist (2008): Received for work on The Reminder.
• Sesame Street performance (2008): Sang a counting version of "1234" during the show's 39th season.

Artistic evolution and later work

Following the intense success of The Reminder, Feist stepped back from industry pressures, later returning with her fourth studio album, Metals, released on September 30, 2011. The album was recorded in a custom-built studio on a cliff in Big Sur, California, and featured collaborators like Valgeir Sigurðsson, Chilly Gonzales, and Mocky. It received widespread critical acclaim and won the Juno Award for Adult Alternative Album of the Year in 2012. That same year, she undertook an unusual collaboration, releasing a split seven-inch EP with the progressive metal band Mastodon for Record Store Day, where they covered each other's songs and released an interactive video for "A Commotion". In 2012, she also wrote the song "Fire in the Water" exclusively for the film The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2.

Her fifth album, Pleasure, was preceded by the release of the title track single in March 2017, with the full album introduced at a performance at Trinity St. Paul in Toronto on April 27, 2017. Her sixth studio album, Multitudes, was released in 2023. Throughout her career, Feist has been involved in significant film and documentary projects. In 2010, she released the documentary Look at What the Light Did Now, directed by Anthony Seck, which explored the creative process behind The Reminder and won the Juno for Music DVD of the Year in 2012. She contributed songs to films like Sarah Polley's Take This Waltz in 2011 and had a cameo in The Muppets that same year. At the 2021 Juno Awards, she performed with the surviving members of The Tragically Hip on their song "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken", in a televised tribute to the late Gord Downie.

• Metals (2011): Recorded in Big Sur, California. Won Juno for Adult Alternative Album of the Year (2012).
• Split EP with Mastodon (2012): Released for Record Store Day with reciprocal song covers.
• Pleasure (2017): Album introduced with a full performance in Toronto on April 27, 2017.
• Multitudes (2023): Sixth studio album release.
• Look at What the Light Did Now (2010): Documentary film directed by Anthony Seck.
• Juno Awards 2021 performance: Sang with The Tragically Hip on "It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken".

Work with Broken Social Scene and collaborations

Feist's involvement with the Toronto-based indie rock collective Broken Social Scene has been a consistent thread in her career. She joined the group in 2001, adding vocals to many tracks on their landmark 2002 album You Forgot It in People after being asked by de facto bandleader Kevin Drew. She has performed with the band intermittently at major events, including a North by Northeast performance in 2009 celebrating the band's biography launch, concerts at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre in July 2009, and shows at the Sound Academy in December 2010. She also contributed vocals to their 2010 album Forgiveness Rock Record and performed with them at Olympic Island in June 2010. The 2009 Harbourfront concert was filmed by director Bruce Macdonald and released as the concert film This Movie Is Broken.

Her collaborative spirit extends far beyond this group, encompassing a wide network of artists across genres. Her early association with electro-punk musician Peaches was formative, with Feist performing as a stage persona called "Bitch Lap Lap" and touring with her in England from 2000 to 2001. She has frequently worked with pianist and producer Chilly Gonzales, who co-produced Let It Die and Metals. Other notable collaborations include co-writing and singing on Kings of Convenience's 2004 album Riot on an Empty Street, contributing to Beck's Record Club series covering Skip Spence's Oar in 2009, and working with artists like Wilco, Grizzly Bear, and Constant Companion. Her song "Limit to Your Love" from The Reminder was famously covered by British artist James Blake in 2011 and later remixed by Benny Benassi.

Awards and recognition

Feist has been extensively honoured within the Canadian music industry and internationally. She has won a total of 11 Juno Awards from numerous nominations. Major Juno wins include Artist of the Year (awarded in both 2005 and 2012), Album of the Year for The Reminder in 2008, and Single of the Year for "1234" in 2008. Her album Metals earned her the Juno for Adult Alternative Album of the Year in 2012, and the accompanying documentary Look at What the Light Did Now won Music DVD of the Year that same year. Her work has also been recognized by the Grammy Awards, with four nominations stemming from The Reminder, including categories for Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album.

Beyond formal awards, Feist has received significant critical acclaim and media recognition. Time magazine named "1234" the number two song of 2007 on its list of The Ten Best Songs of the year. She was named Breakout Artist of the Year by both Spin and Blender magazines in 2007 and was placed at number nine on Spinner.com's list of Women Who Rock Right Now. She was photographed by Annie Leibovitz for a Vanity Fair photo essay on folk music in November 2007. Her performances on major platforms like Saturday Night Live in November 2007 and The Colbert Report in April 2008, where host Stephen Colbert donned her jumpsuit from the "1234" video, further cemented her public profile. The commercial success of her albums is evidenced by certifications, with Let It Die going platinum in Canada and The Reminder achieving gold status in the United States.

Discography and notable contributions

Feist has released six studio albums as a solo artist, each marking a distinct phase in her artistic development. Her discography charts her evolution from indie folk beginnings to more textured and experimental productions, with each release garnering critical attention and commercial response. In addition to her own albums, she has contributed to numerous collaborative projects, soundtracks, and side releases that highlight her versatility. Her music has also been widely licensed for use in films, television shows, and advertisements, significantly broadening her audience.

• Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down) (1999): Solo debut album, produced by Dan Kurtz.
• Let It Die (2004): Major-label debut, featuring original songs and covers.
• The Reminder (2007): Breakout album featuring "1234", "My Moon, My Man", and "I Feel It All".
• Metals (2011): Recorded in California, featuring collaborators Valgeir Sigurðsson and Chilly Gonzales.
• Pleasure (2017): Fifth studio album, preceded by single release of title track.
• Multitudes (2023): Sixth and most recent studio album.

Her notable non-album contributions and soundtrack work are extensive. She lent her voice to two tracks for the 2006 film Paris, je t'aime. She collaborated with Grizzly Bear on "Service Bell" for the 2009 AIDS charity album Dark Was the Night and covered Vashti Bunyan's "Train Song" with Ben Gibbard for the same project. In 2011, she contributed two songs to Sarah Polley's film Take This Waltz. She has also made cameo acting appearances in films such as The Muppets in 2011 and starred in the short film "The Water" directed by Kevin Drew in 2009. Her music videos, often directed by Patrick Daughters for songs like "Mushaboom", "1234", and "My Moon, My Man", have been noted for their artistic choreography, including work with Noemie Lafrance and The Old Trout Puppet Workshop.

Questions about Feist

What is Feist's most famous song?

Feist's most famous song is "1234" from her 2007 album The Reminder. The song achieved mainstream popularity after being featured in a television commercial for the iPod nano in 2007. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States and entered the top ten in the United Kingdom. The song's success was driven by digital downloads and earned Feist the Juno Award for Single of the Year in 2008. She also performed a special counting version of the song on Sesame Street in 2008.

How many Juno Awards has Feist won?

Feist has won 11 Juno Awards throughout her career. These include prestigious awards such as Artist of the Year, which she has won twice, in 2005 and 2012. She has also won Album of the Year for The Reminder, Single of the Year for "1234", and Adult Alternative Album of the Year for Metals. Her documentary Look at What the Light Did Now also won the Juno for Music DVD of the Year in 2012. Her first Junos were for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Album for Let It Die in 2004.

Is Feist a member of Broken Social Scene?

Yes, Feist is a member of the indie rock collective Broken Social Scene. She joined the group in 2001 and contributed vocals to their critically acclaimed 2002 album You Forgot It in People. She has performed with the band at various concerts and festivals over the years, including a notable 2009 Harbourfront Centre concert filmed for This Movie Is Broken, and provided vocals on their 2010 album Forgiveness Rock Record. Her involvement has been intermittent but significant to the band's sound and history.

What was Feist's first album?

Feist's first solo album was Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down), released independently in 1999. The album consists of ten songs, including "Monarch" and "That's What I Say, It's Not What I Mean", and was produced by Dan Kurtz. It represented her initial foray as a solo artist following her work with various bands in the Toronto music scene, including By Divine Right and her early punk band Placebo. While not as commercially successful as her later work, it established the foundation of her solo career.

Did Feist perform on Sesame Street?

Yes, Feist performed on Sesame Street during its 39th season in 2008. She sang an alternate version of her hit song "1234" adapted to teach children how to count to four. Feist has described the experience of working with the Muppets as a major career highlight. The performance introduced her music to a younger audience and demonstrated the song's broad cultural reach beyond the indie pop charts.

Where was Feist born?

Feist was born in Amherst, Nova Scotia, on February 13, 1976. She spent her early childhood there before moving to Regina, Saskatchewan, and later Calgary, Alberta, following her parents' divorce. She holds dual Canadian and American citizenship due to her father being American. Her Canadian upbringing across multiple provinces, including attending high school in Calgary, has influenced her perspective and artistic development.

Sources and further reading

• Feist (Wikipedia)
• Feist (highroadtouring.com)
• Feist (thecanadianencyclopedia.ca)

Checked by the Yadude Books desk. Last updated 2026-11-01.