To the general public, Canadian singer Leslie Feist may be forever associated with the iPod nano advertisement that launched catchy “1234” and its album, The Reminder, to great commercial success in 2007. The song garnered Grammy nominations, a Juno award, and international attention and acclaim.
Feist is so much more than a pretty voice and catchy songs, though. She could have easily continued in the fashion of “1234”, producing cookie-cutter songs guaranteed to be popular. Instead, she took a hiatus to “get her bearings again,” choosing artistic integrity and her personal music over rampant global success. That decision paired alongside her expansive resume – spanning time spent as a part of Broken Social Scene, an appearance in BSS’s Kevin Drew’s 2009 short film, The Water, a role in a made-for-TV movie, collaborations with Grizzly Bear and Ben Gibbard, contributions to film soundtracks, talent playing a variety of instruments, and, one cannot forget, two fresh solo albums – really attest to how compelling and fascinating of a person Leslie Feist is. Her creativity and fearlessness in testing industries beyond her own foster intrigue and respect.
Considering the wide array of atypical ways Feist has spent her time, it came as no surprise that when she announced the upcoming release of a DVD, she also noted it was not slated to be a normal, nicely filmed performance with arty lighting. Instead, a documentary. A filmic documentation of the creative process, tests, trials, and work that went into the creation of The Reminder, to be called Look at What the Light Did Now, with director and filmmaker Anthony Seck, the mind behind music videos such as Feist’s “Honey, Honey” and an assortment of short films. The release date is set for December 7th and surely will shed some light on the enigma that is Feist.
In light of the exciting release of the documentary, we travel back almost five years to a performance for Europe 2 TV in Paris. The set included favorite “Mushaboom” among others, but this performance of “Sea Lion Woman” is particularly riveting. Watching her build the layered sound tracks with relentless enthusiasm and charisma, leading into an energetic, flawless vocal performance is not only highly entertaining but also refreshing — reminding us why we love Feist and definitely setting the stage for what is sure to be an enjoyable, enlightening documentary.