| Send to a friend | Print

Leslie Feist, known as Feist to her fans, is a Canadian singer-songwriter who was born in Calgary in 1976. When Feist was growing up she showed an interest in music. At the age of 15 she joined the punk group Placebo. After doing some work with Placebo, Feist decided to quit move to Toronto in 1998. Within one year she had joined the The Divine Right which was composed of the founding members of the collective group Broken Social Scene.

In 1999, Feist focused on her solo career and released her first album Monarch (Lay Your Jewelled Head Down). This album was not as successful as Feist would have liked, but it did make her known in the underground scene. The following year Broken Social Scene was created and Feist decided to join the rock indie group. In 2002, Feist and Broken Social Scene released the album You Forgot It in People. The singer was noticed and the album won a Juno for Best Alternative Album in 2003. In 2004, Feist decided to focus once again on her solo career. She moved to Paris where she created her second solo album, Let It Die. The album was a huge hit for jazz and rock indie fans. It sold thousands of copies and won two awards for Best New Artist and Best Alternative Album in 2005. The single Inside and Out was very popular and played on radio stations across North America.

The following year Feist produced Open Season. In 2006, Inside and Out had a Juno nomination in the category Single of the Year. In 2007, Feist released The Reminder. The single 1 2 3 4 was a huge success and was 8th on the charts in the United States. Despite her success with her solo career, Feist continued doing work with Broken Social Scene, as well as other artists. In the fall of 2007, Feist started a promotional tour for The Reminder, with shows in Canada, the United States and Europe.

In February, Feist received four Grammy nominations, but did not take any awards home.  However, her efforts were rewarded at the Juno Awards, where she won in each of the five nominated categories.  Three of the awards were for Best Song (1234), Album of the Year (The Reminder), as well as Artist of the Year, defeating music icons such as Céline Dion, Avril Lavigne and Michael Bublé.