Fefe Dobson

Felicia "Fefe" Dobson (born February 28, 1985) is a Canadian singer-songwriter.

Her self-titled debut album earned her two Juno Award nominations. Her second album, Sunday Love, was not released due to the album's singles failure to chart, and she was then dropped from her record label. Dobson's third studio album, Joy, is scheduled for a late October/Fall 2009 release.

Biography

Felicia Lynn Dobson was born on February 28, 1985, in Scarborough, Ontario (east district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada). Dobson's mother is of Irish, Dutch, Canadian Indian, and English ancestry, and her father is of Jamaican heritage. She was also raised in Scarborough, the neighborhood in which Mike Myers and Jim Carrey were raised. Her mixed heritage caused turmoil during her childhood, and she has admitted to being bullied; her father's absence made her racial struggles even more difficult.

Dobson began sending out demo tapes - recorded on a home karaoke machine - to every label in North America when she was 11 years old. Then at the age of 13, she started playing the piano, with influences ranging from Nirvana and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, to Cyndi Lauper and Silverchair. She was originally influenced by her mother's favourite R&B and disco stars, including Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie -- and then later by her sister's love of Nirvana. Dobson has said that John Lennon and Judy Garland are her primary musical influences, and that her biggest musical inspiration growing up was Michael Jackson: "I swore I was Michael Jackson. Then I found out I wasn't Michael Jackson and it broke my heart." At the same time, like lots of 13-year-old girls, she went to "every 'N Sync concert there was."

Before Dobson was signed, she admitted to being stereotyped as contemporary R&B or pop singer instead of a rock musician due to her race, often being compared to Brandy and Britney Spears.

Dobson started writing at the age of 14, and caught the ear of Jive Records a year later. The label loved her voice and set her up with a number of producers, with an eye towards developing a pop star. But she refused the idea and left the label. After that experience, Dobson met Jay Levine and signed with Nelly Furtado?s manager Chris Smith. Smith arranged showcases with several labels. Universal Music Canada president Randy Lennox showed interest in her, and coaxed Island Def Jam CEO Lyor Cohen and his head of A&R, Jeff Fenster, to fly to Toronto for another showcase. Dobson played a showcase for Island/Def Jam; about 30 seconds into the first song ?- a punk thrash track about longing, titled "Stupid Little Love Song"?-the executives were impressed and signed her.

Music career

When in the recording studio, she hung up inspirational pictures of Kurt Cobain, Judy Garland, Coldplay, Jeff Buckley, and the Vines to help motivate her sound and to commemorate the artists who influenced her.

Dobson's self-titled debut album was released December 9, 2003. by Island Records, and sold 307,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan as quoted by Billboard.. The album debuted at number 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums Chart. Four singles were released from the album: "Bye Bye Boyfriend," "Take Me Away", "Everything", and "Don't Go (Girls and Boys)". There is an official music video for each of the singles. Two of the album's tracks, "Everything" and "Unforgiven", were used in the film The Perfect Score. The New York Times reviewer wrote: "The album's assiduous, ungrammatical crux is in Kiss Me Fool: Tell me whom I should be to make you love me."

During much of 2004, Dobson promoted her debut album, appearing for a live performance on TRL and numerous magazine covers and articles. Dobson made an appearance on NBC's TV series American Dreams, in which she played the role of Tina Turner, covering the song "River Deep, Mountain High". She was also the opening act on Justin Timberlake's European

tour, which was especially poignant inasmuch as when she was 13 she had a major crush on him. That July, she released a new single, "Don't Go (Girls and Boys)", which was also featured in a Tommy Hilfiger commercial starring the singer. The album was later reissued with that single added. Dobson also had a new song, "If You Walk Away", on the soundtrack of Raising Helen.

Dobson was an endorser for the Got Milk? organization, and the photo of her shows her jumping up in a rocker chick style with a microphone on a stand behind her.

Dobson released "Truth Anthem" on the Much Dance 2005 CD compilation, a benefit for the Canadian branch of War Child. In April 2005, Dobson was nominated for two Juno Awards, Pop Album of the Year and New Artist of the Year; both categories were won by Avril Lavigne. In the summer of 2005, Dobson was in a public service ad: "Make Poverty History", which brings awareness to child poverty worldwide.

By 2006, Dobson returned to the studio to add some finishing touches to her second album, Sunday Love. Musicians and songwriters she collaborated with during the recording process include Nina Gordon, Kay Hanley, John 5, Billy Steinberg, Matthew Wilder, Cyndi Lauper, Courtney Love, Joan Jett, and Rancid's Tim Armstrong.

In February 2006 Dobson sang "O Canada" at All-Star Saturday Night, part of the 2006 NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston, Texas. In spring 2006, she performed several shows around the United States, and began promoting Sunday Love in anticipation of its release. The first single, "Don't Let It Go to Your Head", was released in 2005 but did not chart. There is an official music video for the song. A second single, "This Is My Life" was released in 2006. No video was made for it, and it also did not chart.

Sunday Love was never released because Dobson was dropped by Island Records just days before the album was scheduled for release. The album was reviewed in both Spin and Vibe magazine. "My real good fans, my hardcore fans, have it, so that's most important," Dobson says. "At least it got out there to a few hands, and now it's time to make a record on my own terms." "It was sad," says Dobson. "But instead of sitting there and being depressed and begging people for the record, I went back to the studio, got people that I knew, friends that I knew, and I started again."

One song from the unreleased album, "Be Strong", appeared on the soundtrack for the film It's a Boy Girl Thing.

The music of "This Is My Life" is used by the Taiwanese girl-group S.H.E in their song: "I Love Trouble" (????) on their 2008 album FM S.H.E which became quite popular in Asia.

Dobson's "Don't Let It Go to Your Head" is covered by Lilyjets, a Norwegian girl group, as a single and on their 2006 debut album 3rd Floor. It is also covered by Jordin Sparks on her 2009 sophomore album Battlefield. Shortly after Jordin's album was released Dobson said, "Jordin Sparks just did , which was on Sunday Love, which was very cool. She did kind of, like, a more R&B version of it, which I think is really nice, actually. It was really cool that she didn't try and do a rock version of it, and she did what she's more comfortable with, which I thought was awesome."

The unreleased track "As a Blonde" is covered on Selena Gomez & The Scene's debut album Kiss & Tell due for release on September 29, 2009.

After being dropped by Island Records, Dobson decided to go back to her roots and create a new album on her own terms. She said in an April 2007 interview that her new efforts were coming along nicely, and should see the light of day sooner than later.

"Start All Over", a song co-written by Dobson and featuring her in background vocals, was recorded by Miley Cyrus on her 2007 album Hannah Montana 2: Meet Miley Cyrus and was released as a single, peaking at number 57 on the Billboard Pop 100. In a 2009 interview Dobson said, "I wrote a song, she dug it, and she sang it. But I didn't want it for my record. It just wasn't right for me, and I just felt like it was better for someone else, and she does a great job on it. I was really impressed. She sounded great. I'm actually happier she did it than I did it."

On August 11, 2009, Dobson presented a showcase performance at the Mercury Lounge in New York City. "Fefe performed a set ? which included old favorites from her self-titled debut album and upcoming sophomore effort, Joy ? that was drenched with passion, soaked with edge, and slicked with pop perfection." "Her new songs were incredibly well received and displayed the incredible growth and maturity of Fefe?s music." One of the new songs heard was "Made Out with Your Boyfriend", and a video was captured by a correspondent. In an interview at the showcase Dobson mused, "It's almost like when an animal is in a small cage, but when you let it out it's running around like crazy. That's how I feel when I'm onstage." There are also photos of the event.

In mid-August Dobson indicated that she would like to work with Jack White, the White Stripes/Raconteurs frontman, because she admires him for his ability to make his ragged rock become radio-friendly. She also said that she would love to write a song for the Jonas Brothers.

Dobson performed during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards weekend at The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza on Friday night, September 11, at "A Concert with Fefe Dobson and Cobra Starship." She was also one of the judges for a competition for MTV's "VMA Best Breakout New York City Artist Award" that occurred at the same event. Dobson attended the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards held on September 13 in New York City at Radio City Music Hall.

On Sunday, September 27, 2009, she performed "I Want You" at the finale of the second season of the Canadian Cable TV show The Next Star.

Dobson also has a performance scheduled in Perth, Australia, at the One Movement Showcase Music Festival being held October 16-18, 2009.

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