Embrace your inner child: FIG discusses her latest EP ‘The Fluke’
words by Molly Alexander || photos by Rashad Heagle
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This interview was partially edited for clarity.
At 20 years old, Fay — better known as FIG — is breaking out of the bedroom pop mold. With her undying individuality and dynamic sound, this New York singer-songwriter dances around what’s expected, bringing listeners something fresh, with an air of nostalgia. FIG’s music exists in a universe of syrupy sweet lofi beats, emotionally-charged ballads, and youthful music videos.
Her DIY spirit, delicate vocals, and vibrant synth are reminiscent of musicians like Postcard Boy and Mxmtoon. In the pursuit of exploration, FIG’s music is constantly evolving, featuring new styles, sounds, and beats to find the sound truest to her current self. She creates through a “kids lens,” guided by her inner child to revive the limitless imagination and creativity of her youth.
Since a young age, FIG has experimented with visual and auditory means of expressing herself. She grew up creating cover music videos on YouTube, but later realized she could do the same with her own music. At 17, she started doing just that, finding herself in the loftiness and simplicity of lofi music. Today, she finds inspiration in shows like Adventure Time and Steven Universe, creating songs for fantastical adventures of self-discovery. Whether she’s dancing with friends in the video for “Ma Huggies” or traveling through an animated world in “So Far,” FIG brings the listener into her sunny community.
November 13 marked the release of her latest EP, The Fluke. Its infectious rhythms and energetic vocals inspire optimism amongst the uncertainty of life. It’s about acknowledging your mistakes and imperfections, and letting them inspire your future.
After being featured on Spotify’s “Lorem” and “Beast Meets West” playlists, Pure Nowhere chatted with FIG over a Zoom call. As we discussed how she brings internalized emotions and visuals to life in her music, her responses were imbued with a contagious sense of optimism and authenticity.
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How did The Fluke come about? What was the process of creating it like?
I'm constantly trying to make music and things like that. And then all the music from my EP is from before March — like quarantining and all that. It all kind of had a similar vibe and atmosphere. All the demos were done before quarantine, but just mixing and fine-tuning it was a whole process — especially trying to do it remotely was a whole new thing. So it took really long. And then I really wanted to concentrate on visuals this release, so that's why I had the animated video for “So Far.” I just concentrated more on visuals and tried to be more attentive when releasing. Because I think the first EP was just the first time I ever made music, it was kind of like, see what happens since it was the first six months starting music. From the first to the second [EP], the way I understand music and the process of it has changed a lot — in a good way. And it's been a really lovely learning process with this release.
Do you have any key themes or stories that inspired this EP?
The artwork is the main story of the EP. The artwork is me dropping a butter and jelly bagel. [Laughs] The story came about when I was in class. I would always go to the university center and then get a bagel for breakfast, and then, like, 75% of the time, I always dropped it. And I was so sad, [it would] just ruin my day. Just this bagel, 25% eaten, 75% not eaten, and it was just on the floor.
And The Fluke is kind of like, “Oh, you're that klutz.” Like an, “Oh not again,” kind of moment. But a lot of the music is kind of seeing things through a different lens. No matter what happens, it's okay that one small annoying thing happens all the time, and just looking at things in a more positive light. A lot of the songs have this kind of kid lens; I'm really into how kids see things in a more expansive way and going back to that mindset. This is obviously not all the time, but just not looking at reality so closely and just being that kid once in a while.
“Just this bagel, 25% eaten, 75% not eaten, and it was just on the floor.”
What song was the most challenging to write? And which was your favorite?
The song “So Far” I super love. I worked on that with Huck, who also produced it. It was just very cool — it was the first time I worked with saxophone or tracking instruments. I think it definitely created the atmosphere vibe. It was the first song where the visuals were so clear in my mind. It got me so motivated to make it. Then “Start the Show” was super fun. The producer I made it with — I think we just sat together for like 10 minutes, he made the beat, and then he was like: “Freestyle.” Like, what? And he's like, “Go freestyle,” and then that's how the song came about. It's just a one-take situation. And it was the first time I worked with a rapper. I saw him at a Tobi Lou concert, I DMed him, and then we became friends. So it was that online thing where we've never met in person, but we still made music together.
Your music has this very immersive soundscape vibe to it. I'm curious if listening to your EP, it evokes a certain picture beyond the cover?
Yeah. Normally when I make music, it's just visuals that kind of drive it, and that's how a lot of the music videos come about. [For] the “So Far” animated video, when we were making it it was just like, “Oh, space, kids, going into this other dimension.” I think a lot of the music is somewhat more like what you said — the soundscape or more immersive — because I keep thinking about visuals. That's why I always make so much, because I can't stop thinking about it ‘til I make it. So yeah, when making the EP and listening to it through, the visualization that I had is like kids going into different dimensions or like going on an adventure and having a good ol’ time. But yeah, a lot of the music that I make is always really visually-based.
As an unsigned artist, your music possesses this authenticity and freedom that I’d worry would get dimmed if you were signed. What’s your view on labels for DIY musicians like yourself?
Labels are great for the next level. But starting independent, I think you understand both who you are more and also the music industry. Because you're “doing everything yourself” most of the time. But when you start with a label it's kind of like they're doing everything for you. So you kind of just understand more. But no shade on labels, they’re cool.
Any advice you'd give to people who make their own music?
Be authentic. Very corny. And I think just putting yourself out there because I know a lot of people are afraid — like they sit on content for so long thinking people won't be appreciative of it or people won’t like it. But I feel as though you'll never know until you just put it out there and see what happens. And if it doesn't work, okay — you kind of learn from it.
I also feel like from Spotify or whatever, people feel very discouraged like, “Oh, I didn't get playlisted” or “Oh, it's not getting big,” and I think it's so hard to just present yourself. Having the urge of just wanting to put it out there because you love it, not just because, “I want to get the streams.” I think if you have that root of just releasing it because you love it and want to show it to people, I think that's really important.
What are you working on now? What’s next for FIG?
I definitely will continue releasing music, and just make more visuals. I want to try to collaborate with more people on the visual side and see how that dynamic changes. And then hopefully performing live, when the opportunity does come. So hopefully when the opportunity does come, just putting that visual experience in a live setting would be super cool. But I have no idea how that will pan out. I’ve been thinking of doing performances like a video where I go to different landscapes and stuff but it’s all in my head — we’ll see how it turns out.
