Who is Leslie Feist

Leslie Feist (pronounced like feisty) is known to most Americans through work featured in commercials, such as the new iPod nano commercial with her song 1234 and for Verizon Wireless' Chocolate phone with the song My Moon My Man.

Check out her myspace page for concert information, videos (including her Letterman visit) and more. Her main website is back up and really swank. Check StubHub for concert tickets for those April and July concerts.

So what I like ...

1. Lists among her musical influences Etta James, one of my all-time favorite singers, although I'm not really sure I hear Etta in her current stuff.

2. She started her own punk band at the age of 15 and won a Battle of the Bands contest. Love that kind of initiative and verve! (I was what, struggling to not make a fool of myself in front of my crush of the week?)

3. The cool kind of minimalist sound to her music. Many of her songs seem to feature her voice and just people snapping or clapping the rhythm in the background. Her voice is really the focus, not a lot of instrumental mumbo-jumbo. (Although there is that remix of One Evening that's just a piano solo. Totally unexpected among the other selections.

Feist has had a big year in 2008 due in large part to the recognition earned by the use of her "1 2 3 4" song in the Nano commercial. She's not a newcomer by any means, but for many people, she has been a recent and welcome discovery.

Grammys
Nominated:
Won: None

Junos (Canadian Grammys)
Nominated: Single of the Year for "1234"; Album - "The Reminder"; Pop Album - "The Reminder"; Artist of the Year; Songwriter of the Year
Won: All

Other honors
Finalist in the Brit and Indie awards
2007 Shortlist Music Prize, a U.S. award designed to highlight emerging artists

Here are a few of my favorite Feist songs as well as a few of her albums that you can download from iTunes. Enjoy!!

Songs
My Moon My Man


1234 - the song from the iPod Nano commercial


Sea Lion Woman


Past in Present


Mushaboom - Go for this one if you want Mushaboom. The Postal Service Remix is disgustingly techno!


When I Was a Young Girl - Just love the background rhythms on this one.


Tout Doucement - I have no idea what she's singing, but it sounds so cool! One of those songs where her voice is really front and center rather than the instrumentation.


Albums
Open Season


The Reminder


All Feist Stuff

... you'll automatically be making a donation to Modest Needs, working to stop the cycle of poverty before it starts for low-income workers struggling to afford emergency expenses.

Doesn't that feel good?