Your Story Starts Here: A Chapter of FEATURETTE

Every artist has a story… one filled with late-night writing sessions, unexpected detours, and the moments that turned a dream into something real. Your Story Starts Here is a series dedicated to capturing these journeys, exploring the inspirations, challenges, and milestones that shape their paths as artists. In this next series, we’re diving deep into a chapter of their stories. Join us as we sit down with FEATURETTE to talk about where it all started, their passion for Toronto, and what inspires them to do what they do every day. ✨ Here’s how their story began…

Your Story Starts Here: A Chapter of FEATURETTE

The Story of FEATURETTE

FEATURETTE is a late-night snack of gritty ear porn with hooks you can sink your teeth into. Think Flume meets Nine Inch Nails with a little Billie Eilish sprinkled on top. They are known for their telltale high-energy shows, cinematic music videos, forward-pushing sound design, and thought-provoking lyrics. Fronted by powerhouse Lexie Jay (Vox) and backed by bandmates Marc Koecher (Keys/Synth/Guitar) and Jon Fedorsen (Drums/Synths), the Toronto-based trio have been pushing the forefront of alternative electronic pop with genre-bending dark, bouncy, addictive sounds and stimulating lyrics fashioned deep from within their subterranean studio, Illegal Audio.

Three people pose energetically in front of a large outdoor advertisement on an urban street, with tall buildings in the background and cloudy skies above. — photo via @featurettemusic 📲

Their music has been captivating audiences for years, and they have shared the stage with acts such as Milky Chance, Mother Mother, and X Ambassadors. Their debut LP CRAVE, released in 2016, launched the band into overdrive, resulting in a top 10 JUNO Masterclass finalist selection and securing an Emerging Artist of the Year win (COCA, 2017). Their 2020 follow-up DREAM RIOT continued to usher in accolades for the band with radio play, a high-profile soundtrack spot in Ginny & Georgia, and two 2022 Canadian Independent Music Video Award wins, including Best Overall Music Video and Best In Pop Music Video for their single, “The Blame” (Exposed Version). Fresh off their fall 2023 EP, Unluckiest, FEATURETTE continued to release new music throughout 2024 to support their headlining tour with CARYS.

Now in 2025, they’ve released their latest album called Panic Pills—four years in the making and almost entirely a visual album. They shot music videos for this one all over, underground, in rotating rooms they built themselves, on mattresses in fjords and ice caves in Iceland. You don’t want to miss out on this one!

🎙️ We interviewed FEATURETTE about their story, what inspires them, and more. Check out what they said below…

How does your community inspire you?

“Our community is our lifeline. We love it so much that two of us (Marc and I) started a writing and production duo called Illegal Audio just to be more involved, making songs and sounds for other people’s projects as well. Creating for others is so rewarding because it helps us discover new sides of ourselves along the way. It pushes us out of our comfort zones and into new worlds we could only reach with the energy of the creative in the room with us.”

Why do you create music in your city? (Why here, vs. another city?)

“We’re all huge DIY advocates—Marc, king among us. He produced our band FEATURETTE when Jon and I were still a duo, and when we eventually forced him to join the band, part of his evolution as a producer was building a studio. Now, we have this incredible underground space in High Park (literally several floors underground), designed and hand-built by Marc, with a little help from us. So, having dug ourselves into this hole (literally), we’re pretty much locked into Toronto. But honestly, beyond that, this city is full of unreal talent that we’re honoured to work with regularly—CARYS, CARLYN, Sebastian Gaskin, POESY (when she’s back from crushing it in England), Thea May, and so many more. Toronto isn’t just a strong hub for music and songwriting in Canada, it’s a force in general.”

What are your favorite music venues in your city?

“The Opera House, The Drake Underground, The Baby G, & The Velvet Underground.”

What are your favorite record stores in Toronto?

“Sonic Boom, Pandemonium, Rotate This, & Dead Dog Records.”

What are your favorite local music festivals?

“Electric Island, Lavender Wild, NXNE, Departure (CMW), & All Your Friends Fest (North of Toronto).”

The interior of a large music store, with wooden beams and ceiling, invites you to explore your story among rows of CDs and albums. The genres are neatly labeled—Reggae, Pop/Rock, and more—waiting to become the soundtrack of your next chapter. — Sonic Boom // Toronto, ON

What influence does your city have on your music?

“Toronto has so many different currents—culturally, musically, even culinarily—that it’s easy to get pulled in different directions. Our project has always been genre-ambiguous, and we pull from a lot of different inspirations naturally, but being in an environment that encourages that feels amazing. It’s freeing to be surrounded by different sounds and vibes, to not get stuck in old instincts or ways of doing things. It helps us grow and develop both short- and long-term, keeps things fresh, and moves at the quick pace of the city itself.”

This is just a chapter of their story… where does yours begin?

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If that’s not convincing enough, how about 50% off to try it out for yourself? Use code MYSTORY50 to get half off your first year of Starter and get your music heard by new fans all over the world.