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. For FEATURETTE, their story is deeply intertwined with the rhythm of Toronto, the city’s bold energy and vibrant pulse echo in their music. We handed them a disposable camera and asked them to document their world, giving us a glimpse into the moments that fuel their creativity. Alongside these snapshots, we sat down with them to dive deeper into their journey, their passion for Toronto, the milestones that shaped them, and what keeps them inspired every day. ✨ Here’s how their story began…

Your Story Starts Here: A Chapter of FEATURETTE

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 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.”