His electronic music unites opposite genres. His very first album, Good Luck, was awarded the prestigious Polaris Prize for best Canadian album of the year. His ambition seems limitless. La Presse spoke with Nigerian-born artist Debby Friday on the eve of her show in Montreal, where she grew up.
Little in her career indicated that Debby Friday would find herself, last September, taking the stage at Massey Hall in Toronto to accept the Polaris Prize for best Canadian album of the year. In 2018, the artist released her first minialbum, Bitchpunk, even though she had no musical experience. Just before that, for about nine months, she had stood out as a DJ, touring Europe and North America behind her decks.
And then, it no longer tempted her. “I gave up deejaying, I gave up nightlife, I left Montreal,” says Debby Friday. I needed to reorganize my life. I went to Vancouver and made my EP, which I put on the internet. That’s where it all began. »
For the Montrealer, born in Nigeria and now based in Toronto, being a DJ meant expressing herself through the music of others. This time she could show her own colors.
Although she was always “a creative kid,” art had never really been presented to her as a career choice. Yet the call was so strong that she sat down in front of the music software Logic, watched “hours and hours” of videos on YouTube, and very quickly got started. to tell his stories in music.
The one who studied political science and women’s studies at university became a composer and singer. A beatmaker who invented a unique sound. Beneath the electro rhythms lie hip-hop, noise, industrial music and a certain punk side.
After his first minialbum, a few others followed, as well as several singles. Then, last March, under the prestigious Sub Pop label Good Luck, she launched a first full album on which her voice was a little softer, while industrial influences continued to trace their furrow.
“I knew what emotions I wanted to evoke and the sounds just emanated from there. I wanted this album to be in my image, also in the image of the things I experienced, explains Debby Friday. But I also wanted it to be an album that could touch people. »
The contact took place, since, six months later, the album was awarded the Polaris Prize. “It took a while before I realized what had happened,” she said, two months later. It’s gratifying to see that all the time, energy and work we put into the album is being recognized. I’m not someone who’s very concerned about prices, but it still gives a form of validation and it shows me this side of being a musician that I don’t often think about. »
Debby Friday seeks to integrate the image into her creation. Several of her songs are accompanied by short films, which she directs or co-directs, two of which were nominated for Prism awards, which recognize the best music videos in Canada.
“I didn’t study visual arts, but I met people in Vancouver who helped me learn. And the more I advance, the more I learn. »
The logical next step to all of this? A feature film, which she is currently writing. What about music? “I’m working on my second album,” she reveals.
For now, she returns this Thursday to the Ritz PDB in Montreal, the same venue where she gave her very first concert, about five years ago. “The hybridity that is everywhere here is what I miss the most,” says Debby Friday, adding that she can’t wait to return to the city where she grew up. “Montreal is such a big part of who I am and why I make the music that I make. »