Brett CallwoodFee-Fi-Fo-Fum – Fih Spies More Fun: Alt-rap? R&B? Hip-hop? All of the above? The slippery nature of L.A.-based artist Fih’s sound – it’s so elusive when attempting to nail it down – is just one of the wonderful things about a star we predict is going to shine brightly in 2023.
Sweet vocals, authentic lyrics, layers of melody, glorious curveballs – Fih will take you on a journey with her music, and just when you think you know where you’re going, she’ll flip a 180. She’s a genuine joy, and she seems to be having a blast creating this stuff. She says that it’s always been that way.
“Since [I was] a kid, I’ve always been enamored by music and had fun with it,” Fih says. “I started actually attempting to become an artist once I moved to New York to go to college. It started to become serious on the East Coast. By the time I graduated from NYU and moved back to Los Angeles, I was fully committed.”
A press release reveals that Fih suffered thorough the trauma of sexual assault, leading to PTSD.
“This unfortunate experience is actually what inspired her to seriously pursue being an artist,” it continues. “This was the one place that felt safe to talk about her experiences freely. She slowly began to flourish in New York as an artist and even performed at a NYFW show in 2021. After graduating, Fih moved back to LA and continued her journey as an artist in her hometown. Fih has done many shows and festivals, including Leimert Park Rising’s, Pray for the Hood, for four years straight. She also just recently headlined her own show at A Forest For the Trees. From working with Grammy award-winning producers and engineers to working with renowned and local artists, Fih has immersed herself into the L.A. music scene and is making her mark.”
That’s correct. From song to song, the influences waver slightly, though it all sounds undeniably like Fih. That’s by design.
“I feel like my sound has always paid homage to old school hip-hop and R&B while creating my own lane to express myself,” she says. “While I still feel that is part of my sound, I definitely started to pick up inspiration from other genres. So now my sound is really just one big melting pot.”
(Vannessa Horsey)
As she said above, Fih spent time in New York before settling in Los Angeles. To connect with two massive and diverse entertainment centers like that can only help one’s art. Now that she’s in the City of Angels though, Fih feels content.
“I think our culture and the way we move out here has had an influence on my overall demeanor as an artist,” she says. “I appreciate the laid-back, relaxed attitude we have. And I think that shows throughout my music.”
Fih has an album, Le Brea Baby, due out in March (“The project is officially done – I’m really excited to share it with everyone”). Based on the tracks released so far, that promises to be one of the hop-hop/R&B albums of the year.
“Chailatay and Nate Fox were the executive producers for the upcoming project, La Brea Baby,” she says. “But there were also so many other people who helped bring this project to life. Such as, Stephan Hicks, Nigel Fregozo, Brooke Magidson, 3TimesGold and so many more.”
According to the information we received, La Brea Baby (and by the way, what a great name for a record that is) was created entirely by scratch, with Fih and Chailatay employing many live musicians.
“When it came to the songwriting, Fih had to dig deep into certain feelings and experiences in order to make sure each song had the same vulnerability,” reads a statement. “After the story was finished being written, she was given assistance from Summer Greer and Tatiana Snead with vocal arrangement on a few songs.”
The most recent preview to that album is the “Aye Yai Yai” single, a smooth but clearly honest and painful musical journal, reliving a past relationship.
“Aye Yai Yai is a song about a past relationship I was in,” she says. “I was insanely naive and thought this person could do no wrong. This only took me down a path of heartbreak. So the song is just me reflecting on this and realizing this person wasn’t meant for me.”
We’ve all been there, right? And if nothing else, history has taught us that painful breakups are excellent fodder for songwriting. Nothing gets the creative juices flowing like a lost love, and that proves to be the case here. As teasers for albums go, “Aye Yai Yai” is a great success.
L.A. is never short of awesome emerging talent in the area of hip-hop, and Fih is just the latest. She certainly feels a part of this region’s impressive, historic and storied scene.
“I’m so grateful for all of the artists I’ve come to know and it feels so good that they know me as well,” she says. “I just hope to keep making my mark in this city.”
Admiration goes both ways, and Fih has her eyes on a number of artists that she believes will be doing great things in 2023.
“I’m really looking forward to Paris Texas, Destin Conrad, Boldy James and Ambré, to name a few,” she says.
Fih plans to spend time with her family over the holidays and focus on finishing the rollout for her upcoming project. As far as getting rolling in the new year, she has plenty of plans.
“I have an upcoming single featuring YGTUT coming at the end of January and then my project, La Brea Baby, will be coming out toward April,” she says. “I’m really excited to share this new music.”
Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum – Fih Spies More Fun: Fih’s single “Aye Yai Yai” is out now. The album La Brea Baby is out in March.
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