Singer-Songwriter FEYER Opens Up About His Inspirations, New Music and More!

On February 10th, the singer-songwriter Feyer, released his album “Signals Internalized”. Born in New York City and raised in the surrounding suburbs, Feyer learned how to play the piano at the young age of 6 and began composing instrumental pieces. By age 11, Feyer had taken up drums and was singing, playing guitar, and writing songs. While in high school, Feyer became an instrumentalist in various rock bands, performing frequently at talent shows and band showcases. Simultaneously, he began recording and producing in his bedroom, beginning to shape his own style and studying film composition.

Feyer relocated upstate and attended Bard College for composition, music production, orchestration, vocal and instrumental studies, multimedia scoring and musical acoustics/engineering. There, he studied with renowned composers and professional musicians such Joan Tower, James Bagwell and Bob Bielecki, and performed as a choir vocalist at legendary international venues under the baton of renowned musical directors.

Today, Feyer’s primary influences include classic greats such as Queen, David Bowie and Pink Floyd, as well as modern alternative artists Passion Pit, Grimes and Coldplay.

Feyer is now based back in New York, where he has showcased his music at the city’s famous underground music venues, including Arlene’s Grocery, Knitting Factory, The Bitter End and Pianos. He has also been featured in Impose Magazine, AXS, Vents Magazine and GroundSounds.

Keep up with Feyer here:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FeyerMusic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/feyermusic

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/feyermusic/

Learn more about Feyer in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time! What are some words you would use to describe 2016 for you and your music? What were some of the highlights? What are you most excited about for 2017? Did you make any New Year’s Resolutions?

2016 was the year I graduated from college, and the beginning of a new chapter in my life. It was pretty scary entering the adult world, but I used my time to develop myself as a musician and meet other musicians along the way. Musically, 2016 consisted of recording and producing an album, playing a bunch of shows in New York City, and gradually making connections. Definite highlights of 2016 were finally completing the album, getting my degree in music from Bard College, and landing gigs at famous NYC venues such as Arlene’s Grocery and Knitting Factory. I’m very excited to have the album released in 2017 and continue to build with more shows. As far as resolutions go, I always make them, but I never keep them, but maybe next year I’ll stick to them! Even though that’s what I tell myself every year before I break them.

Growing up, did you always want to be a musician? Can you recall your earliest musical memory? Could you see yourself doing anything else today?

I’ve wanted to be a musician for as long as I can remember. It all started with piano lessons when I was six years old, and from there, taking on other instruments like guitar, drums, vocals, and various synthesizers. Once I got to high school, I found myself in various rock bands, an a-cappella troupe, the musical theater club, and adding a lot of music lessons to my schedule. I’d say the first instance in which I knew I wanted to be a professional musician was when I bought my first DVD of Queen performing at Wembley in 1986. Just watching Freddie Mercury on stage, I thought to myself, “maybe I could do that someday.” Today, all I can imagine myself doing is in music, where it be writing, performing, working in a studio, etc. I don’t really have it in me to get an office job. I’d go crazy sitting in a cubicle, unless that cubicle happens to be a studio desk.

I’m curious to know why you decided to go by Feyer and not your own full name?

Feyer is my last name. It’s an Americanized version of the Hungarian surname, Fejer. The family name was changed when my father emigrated from Hungary to America. Everywhere I go, when I would introduce myself as Andrew Feyer, people would just naturally start calling me Feyer. It’s been going on ever since kindergarten, when there were four Andrews in the class. We all just started calling each other by our respective last names and it stuck. When I first opened up my music page on Facebook, it was titled “Andrew Feyer.” But then I was worried people would confuse my music page with my personal page. So I shortened it to A. Feyer for a bit. But one of my friends suggested that I just go by Feyer, because it has a better flow. I did that and it stuck.

Next week, you will your debut album “Signals Internalized.” What does that feel like? How long have you been working on this collection? Were you surprised at all by the process of putting it together?

It feels great to finally be releasing this album. It is my first musical undertaking that I am doing professionally. It is the first project I have fully fleshed out from start to finish. This project has been in the works for about three years. It started with me revamping and reproducing songs from an EP I made in 2013. One night, when I was dealing with an injury to my left foot, random bursts of inspiration came to me. That is when I really started getting into producing my own music. I downloaded Logic Pro onto my laptop and spent months recording instrumentals onto my laptop with my small MIDI keyboard. After that, I went about writing the lyrics, often going through several different versions before deciding on the final. Once the lyrics were written, I hopped in the studio and spent a few days recording vocals. From there, it was down to tweaking, editing, mixing and mastering. What surprised me most about the process was how much I was able to do on my own, but also how long it took. With massive mainstream productions, huge artists like Beyonce and Taylor Swift have whole teams with dozens of people dividing up the tasks. With this album, it’s mostly me doing everything, with the exception of a few hired friends to assist with recording, producing, mixing and mastering, and album artwork.

What was the inspiration for the album’s lead single “I Just Don’t Know”? How did it come together from start to finish?

I Just Don’t Know is a prog-rock inspired anthem that I started writing when I was 16, but didn’t get around to completing it until I was 22. In that long span of time, I kept revising it until I had something I was happy with. The process of writing it began when I started studying music technology at my music school. That class was my first exposure to music software and helped me realize that I could self-produce my music. The instrumental for the track was completed very gradually on my laptop and wound up consisting of about 40 layers. The lyrics are the most recent creation; it’s essentially a song about feeling uncertain and fearful of the future. I chose it as my lead single because I believe it to have the best energy overall and encapsulates the overall vibe I’m trying to achieve.

Do you have plans to tour with this album a lot this year?

As of now, I’m playing one-off shows in and around NYC, but I plan on hitting the road sometime this summer, once more details are in place. I have been doing a lot of research on venues in various cities that I think would be cool to perform at.

Where do you think you are happiest- in the studio recording, writing new music, on stage performing or elsewhere?

It really depends. Writing is the hardest and slowest part for me. I don’t go into the studio until I know exactly what I want to do. The recording process is enjoyable if it’s done efficiently. If feel like I get the greatest satisfaction watching the final product – both the recording and the live show – come together, especially after putting in long hours in the studio producing and editing the music or rehearsing for a show. But the best feeling in the world for me is performing in front of crowds and knowing that I have the ability to entertain people with my music.

Who are some of your favorite musicians? What musicians would you love to work with in the future?

Musically, I really draw influence from artists that historically broke boundaries with their music. I am very inspired by the legendary classic rock performers, namely Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, David Bowie, Robert Plant, Mick Jagger, Billy Joel, Elton John, and so on. In terms of modern musicians, it is my dream to open for and even work with some of the giants in the alternative rock and electronic scene, such as Coldplay, Grimes, Passion Pit, Twenty One Pilots, and Florence + the Machine. I really want to get the inside scoop on these acts and see how they go about constructing their in-studio and on-stage visions.

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope people take away from your songs?

I’m hoping that people will find them musically interesting, but also thought provoking. I try to combine personal lyrics with a personal production style. I want people to see and hear what I do and understand that my music is essentially me in sound form. I also want it to connect with people who feel like they struggle to fit in or find their place in the world. I certainly have felt that way in my life. Music should serve as a safe environment for people to feel welcome, but should also challenge the listener and give them something new to try on for size. So when I welcome people into my musical world, they better be ready for a ride!

Is there anything else that you would like to share with our readers about yourself or your music?

Yes! I’m so happy to be finally releasing my debut full length album! You can find it on all of the streaming and download platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, SoundCloud and BandCamp. I hope you will enjoy listening to it and watching the music videos, and stay tuned for more exciting news down the line!