FEFE DOBSON

Making the most of an unexpected second chance at stardom

Toronto native Fefe Dobson appeared poised for a major breakthrough in 2003—her song “Take Me Away” was climbing the charts, she scored endorsement deals with Tommy Hilfiger and the Got Milk? ad campaign and was picked as the opening act for Justin Timberlake’s world tour. Nonetheless, Dobson was dumped from her major label right before the release of her second album, 2006’s Sunday Love. Such messy behind-the-scenes struggles would bend the will of many up-and-comers, but Dobson mastered that crisis with her plucky attitude. “Through the many years I’ve started not to be so hard on myself,” Dobson says. “I’ve learned to wait for the right moment and just to have fun in the industry. It’s supposed to be fun.”

Even as many of her peers zoomed past her, her optimism began to pay dividends. During her long layoff, Dobson saw her songs recorded by Miley Cyrus and Jordin Sparks. In 2008, Dobson was signed by Island Records—the very label that had dropped her. On her latest album, Joy, Dobson gives voice to her past grievances over a series of bouncing pop-rock beats. Her assertive, fist-pumping anthems, mostly directed at ne’er-do-well boys, are tailor-made for summertime singalongs. But she  also tempers her tantrums with songs that explore the lighter side of love. “In your life, you grow, you change, you evolve and you experience all these happy moments,” she says, “and that’s reflected in this music.”

Inspiration strikes in any number of ways for Dobson, who wrote or co-wrote all 12 tracks on Joy. “It can be anything from a headline in a newspaper to a journal entry in my diary,” she says. “I’m constantly looking for the next idea.” She says her artistic freedom was nursed by her record label. “I was allowed to breathe creatively,” she asserts. “As long as I have my band there with me, I’m great.” The album’s first single, “Watch Me Move,” a fired-up chunk of punk rock, has been heard on TV’s American Idol and America’s Next Top Model.

Dobson, whose influences range from Michael Jackson to Jim Morrison, insists on blazing her own trail. As a young black singer drawn to rock music, she knows she’s something of a misfit among her fellow 20-something ingenues. “I’ve never wanted to blend in,” she says. “I’ve always chosen to do the opposite of what’s expected. Some people think I do it just because I get a kick  out of it or I’m trying to be different, but rock ’n’ roll has always been what speaks to me.”

–Blake Boldt