Sound of the City: DEBBY FRIDAY
The Nigerian-born, Vancouver-based multidisciplinary artist and punk god chimes in on the benefits of lockdown, flying, and dancing her ass off
Photo by Laura Baldwinson
SOUND OF THE CITY is a chance to discover and explore Vancouver’s incredible and diverse music scene created in partnership by the City of Vancouver and Stir.
We hear from different local artists or acts, what’s in heavy rotation on their playlist as well as what’s happening in their world amid COVID-19—in their own words.
We ask each artist or act to curate and share a Sound of the City playlist that features some of their favourite Vancouver musicians.
Sound of the City is a way to celebrate local talent, highlight BIPOC and underrepresented artists, and connect with creatives and each other. It’s time to crank the volume on the music that’s all around us, right in our own backyard.
DEBBY FRIDAY
DEBBY FRIDAY IS an experimentalist.
Born in Nigeria, raised in Montreal, and currently based in Vancouver, DEBBY FRIDAY spans the spectrum of the audio-visual in her work, resisting categorizations of genre and artistic discipline. She is at once sound theorist and musician, performer and poet, filmmaker and PUNK GOD. In 2018, she released her first self-produced EP, titled BITCHPUNK, to reverberating underground acclaim. Her sophomore effort, DEATH DRIVE (also self-engineered and -produced), was ushered in by independent label DEATHBOMB ARC in 2019. The project was accompanied by FRIDAY’S first music video and directorial debut for the lead single “FATAL”, which was subsequently nominated for the 2020 Prism Prize Award. (Her directorial debut was supported by the City of Vancouver through its inaugural Vancouver Music Fund,) In the summer of 2020, she released her first short film, “BARE BONES”. Conjuring elements of folk horror, the eight-and-a-half minute film was shot on 16mm and premiered during MUTEK Montreal.
Her multi-disciplinary art practice explores themes of ritual, transformation, and emotional intensity, as well as touching upon discourses of power and eroticism.
DEBBY FRIDAY is currently writing her debut LP and feature film.
Listen to DEBBY FRIDAY’S picks on her Sound of the City playlist, below.
DEBBY FRIDAY’s Playlist
How are you feeling about life right now?
Dizzy and optimistic. I'm very busy and very happy.
What did you have planned in 2020 and for this year, and how has the pandemic changed those plans?
I was supposed to go on tour last year, for the entire summer. I got back from playing a show in New York and three days later, they closed the borders. At the time, I was really bummed, but now, I feel glad that I didn’t go on tour. Touring is fun but draining—physically, mentally, and emotionally. I wouldn’t have had the energy to do even half of the things I did last year, including finishing up my thesis and writing, directing, acting, and scoring in my first short film, which was such a special and significant experience for me. Being in lockdown changed my entire perspective and shifted a lot of things, and I believe it was for the better. I feel closer to my friends and family. I feel very connected to my creative hub of people that I’ve found here in Vancouver.
What, or who, do you miss most about pre-pandemic life?
Flying. I’m not a fan of airports and the whole song and dance, but I love being in a plane. No WiFi, no gravity—just liminal space.
What gives you solace?
In art, as always. In making things, by myself and with others.
What song or album has been in your heavy rotation and why?
“Is It Cold In The Water” by SOPHIE. I miss her.
Who is your favourite Vancouver musician or artist? What about them inspires you?
Too many to count. This city is very special in that there's so much talent here. I feel a Renaissance coming.
If you could change one thing about Vancouver, what would it be?
The housing crisis.
What are you most looking forward to once the pandemic passes?
Dancing my ass off in a sweaty warehouse in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by people.
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