By Selena Haynes • Photo Courtesy Sterling Graves (submitted)
Bluesy, soulful, passionate and badass perfectly describe the new single from Fimone. She is known for being a creative visionary and “Fire” is representative of just that. The song is a nod to the critical representation that was achieved with the election of Kamala Harris as VP.
The music, the vocals….mix perfectly in “Fire,” as do the other songs in her discography, which she included so be sure to check it all out.
Tell us about you. Who is Fimone?
I’m a small-town girl who grew up into a big city queer. I love life. I think it’s the greatest thing to ever exist. Each day is another gift. I believe representation is absolutely necessary. I know what seeing myself, as a queer woman, depicted in more and more tv, film, and music has done for me, and I want to share that. Learning how to stand in my power and learning how to love myself, without judgment, has changed my life, over and over. I process my emotions and express myself through my art, songwriting, performing and my latest adventure in filmmaking. I started writing poetry at eight years old, and that turned into songwriting after I got my first guitar around 16. I haven’t quit yet.
Who has influenced your music over the years?
It’s not only who but also what. Everything influences me. I’m curious. I like to learn. I follow my intuition. Opening up to a more spiritual path has led me into some pretty great songwriting. I grew up on Reba Mcintire and Elvis in rural Minnesota. My mom loved anything with a groove — she’d dance with the refrigerator door when a good groove came on the radio. My mother and my grandmother sang together at funerals and weddings. I loved the church choir. It’s always been inside me, for as long as I can remember. Then my best friend introduced me to Tom Petty and Led Zeppelin and I was off and running. And once I heard Etta James and Aretha Franklin, well, that’s it. And now I listen to everything from brand new stuff that I’ve never heard of, to my old records. It’s the feeling it gives me. I either feel it or I don’t. That’s it.
How long have you been an artist in the music industry?
I have lived in Nashville since 2006. Since then. That’s when I graduated college in Minnesota and then moved to Nashville to do what I really wanted to do. I went to every singer-songwriter night in town, for years.
Give us insight on your new song, Fire. What motivated you to write this song? What do you hope comes from it?
This song came from a gritty little riff I kept playing over and over. It’s a song about standing on the edge, and enjoying the feeling and the rush of that. It’s a song about wanting something that you know isn’t good for you. It’s about addiction and trauma, and honoring and validating those feelings as well. They exist.
What was the inspiration behind the Fire video?
The video, however, was born out of this idea I had where I wanted to show that women throughout the ages have had to stand trial before men to prove their value, and still we are not heard. I saw The Passion of Joan of Arc, which is a silent French film from 1928, the same time as Christine Blasey Ford was speaking out about her sexual assault by Brett Kavanaugh. The parallels of these two women standing trial in front of men, a century apart, planted the idea and I wanted to try and show the viewer what I saw. I had worked with Abra, the dancer, many times before. I wanted this beautiful queer woman to be represented, to showcase her talent. We filmed it on Legislative Plaza in Nashville.
[Story Continues Below the Video]
Any new music for us to be on the lookout for? Do you have any shows coming up?
Unfortunately, the pandemic stopped everything related to live shows, so no upcoming, but hoping to start booking again soon!
I am always releasing new music on Spotify and Soundcloud, both can be found under ‘Fimone’.
I am also finishing up a full-length album that will also serve as the soundtrack for a documentary I am currently filming, directing and producing, called ‘Norma’s House’ that will be in the film festival circuit in 2022. So that is what I am focused on right now.
You can learn more about Fimone and her music on Spotify, Instagram and TikTok.
Discography
Rock Me – 5 song demo – Kim Copeland Productions, Nashville, TN 2008
Janelle – LP – produced by Chris Dauphin, Dauphin Studios, Nashville, TN 2011 link
Janelle & the Gentlemen – EP – produced by Mike Walter, OMNI Sound Studios, Nashville, TN 2015 link
Bad Reputation – music video – produced/directed by Jared Rauso and Caleb Dirks, Nashville, TN 2015 link
Luchadora – EP – produced by Jeremy Ferguson, Battletapes, Nashville, TN 2016 link
Amsterdam – 4 song collection – produced by Greg Magers and Janelle Faiman, The Attic II, Nashville, TN 2018 link
Amsterdam – music video – produced by Janelle Faiman and Lexie Wilson, Nashville, TN 2019 link
Fire – music video – filmed/directed/produced by Janelle Faiman, edited by Hope Rangel, Nashville, TN 2020 link
Rewild Me – poetry chapbook – written by Janelle Faiman 2019
Norma’s House Experimental – multi-song collection in process – produced by Alex Devor Nashville, TN 2020
