Out and proud singer Jamie Fine has packed up her powerful tunes this April to bring music to the masses. The Canadian native is in the middle of a long journey and is joined by a skilled backing band for her first headline tour in the United States.
Fine first came to attention as one half of the pop music duo Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine. After winning the first season of CTV’s The Launch, they produced several gold-certified singles but ultimately broke up to pursue individual careers.
Jamie went solo in 2020 and her debut six-track EP, eight gardengate, was released in 2022.
Windy City Times spoke backstage at Schubas in Chicago with the talented lesbian identifying singer during the You Feel Like Home Tour.
Windy City Times: What part of the tour are you on currently?
Jamie Fine: This is the second half. We did the west coast first and we had a couple of weeks off before this other half.
WCT: Where are you based?
JF: Ottawa, Canada. It has everything I need and keeps me very grounded. My family and close friends are there. I love my time away, but sometimes I can’t wait to get back home.
WCT: Did you study music in school?
JF: I didn’t. I went to culinary school. I was not a very academic child because I was very creative. My parents put me in the Kumon program to learn math very intensely, so I trained my brain to be better.
When I got out of school, I knew I wanted to make music for the rest of my life. I was too lazy to go to university and I didn’t want to learn music theory. I picked culinary school because I loved cooking. I was a chef before I became a musician.
WCT: What is your favorite dish to cook?
JF: I love French-Asian fusion and salmon. I enjoy cooking things that feel beautiful and I like using that part of my brain to be creative.
WCT: Did you use a voice modulator on your latest track, “Coffee”?
JF: I used a vocoder on the song. I loved that era with singers like Imogen Heap who used it. I had always wanted to make a song using that tool, but I waited for the right one. When I wrote that song, it organically fit the sound of the chorus.
I talked to the producers about it and it worked out. I am very proud of that record.
WCT: Are you high maintenance when you order coffee?
JF: No, I am the opposite and I don’t care at all. If you put 17 cups of coffee in front of me, with one cup that was complete trash and one that was $39, I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.
WCT: Do you have a favorite tattoo?
JF: This one on my hand that says “848.” It’s a song about 8:48 at night that I will never release, although it’s one of my best and is very important to me.
It taught me how I want to write music. It also taught me how to love and forgive. I learned many lessons from it, so I put it on my body to remember it.
WCT: Why is the song title “like i do” written in lowercase?
JF: I like it aesthetically and I prefer it visually.
WCT: Many people have Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Have you heard from listeners of “like i do” with the lyrics “When my ADHD takes a hold of me, I’m a mess”?
JF: Yes and the problem is most of us walk around undiagnosed. When I wrote it, I didn’t want to shove mental health down people’s throats. I wanted it to bring attention to the fact that we can sometimes be hard to love and that’s okay.
WCT: How do you connect to the audience during a live performance with heartfelt lyrics?
JF: I try to stay true to the record. I talk a lot during my sets and interact with the crowd. I love to hear from them.
The priority for the band and me is to play music that matters to us when we are onstage. The people who will enjoy it the most are the people who are meant to be in the room. The right followers and fans find me. That is the most organic part of what I do. I hope people get me and understand what I am trying to do with my music.
The thing all my fans have in common is how kind they are. They are patient and gentle with others around them. They are all looking to feel something and I make music to help them do that.
WCT: Having that safe space for queer audiences these days is so important.
JF: We end our set by saying, “Look left, right, in front and behind you. These are your people in a safe space and we remind you not to forget it.”
We can feel that people need to hear it. It is hard right now and the world is so complicated. We have never had more hate in the world, but we also haven’t had more love in the world as we do now. It’s a weird juxtaposition.
If I can get people to forget about their problems for just one night and just feel joy, then I am doing my job.
WCT: Is there one thing you require in your dressing room while on tour?
JF: I use Halls cough drops, but I try to limit being needy on tour. The guys you met upstairs and I rely on each other very heavily. We try to keep each other grounded and not need outside things. Candidly, they are what I need the most while out on the road.
WCT: Playing off of your song, do you feel “Homesick” while traveling?
JF: Every time I leave, I am excited to go back home. I like meeting new people and doing all of these fun things, but then I get to go home after it’s all over.
WCT: What are your plans for the rest of the year?
JF: I am finishing my first headline tour in the United States, then I will open for Calum Scott for The Avenoir Tour. I am very excited and shocked that I got it.
Right now, I am creating my story in the US and it has been my dream to play here. This has been a chance to start that in a really beautiful way.
Playing on his tour will be great and then I plan on playing some Pride festivals in Canada. Last year, I performed at WeHo Pride opening for Maren Morris. It made me want to play every Pride after that so I can connect with my community.
WCT: Is playing Lollapalooza a goal?
JF: Yes, but my team is waiting for the right time and we want to keep building up a following.
In Canada, I skipped a few steps because of the TV show there. I don’t believe in skipping steps because I have to retrace them anyway.
It wasn’t my choice to do that show and even though wonderful opportunities happened, we never got to play small rooms.
This tour is feeding my soul. The audience is requesting songs that I thought were flops, like “Groceries,” and they know every word.
WCT: How would you describe yourself to someone who hasn’t heard your music yet?
JF: I would describe myself as very emotional. I don’t take myself very seriously and I don’t want to ever. I like to have fun and when I am not having fun anymore, then I would want it to end.
My music is my journal and I want to help people with my music. Music helped me feel less lonely in the world and I want that for others.
Being emotional made me feel very insecure for many years and now it is my superpower. It is something that I love most about myself. If I can make even one person feel better about themselves and that it’s okay to feel emotional, then I feel accomplished.
Backstage “Coffee” talk with Canadian singer Jamie Fine
