Fefe Dobson's career took off in 2003. Her self-titled debut album was a smash hit. Not just in Canada but in the States as well. Her punk rock/pop flavor was something fresh and exciting at the time.
With singles like "Bye Bye Boyfriend" and "Take Me Away", the then-18-year-old was faced with fame that she couldn't imagine in her wildest dreams. The world seemed ready for her, expecting great things. And yet, her career didn't quite go down the path seemingly laid out for her.
There's no doubt that Fefe has found ways of coming back, especially with her 2022 hit "FCKN IN LOVE". But in an interview with Vulture, Fefe explained just how much of an emotional toll her fall from the spotlight took. But even before that, the Canadian singer faced scrutiny no one (especially at that age) should deal with...
The Music Industry Didn't Know Where To Put Fefe Dobson
During a 2004 interview with The Observer, Fefe Dobson shed light on how people in the music industry tried to fit her into a box right off the bat.
"Before I was signed, people would look at me, and go, 'Oh my God, you’re going to be the next R&B singer.' And then when I sang, people were like, 'You have a pop voice, you can be the next Britney Spears.'"
Without a doubt, this caused Fefe notable emotional distress. She wasn't sure of herself during a time the world couldn't figure her out. And on top of this, she was exposed to extreme scrutiny.
"I definitely had identity issues and that was mainly because, I’m 18 years old at that point, and thrown into this world where there’s photos of you and you’re online and people can see your flaws and your clothes maybe didn’t fit that great that day," Fefe explained to Vulture.
And then there was the fact that Fefe was constantly compared to the now extremely wealthy Avril Lavigne.
"Avril and I came out around the same time and we’re both Canadian. When I saw her I was like, 'Oh my God, she’s so beautiful. How am I gonna compete with this girl?'"
Fefe Dobson Didn't Think She Was "Beautiful Enough"
Constantly comparing herself to other female artists, namely Avril, caused Fefe to develop some issues around her image and self-worth.
"I didn’t know 100 percent how it would affect me, coming out so young and not really knowing myself. When the video for “Take Me Away” came out, I literally cried in my manager’s office because I didn’t think I looked beautiful and I was so petrified of that," Fefe told Vulture.
"Growing up, my mom’s white, my brothers are white, and my dad’s Black but he was never around. My Blackness was never really celebrated and I was never taught to appreciate those features, so that was hard. It wasn’t their fault, it’s just when you’re the only one that’s different in your household, you need more. You need to be told and taught and encouraged on a different level."
What Happened To Fefe Dobson?
There's no question that Fefe Dobson's career has not been as full-throttle as everyone expected it to be when she first became famous. Surprisingly, part of this was her doing...
"In 2014, me and my team — my manager, band, label — released a few songs and we were gonna release an album called Firebird. During that time, I went through a transitional period and we didn’t end up releasing it," Fefe admitted to Vulture.
Following this, Fefe slowly kept retooling her sound and reintroducing herself to the world.
"Then I made another album in Tennessee, which was more indie-rock, and I also didn’t put that out. I put out a song called “Save Me From LA,” and then another song, “Born to You,” got on Riverdale … I keep doing that a lot. I’ll be writing albums, and then I’m like, You know what? I don’t know if this is right yet. So it’s definitely a reintroduction to who I am and my sound and everything that comes with me from the past."
Of course, Fefe's most popular moment in time was between 2003-2005. This success would have continued had her record label not canceled the release of her second studio album. The decision resulted in Fefe going out on her own.
It took until the release of her album "Joy" in 2010 for her to be signed by another label. But the pain she suffered from that cancelation left its mark.
"When it first happened, for sure there was disappointment and I was trying to figure out what went wrong. And even for years after, it was the same thing; it was kind of hard for me to even listen to the album," Fefe said. "A song would come on and I would have anxiety about it for days."
While she's not over the decision, she has learned to have an "appreciation" for the canceled songs. Mainly because other artists covered them so well.
"I’ve come to a place with that album where I have an appreciation for it now. It happened for a reason. I realized through “As a Blonde” for Selena Gomez and “Don’t Let It Go to Your Head” for Jordin Sparks, and all the amazing women that ended up celebrating it, it became something bigger."
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