FEE LION
Chicago, Illinois, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2013
Music
Press
Every Monday night Beauty Bar hosts Salonathon, a variety show that's also a great incubator for local talent. I've discovered a couple great musical acts just by stepping into Beauty Bar on a Monday to check out the show. Admittedly, I've missed one too many Salonathons in recent years, but I broke the streak this week and I'm glad I did—had I missed it I'd hate to think how long it would take me to come across the music of Justina Kairyte, aka Fee Lion.
Kairyte's kaleidoscopic pop foregrounds her gorgeous voice and balances art and accessibility. On the moody "Lovebug," a standout from a five-song cassette Fee Lion released last month, Kairyte weaves together delicate webs of guitar distortion, a skeletal postpunk guitar pattern, minimal drum loops, a downcast key melody, and a faint hum that sounds like vocal samples slowed to a near halt. Take a listen to "Lovebug" below, it's today's 12 O'Clock Track. Fee Lion is the first of four acts slated to play the Hideout tomorrow night, so show up promptly at 9 PM. - Leor Galil for Chicago Reader
Combining the ethereal musical escapades of FEE LION with what appears to be the most beautiful set of teambuilding exercises we've ever seen, Stereo is proud to present the official music video for Needs. Graceful urgency compounds with a withering color palate to create something rhythmically enduring. Put it on full screen. Watch it five times in a row. Try to figure out why everyone has mazes painted on their bodies and how many splinters everyone got from crawling all over wood planks, then watch it another few times. Sit back, take a deep breath and thank this talented group of artists for sacrificing for our overall enjoyment.
If this is what playgrounds look like in heaven, count us in next time you guys want to play a human knot. - Jaclyn Jermyn for Stereo Studio
This past April, Young Space featured the delightful music video for AH CONTROL by Chicago-based musician FEE LION (aka. Justina Kairyte). I’m excited to present her latest (gorgeous) official video, released yesterday, for NEEDS, which explores bodily motion and form. Find more information and sounds on Facebook, Soundcloud and Bandcamp. - Young Spaces
Music Video Of The Day: Fee Lion 'Ah Control'
We were sent the new video for local outfit FEE LION the other day and have been grooving to the low key electronic tune as we ride out this crappy weather into spring. The track reminds us of something similar to Télépopmusik, CocoRosie or Feist, music we want to listen to while laying out under the sun. - Chicagoist
Fee Lion is the experimental and beautifully minimal work of Justina Kairyte. She recently released a video for her track "Ah Control" which appeared on her 2013 debut EP, "Raw". - The Deli
Discography
///- (Limited Edition Cassette Tape Compilation)
A
1. AH CONTROL
2. LOVEBUG
3. NEEDS
B
1. RE: (LIVE)
2. CIRCLES (LIVE)
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
FEE LION is the new-wave-pop, witch disco output of solo musicatrix Justina Kairyte. Fusing together soft, haunting melodies with gritty dance rhythms, FEE LION creates a powerfully minimal sonic haze for her entrancing, evocative vocal hooks to soar above. Think Fiona Apple spending the night at Johnny Jewel's house, says Bullett Magazine. Kairyte's wholesome attention to detail manifests in her live shows which are filled with fog, glossy latex, sweaty dancers and a dark, visual concept that wraps the room in an undulating hypnotic blanket. A sensitive musician, “Kairyte weaves together delicate webs of guitar distortion, a skeletal
postpunk guitar pattern, minimal drum loops, a downcast key melody, and a faint hum that sounds like vocal samples slowed to a near halt.”
-Chicago Reader
FEE LION rang in 2017 performing at Reaction NYE for an audience of 10,000+ making a statement as the only female live act to share the bill with Flume, Dillon Francis and Kweku Collins among others, on the first night of the festival. September marked the release of her single “vision” which premiered on Galore Magazine. A testament to FEE LION's multidimensional approach, the premiere was a full production under her creative direction; including an editorial spread, animated video and interview to pair with the track. Check out “vision” here.
In the fall of 2016 FEE LION wrapped up an east coast/Canada tour in which she performed at Pittsburgh VIA Fest alongside Empress Of, Rakim, Junglepussy & ESG. Not a stranger to festivals, in July, FEE joined the bill at Chicago's own Mamby On the Beach Festival sharing the stage with Santigold, Chromeo & Chet Faker. Additionally, FEE showcased as an official artist on the first ever live-streamed LGBT event in SXSW history last March, marking her first appearance at SXSW. Additional artists FEE LION has played with: Le1f, Hot Sugar, Negative Gemini, Say Lou Lou, Eliot Sumner, Wild Belle, Cults, Heathered Pearls, CHRISTEENE, Daedelus, GOSH PITH, Double Duchess & Jimmy Whispers.
Currently residing in Chicago, FEE LION has performed at many of the local venues: The Hideout, Constellation, Empty Bottle, Subterranean, Lagunitas Tap Room, Berlin Nightclub and sold out shows at Schubas, Thalia Hall & The Metro. Having presented a multimedia interactive performance-art experience in culmination of her Salonathon residency in partnership with the Chicago Performance Lab at the Theatre & Performance Studies Program at University of Chicago last year, FEE is in the process of conceptualizing a virtual-reality experience. In the meantime, she is recording and touring.
Find FEE LION on iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, Amazon, & more!
Band Members
Links
