Carolyn Fe was born to a family of entrepreneurs, whose enterprising spirit has clearly influenced her. Moving to Canada as a pre-teen, most of her after-school hours involved piano, dance and singing lessons. At a time before cultural diversity was ‘de rigueur’, being the only Asian family in a predominantly white, Francophone neighborhood, Carolyn learned to negotiate from the sidelines at an early age and it has been her strength ever since.
She was a professional contemporary dancer touring, choreographing for her own professional dance company and was commissioned to choreograph for various dance companies locally and internationally until her mid-twenties. She even owned and operated a dance school offering classical ballet, tap, jazz and aerobics classes to hopeful dancers of all ages. When it was time to leave that, Carolyn entered the corporate realm where she is an accredited professional with her own consulting firm.
As a professional actor, Carolyn has been gracing the stage and camera in various theatrical productions, TV and movie spots. She founded her own theatrical production company, Altera Vitae Productions, a non-profit organization where each theatrical presentation is partnered with a community organization whose mandate is similar to the theme of the play. Altera Vitae Productions aims to assist the community organization with its public awareness program.
As a singer, Carolyn co-founded the band DD Swank and, for four years, fronted for them under the pseudonym of Mama B, singing in French, English and Spanish. Through song, the band told stories of the life of DD Swank, the elusive lady of the early 1900’s. However, the urge to go on her own was tugging strongly at her heartstrings.
Today, Carolyn continues to push the envelope and stretch her artistic talents into a solo singing career. With influences as diverse as Tom Waits, Patsy Cline and Blind Lemon, it is no surprise that Carolyn Fe’s singing style reflects a wide range of genres, all of which she effortlessly slides into, seamlessly morphing from the sweet, purity of a Holly Cole to the raunchy rock ’n roll edge of Tina Turner. Her acting experience gives her the unique ability to infuse lyrics with highly charged emotions – from extreme loss and love-gone-bad to light-hearted French cabaret or the languid sexiness of Brazilian bossa nova, shifting roles as easily as a quick change in the wings. Likely a left-over from her days as a hoofer, Carolyn Fe truly marches to her own beat, with percussion taking the lead in her unconventional treatment of music, able to transform a gospel into steamy jazz or fusing native and blues rhythms.
Stretching her versatility to the max, Carolyn Fe, as the solo artist, produces only original material with phrasing that at once evokes Janis Joplin begging for love, the hard-core, in-your-face strength of Jann Arden or the dreamy allure of Cowboy Junkies’ Margo Timmins. She is backed by veteran musicians who’ve played with the likes of Percy Sledge, Freddie James and Carol Franklin (Aretha’s sister)
A highly versatile, well-rounded performer, Carolyn possesses the deep soul of an artist who has lived on the fringe for most of her life, and made the most of it as the true innovator she is, giving her music and lyrics an insight and depth that cannot be imitated and must be heard.
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Facebook: Carolyn Fe, Blues Singer
MySpace: www.myspace.com/carolynfe
Website: www.carolyn-fe.com
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