Interview: Fingy

Fingy

Natalie Finfer - raised in LA and moved to Chicago. They are the danciest DJ you will every meet.

SCENES: Why did you choose Logan Square to meet in?

FINGY: Well, I'm not from Chicago, so I can't claim much of the city, but I've been here for three years, and for a long time I've tried to find a spot that I could come to and feel semi-a-part-of. And I guess this old little monument, [pauses and looks at the carvings in the base] which I should probably know what’s going on back there, but I don’t. But this monument I come to and have a sense of place, so I think it's kind of cute.

SCENES: Yeah! It's cool, I've never been. I wanted to interview you because I first heard about you when you did a show in West Lafayette, and it was I think 2019? 

FINGY: 2019

SCENES: I wasn't there, but I've had multiple friends reference it as one of the first house shows they've been to. How did you end up there?

FINGY: Okay, it’s a good story. Well, my current manager, Olivia, she went to Purdue, and asked me to do a Boiler Room TV or Purdue Boiler TV set, that spring. And then she asked to be my manager and I was like, I'm 19, I don’t make money. But like, sure! And then she hit me up a couple months later and she was like, hey we're doing a show, I'm doing this underground series. Do you want to come DJ? And I thought, why not? I had a friend that lived in Indiana at the time, so me and somebody and her went out, stayed at her house and did this low-key super legendary show without really knowing what it was going to be.

SCENES: At the time you were Finger Beats?

FINGY: Finger Beats!

SCENES: Where did that come from and what was the evolution to Fingy?

FINGY: Oh my gosh. Well, my name is Natalie Finfer and Finfer corrects to finger on autocorrect when you're typing and I had a friend or two call me finger back in the day. So when I was making my SoundCloud I actually wanted to be A1 beats because A1 was like part of my finsta, but that was taken. So I was like, okay, I'll just be Finger Beats and worry about it later. And that just kind of stayed, I never changed it. And then, I think it was my friend Nina Tech, who I've been working with for a while. She started calling me Fingy, and then a couple other people started calling me Fingy. And then when I was coming out with my last EP, Taste Test, I was like, I don’t want to be Finger Beats. This is weird. So I was like, Fingy! and it's a fake word, but we love it.

SCENES: I like it! It’s like a cute nickname.

FINGY: Yeah, you gotta smile when you say it, you know what I'm saying? Fingy!

SCENES: Do you feel like there's a distinct shift in your music when you switched over, or was it just the right timing?

FINGY: Timing for sure. I think when I first started making music, it was a lot more, I'd say like hip hop, SoundCloud beats. And then as I continued forward, it became a little more dancier a little housier And I guess I would attribute Finger Beats to more of the SoundCloud era, which has more beats. And then maybe Fingy kind of spawned when I started leaving beats, started incorporating vocals that weren't just like ripped samples or acapellas. 

SCENES: I see that in some of your songs you sing yourself and then other times you get other artists to collaborate and sing. How do you choose when you want to be the voice and when to bring someone else in? And then who kind of dictates the lyrics in those situations?

FINGY: Well, I think it's situational. Some of my first songs as Fingy, like You with Ondine. That was a working relationship where I was like, okay, I'm the producer, you're the singer-songwriter. We link, we build, we go. So that was all them. And then I just put out a song called Neck Hair and that was a song where I produced it, I wrote it, and I have a demo of me singing it. I was like, this is okay but I think it would really serve if I had a vocalist that was a bit jazzier than me and had more range than I did. I actually met this person on TikTok and was like, hey I think you’d sound great on this. So I think it's a mixture of if I have a working relationship with an artist where we kind of know each other's lanes, we kind of stay to it. Or sometimes I'm just like, I sound good on this so I'll keep it. And sometimes I'm like, I'm not going to be able to deliver what I hear and then I'll ask somebody else.

SCENES: That’s interesting. Since you come from a dance background, do you feel like your relationship with music and lyrics especially is different? Where lyrics are more like vocals on an instrument rather than being part of the meaning, because your purpose is more to dance to your music, right?

FINGY: Yeah, 100%. Without dance, I would not be a musician. It taught me musicality, taught me rhythm and taught me song structure. And I think I definitely hear rhythm before lyrics. I'll have to listen to a song honestly like 20 times before I even begin to understand what they're saying. And I do see vocals as much more like an instrument and something you can toy with instead of something that meets an instrumental in the middle.

SCENES: Yeah, that's cool. Do you feel like there's a big difference between when you performed as a dancer versus DJ, or are they kind of very similar but different arts?

FINGY: That's such a good question. I think when I danced and especially during the talent shows, that was intense because I was prepping the same thing for months and months and months. It's such a full body experience. So when I went to finally perform the piece, I would just blackout and with DJing, it's a little more different. I have to be much more present. There are times where I wouldn't say blackout. Maybe I get into a flow when I DJ and improv in that way, maybe similar to when I improv through dance. But I think with DJing I'm much more present. Where as dancing, I was somewhere else.

SCENES: That's cool. Do you feel like it's been hard to find the right audience with DJing? Because it feels like at large, when you hear the word DJ, there's the range of human jukebox at a party that plays whatever song you request, to this is an artist that's creating, the whole process is their creation. So has it been hard to find the right places to go and audiences to seek out?

FINGY: Luckily in Chicago, no. This was the city that created house music. So I think there's like a decent level of respect ,luckily, when it comes to DJs. Rarely, rarely do I have encounters where people are like, can you play blah blah, blah? But when I do, I either just look at them like, no. Or I just totally ignore them. But for the most part, people know to come and dance. And even if they're not dancing, they're not impeding on the art form. And I get surprised sometimes when I prep a set and I'm like, I don't think the crowd's going to be that amazing, so I'm just gonna do whatever. And then they come up with insane energy. And sometimes I'm like, oh this is gonna be an amazing set. And I get totally side-eyed or not even really paid attention to, so it fluctuates. But in general, I think I don't really have to run into that issue here.

SCENES: Did you come to Chicago because of the house music history? Was that kind of what drew you? 

FINGY: Funny enough, like maybe on a higher level, but not on a real level. On a real level, I came to Chicago for school, and it wasn't until I took a Chicago immersive class that I learned that 1: Chicago created house music. 2: This is what house music is. And 3: I realized I was making house music, or at least house influenced music without even knowing what house music was, without even going to a DJ set before. So it definitely felt divine in a way, I had no idea. But of course I came here. Of course I took that class. Of course, this is the music I'm making. But none of it was a conscious decision. It was all sub I guess. 

SCENES: That's cool! Coming from LA, which is a go-there-for-your-music-career type of city, what makes you stay in Chicago even though you graduated?

FINGY: I think like the way I try to see life is more in-out than out-in and I think moving - granted, depending on where you are in your career, it might be a wise choice to move to the center of your industry. But at least for where I'm at right now, I'm not trying to reach towards my goals, but more so attract them. And out here I live a very sustainable life, I have friends out here who double as like my family, who triple as like my creative team. The price, the cost of living is livable. I can fly to New York sometimes, I can fly to LA. I can take myself to Europe, you know, and not, like, be like penny pinching. Where I probably would have to be if I was in LA or New York. And I feel really grateful to be a part of history out here. And Chicago is such a musically and culturally rich city, and to be welcomed so immediately and so loving, I almost feel a level of contribution I have to make back to the city. And on top of that, like I'm a DJ and musician, but I'm a person and I grew up in a beautiful city for 18 years, that's a lot of time. I want to experience more of the world. I might want to move somewhere else again. I might move back to L.A. someday. But I'm more concerned about experiencing life and I've experienced so much life in LA. Why not experience some life here?

SCENES: That's true. How is the creative scene here? Do you feel like it's distinctly different from other places?

FINGY: Yeah, this is all biased outside perspective, but from what I've noticed from going to Los Angeles, it is very politics heavy, industry heavy, and it seems as though there is a less established DIY or underground or just indie scene in general, because it's so heavy on the industry. The city itself, it's very spread apart and New York just the city, everyone's kind of on top of each other and it's like abundant in like extremely talented musicians, as is L.A., but on a very wide range of sonics. And I think out here it's a bit more focused on dance music, pop music, hip hop, some R&B, but it kind of stays locked in there, and indie as well. A lot of indie rock. But I noticed in Chicago, and I guess I can't speak to L.A. or New York for it because I'm not there as often, but people really pull up for each other and I go to concerts all the time, and those are like my third spaces. I don't really have specific bars or restaurants I go to, but I'll follow a certain DJ or I'll follow a certain band who are my friends, and they always attract the same people. Yeah, People just really pull up for each other. And especially this being my first time, being an independent adult out of the nest, but also out of an educational institution. It's really affirming to have a community that pulls up for you. And even if they're not in your friend group, they're in your creative sphere. And I don't know if that's unique to Chicago, but I definitely feel it potent here.

SCENES: I feel like my experience recently has been that things like music, photography, all these creative outlets have been so much more accessible. And then during Covid, a lot of people, started playing instruments, started making music, or like making films. And now they're at the point of like, I graduated, do I want to make a living being creative? This is the dilemma a lot of people I know are facing, how has asking yourself that question been? 

FINGY: It’s a tough one but also, I don't know, I think again, being that I tried to work in and out instead of thinking about like all the things that could go wrong and all the things I could or should be doing, I more so check in with myself and I'm like, what feels right and try to stay on that path and stay tapped in with my intuition and my material realm has luckily, constantly affirmed to me that this is what I need to be doing. I always have a plan B of being a neuroscientist, but I don't think that can be a plan B.

SCENES: That's a very hard plan B.

FINGY: No, you have to very much lock into that so I think that plan B is kind of down the drain. I love children. So I always thought about maybe teaching sometime, but I don't know as I'm getting older and I'm starting to understand capitalism and finances and business. I'm also trying to actualize like, this isn't as delusional as I thought. I really can make a secure living off of doing what I do best, which is like being creative and being communicative and overall producing. I also had parents that were very much like, yeah, do you, you got it. They're both full time freelancers their entire career. They're amazing role models for that and have shown me since childhood that pursuing art is possible or just pursuing freelancing in general is possible. But then overall, I think it's just I want to be happy and what makes me happy, I'll follow. And once I start being unhappy or discontent, as long as it's proactive, not reactive, I'm kind of like I'm good until I need a change.

SCENES: I wish I was that less stressed. 

FINGY: It's a decision. It's a decision you have to make. I get stressed a lot, but then I have to check back in and realize everything's relative and things can be so much better and I can still be stressed. But transmuting that energy into something that's beneficial for you has helped me. And that's kind of how music works too, it’s just transmuting stimulus and energy and thoughts and feelings into something that's productive. So doing that practice in my creative world, doing that practice in my personal world is kind of how I survive.

SCENES: What do you have coming up? You had Neck Hair released recently. I read that Neck Hair is about the back of your neck hair moving because you're dancing so much. Is that true? I just thought it was a reference to a mullet. 

FINGY: Love, okay. Mullet. Period. Love it. I saw that too and I was like, oh, who was cooking that day?

SCENES: Oh it wasn’t you? 

FINGY: Absolutely not.

SCENES: I thought it was a quote from you!

FINGY: It's called Neck Hair because before the keys on that song, it was a beat that had all those textures. Yeah. It was just those textures in this really weird bassline. And I just named the beat Neck Hair because I was like, it sounds like, I don't know, Neck Hair! I did not think about it. And then we made the lyrics that I made the song about to put out, and I was talking to Bymaddz the singer, and I wrote the lyrics. They interpreted it a bit different at times and they sang and I was like, what do you think this should be called? We were both just thinking, and looking at the lyrics and we're like, Neck Hair? There's no, there's no- we couldn't find a title for it that alluded to the lyrics, and we were just sending demos back and forth for so long it was just Neck Hair Version One, Neck Hair Version Two, Neck, Neck, Neck. And so were like, let's just keep it Neck Hair.

SCENES: I like it! 

FINGY: So it’s literally just the name of a beat. Yeah, but mullet, love! Dancing, having your neck hair stand. Hell yeah! Whatever it is, whatever resonates.

SCENES:I thought it was a direct quote from you, but that's an interpretation. I'm so bad at interpreting stuff by myself. 

FINGY: No, that's the thing about art that literally it means nothing. You know. Once I release it to the world, it's whatever the world thinks of it. So yes, that's exactly what Neck Hair is about, whatever works. 

SCENES: And then you have something coming out next week?

FINGY: Next week.

SCENES: Are you doing like a bunch of single releases? Are you doing it and leading up to something?

FINGY: It's leading up to something. Yeah, it's four singles leading up to a seven track EP, EP is called Forgive Me, Indefinitely. It's a whole fuckin story. It's an emotional purging of the past two, two and a half years. And it's all part of the game plan. 

SCENES: Do you enjoy that process of not just making music, but putting it out and marketing it? I feel like there's an art to marketing, you can learn to enjoy, where it's communicating what your creative messaging is. Do you enjoy it or is it just business?

FINGY: Yeah. This has been the first time I've enjoyed it. Up until this point, I made the music. By the time I was done with the music, I was done with it. And my first EP, I think the only visuals we did was one music video and an animated canvas. And even that, I was like, this is so much. But I have been blessed to work with, like my best friends. So there's Marjorie and Monica. And they're my two heavy hitters, and I work with a lot of other very talented, visual artists. But they have inspired me these past two years since we've been friends to find joy again in the visual process of this, and also reaffirmed to me how important that is in the sonic process. So being able to work with them like they've been helping me with album artwork, they've been helping me with my music videos, canvases and overall, like social media roll out. And it has allowed me to see the art in marketing. It is this weird double edged sword of like, oh, to market and make your music a product. It can get icky and sticky. But I'm working with people who I genuinely believe in their art so much, and their vision so much. And I know they believe in me as well so it's become actually a really fun process. And we filmed essentially all of the three music videos. We shot one for Neck Hair, but it wasn't right. So we're waiting on that. But, shot three music videos this summer in the span of three weeks, which is insane. And they've been everything, putting everything together for me. Now it's like a fully packaged, fully intentional release. I rebrand on Instagram. I'm being, like, cryptic, it's cute. But yes, I found joy in it again. I'm actually enjoying it this time because I'm working with such talented people who are so dear to my heart.

SCENES: Oh, that's so nice.

FINGY: Yeah, tell me about it. Like, I wouldn't want to like to work, to make art with people that I am not absolutely obsessed with and adore. It seems so awful. And we were shooting, we went to the Indiana Dunes to shoot a music video for a song that hasn't come out yet, and we were just laying down in these dunes, getting these shots and then in-between shots, walking places and just talking and chopping it up. And I was thinking like, damn. If I was like working with a creative ad agency or like a content creation team, we would be so locked in on getting every shot we would lose the humanity to it. And I think there's so much to be said about working, working with people that you're so comfortable with because they're able to capture you in a much more human form instead of a sterile poised form. And I think the things that we captured and recorded are very authentic to who I am, to what Fingy is, and to what this project has to offer.

Fingy’s Sophomore EP Forgive Me, Indefinitely is out November 20th.