Giving Ottawa a distinct sound, City Fidelia is an emerging talent, who holsters passion and melody. Captivating his audience through music, Fidelia’s love for soul, poetry and storytelling is very noticeable. Being completely forth coming and honest with his sound, City offers a rhythmic vibe easy to embrace and relate to.
Versatility is key to this musical mastermind, as his sound reaches across many genres. Working on Hip-Hop, Dancehall, Trap and anything else you can think of, City also plays well with others. Opening up about working with artists such as Eva Shaw, Omar Kadir, Robotaki and others, really highlights what City brings to the table.
Discussing his latest track ‘Mama Knows’ along with his upcoming album, City gives us a deeper look on his focus and killer mentality. His inspiring come up, along with his experiences lets you embrace a deeper perspective of music.
Read the full exclusive interview with City Fidelia and listen to his latest single ‘Mama Knows’ below:
XMPL: An Ottawa native, your music has reached a vast distance from your hometown. What would you say started this journey and what are you noticing as it unfolds?
City Fidelia: I always challenged myself to think globally when I create. It’s always an interesting process to find a way to tell my story in a way that will resonate with the world. I noticed that being myself is the way to go the moment I saw my words connect with communities outside my community.
From your earlier projects like ‘FreeDumb’ to your more recent tracks like ‘Snakes’, you’ve shown that your sound is very versatile. Who were some of your inspirations and what did you learn from them?
My biggest inspiration growing up was Kanye West, Wyclef, and Diddy. All three individuals were really good a putting a good song together. If you go back to their early releases you will see how cohesive the albums were. They also tried to push the boundaries sonically. So, I try to replicate their state of mind when it comes to putting together an album and business moves.
2018 you’ve had a great amount of collaborations with many artists like Robotaki, Mozzey, Keelie Walker, Katia & Andrew Waines. What was it like working with all these artists and how difficult to fit in a variety of genres?
I am a fan of music in general so it’s not hard for me to dib and dabble in a different genre. I just try to make sure that I maintain my signature through my vocal production and lingo. These producers also made it easy for me because they sent me quality instrumentals and good direction. I am super excited for you guys to hear the new stuff I have coming with 4korners, Andrew Waines, Bubi and Makuta. Always fun to experiment with these guys.
Of course your biggest collaboration in 2018 was with Eva Shaw. Before we get into the 4/4 EP, What was it like working on the tracks ‘Shoulda Known Betta’ & ‘NT NT’?
It was great. ‘Shoulda Known Betta’ was the first track that we made together and man, I was sold the moment I heard the beat. The process for ‘NT NT’ was slightly different. She sent the beat over and I did my verse on my own time. I love sending Eva vocals because she always surprises me with dope adjustments that I would never think of.
Clearly you and Eva had great work chemistry, you two released 4 scorchers a week apart. ‘Snakes’, ‘Miles Away’, ‘What You Need’ & ‘Letter To The Side’, Take us in depth of how these tracks came about and what it was like working on them with Eva.
Snakes and What you need were two ideas that Eva already had going. I just added my verses on them. However, the production for these tracks changed a couple of times before we came to an agreement for the final versions. I am happy we made the adjustments. I trust her vision 99% percent of the time. As for Miles Away and Letter To The Side. These were tracks I started with Bubi Beats but Eva and I felt that the concepts fit the 4/4 project. So Eva took the vocals and added her sauce on it. It’s always exciting when she grabs my vocals because i know the beat is going to be on some next shit.
Working with Eva has been a real blessing. I can’t wait for the world to see how hard she works and talent that continues to grow. She knows what she wants and has good ideas. We pretty much knocked out a lot of these tracks in one session. The rest is history.
How do you feel about the reception ‘Snakes’ got from your fans? Was it what you expected?
Snakes went crazy. It’s the first time I saw certain people support my music. I knew that song was a banger the moment we finished it. I honestly believe it would be top 10 on billboard if we had all the tools to push it further. I actually still believe the song has a lot of life in it. It’s one of the hottest songs that dropped in 2018.
This year, you released a song that was real to it’s core, your new single ‘Mama Knows. What made your write this track and what does it mean to you?
I really wanted to connect with my inner self with this album and the foundation of my inner self is my mom. So I felt like i had to speak about the impact she had in my life and appreciate it as an older man. I also always loved songs like Dear Mama by 2pac or Hey Mama by Kanye. I feel like mama Knows is the modern-day version of those songs.
As a fan first, I must admit we are looking forward to an EP or an Album. Is there anything we can expect to release in 2019?
I will be dropping an album in the Fall. I aiming to bring home a Juno and Grammy with this one. So I am working really hard in the studio to tell my story.
You’ve had shows in North America, Europe & Asia. What cities really stood out to you?
A small city in Japan called Kanazawa. They don’t really speak English there but they knew the words to Lately. Which I really appreciated. The people are also really nice.
Do you have any tour dates or live shows we can look forward to in 2019?
Will be touring in those three continents when I drop my album. I want to touch my fans this time around.
