By: Shayla Lee
With dance worthy tracks, upbeat rhythms, and catchy lyrics, Joyeur’s debut EP LIFEEATER is a breath of glittery air in pop music. Made up of Anna Feller and Joelle Corey, Joyeur is an LA-based electropop duo that began collaborating together four years ago.
LIFEEATER begins by taking the listener on an upbeat synth-filled journey with “Pusher,” paving the way for the rest of the addictive album. Another standout moment is “Dance With Me” which will make you want to dance, even if it’s by yourself in your bedroom. If you’re a fan of CHVRCHES, Carly Rae Jepsen, or Lorde’s “Green Light,” I’d definitely suggest giving LIFEEATER a listen.
Joyeur’s EP is equal parts unexpected, funky, and addictive, and I am so excited to have had the chance to chat with Jo and Anna more about it. They told us all about LIFEEATER, how they began making music together, and what else they have in store for us this year!
Femme Riot: Can you tell us a bit about Joyeur? How did you two begin collaborating?
Anna: We had really vibed in a studio session with a mutual friend and a week later Jo was asked to perform live on ice at L.A. Live with the USC Ice Girls. She asked if I’d accompany her on keys, which then snowballed into the beginning of a band. We actually wrote 2 new songs together just for that performance and got the show ready within a week! It was obvious early on that we both prefer making music over getting beauty sleep.
Where do you draw inspiration for your music? Do you have any musical influences?
We’re really close, so most of our personal experiences are shared. We have this thing where we hop in the car and just start playing music to each other based off of what has transpired during our days & weeks. It’s so interesting to see how differently we both interpret these moments. The soundtracks to our lives are so eclectic and I think it heavily influences our collaboration. One day, one of us might play a 70’s disco gem while the other is obsessing over a house track. We’re both quite open to experimenting.
Congratulations on your EP “LIFEEATER!” How would you describe the EP to someone who is new to your music?
Thank you! LIFEEATER is our first born! The EP is funky, electronic pop. It’s unapologetic and flirtatious, and it definitely might make you feel like dancing…
One of the standout tracks to me is “Pusher” – it’s an absolute banger! Can you tell us about this track and the inspiration behind it?
Jo: Thanks! “Pusher” is the lead single on this EP! It’s one of those tracks we felt was so special from the moment it poured out of us. I started writing it after going on a date with a guy who was detailing to me his past addiction to cocaine, among other drugs. The very next day, Anna brought me in and played me the beginnings of this track. It felt like a perfect marriage between both. It developed as a pure stream of consciousness and we basically had everything fleshed out in one day.
Another one of my favorites off of the EP is “Fast As You Can.” You recently released a music video for the track and it’s full of bright colors and beautiful imagery. Can you tell us more about the music video and what the creative process was like for it?
From the get go, we always envisioned the video accompaniment to FAYC to be cute yet creepy. We worked really closely with the director (Hallie Cooper-Novack) to create a world for ourselves. We actually started off with an idea of hers that featured us as secret agents, but I think we inevitably wanted something more simple and to-the-point. Each vignette intensifies as the song does. We were admident about that. I think the flow of the song and visuals was so important to us. We wanted the video to end on a visual crescendo!
Have you faced any challenges being women in the music industry? If so, how did you overcome the adversity and do you have any advice for other women facing challenges?
I think when you look at the female artists who are at the forefront of the music industry it doesn’t tell the whole story. To a great extent, there’s a team of men behind them and very few women. When you’re in it, this is something that becomes very obvious quickly and that can be an overwhelming challenge to overcome. However, this discrepancy is more of a wind beneath our wings than a clipping to them.
There is a divide or a strong assumption of how things work and what place women have in the music industry. Let’s be real, when you hear about a producer, you assume it’s a guy. We want to break through that assumption and normalize the fact that women can be the ones driving, not just in the passenger seat.
Our biggest advice would be to create opportunities for yourself, because no one else is going to. The more in control of your music you are, the better. You can always collaborate with others but you don’t need to depend on them. We don’t want to marginalize men by any means, but we do want to equalize the scale.
Mental health is really important to us at Femme Riot and we love hearing about how others maintain balance in their lives. Being busy musicians, what practices do you implement into your life to ensure your health and well-being are taken care of?
Anna: We have small rituals to maintain our sanity and believe us, it didn’t come easy. Jo is always doing yoga in the studio and I am a big advocate for limiting your day to 3 cups of coffee! Sometimes we don’t sleep much, but we have gotten really good at recognizing when we need to stop, take a walk, eat, and even disconnect to do something completely separate from each other (or from music in general). It can be really tempting to be in our cave and isolate ourselves from others, but we’ve realized the best ideas aren’t always tied to being in the studio. We find such inspiration from being human and connecting to others. We don’t necessarily associate being tired with suffering, but understand that a good night’s sleep here and there does keep us intact.
What can fans expect from you this year?
We’re working on our live show right now and will be announcing some dates soon! We’re also working on our debut full-length album for next year. We also may or may not have another video in the works…
I want to thank Jo and Anna for doing this interview with us! You can stay up to date with the ladies by following them on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Listen to LIFEEATER below!
FEMME RIOT 