IN CONVERSATION WITH FLETCHER

interview by JANA LETONJA

Singer and songwriter FLETCHER just released her second album, ‘In Search of the Antidote’, at the end of March. ‘In Search of the Antidote’ is a selection of boldly confessional yet exhilarating pop songs detailing her journey toward self-realization. Along with earning an ever-growing number of accolades, including the 2023 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Music Artist, FLETCHER’s fiercely self-aware songwriting has made her a major cultural force known for illuminating the queer experience with equal parts confidence, sensitivity and a thrilling lack of inhibition. 

You just released your second album ‘In Search of the Antidote’, which took shape from a prolonged period of self-inquiry, in which you plunged headfirst into questions of impulse, ego, identity and fulfilment. Tell us more about this album and what does it represent to you.

This album really symbolises a period in my life where I was sort of wrapping up themes of past relationships, letting things go, closing doors, battling with my own ego and sensitivities, my own deep self reflections. I was also navigating a lot with my health at the time too, so it forced me into asking some deeper questions. This album, like all my albums, is a time capsule. 

You wanted this album to feel raw and free.  Why is it so important for your fans to see this rawness from you?

I didn’t really have a choice with this album because I was also going through Lyme Disease treatment at the same time, so the songwriting was really part of the antidote. I didn’t have the energy to put on any sort of facade, I just had to create from an unfiltered rawness. I just want people to always feel an honest reflection of where I’m at in life, even if that’s challenging or thought provoking in some ways. If i’m not honouring where I’m truthfully at, it’s a disservice to me and my art, but also my fans. 

You’ve looked for the antidote in many things over the years. How would you describe this process as a whole?

It’s been quite a journey, one that’s taken on many forms, seasons, people, places. It’s all been a process that’s just brought me closer to me knowing myself and loving myself in ways I didn’t think was possible growing up. 

‘In Search of the Antidote’ also examines love in all its infinite manifestations. What is your outlook on love and its meaning in your life?

I used to be really jaded by love and felt like it was this really one dimensional experience that ended in hurting. I had such a limited viewpoint, but I have a more zoomed out perspective of it now and realize it’s really just the purpose of everything. It’s not just relational in a romantic or platonic setting context, but also in the love of nature, music, food, all human connection. It’s the fabric of the universe. 

If you had to compare both of your albums, how has your music and how have you as an artist evolved since the release of your debut album?

I think there’s always a line in my music, throughout all of the eras, and it’s this sort of confessional diary entry about where I’m at in my life. In the past, my music has been more focused on others, like pointing the finger in some way, and this record feels like it’s pointing the finger back at myself and really reflecting on my own inner world. 

After the release of your first album ‘Girl of My Dreams’ you took a step away from spotlight. How did this time off influence and inspire your new music?

I was forced to confront and face myself in ways that I hadn’t really ever been given the opportunity before. I watched social media get quiet, tours be pulled down, audiences go away. It was just me, struggling in so many ways, where I really had to look at why everything was happening and find my connection to myself and my worth outside of all of it. This music came from that time period and ended up being my favourite music I’ve ever made. 

How did music become your passion?

Music was the avenue that I felt safest to explore parts of me that felt overwhelming and scary. It was the only outlet I was really able to freely express. Music is such a universal language and it’s healed me in so many ways throughout my life, both music from other artists and getting to create my own art. It’s more a way of life and the only thing my soul knows that is more than just a passion. 

Holding space for others to explore their inner worlds has always been an essential part of your artistry. Why is using your platform to help people experience the depths of who they really are so important to you, and how do you use your platforms to help them do so?

I grew up with so many big feelings that I had no idea how to make sense of and felt like they were too big for anyone to handle, including myself. It’s helping heal the inner child in me now by telling myself that it’s safe to feel everything to the absolute depths of it, that it’s not a sign of weakness, but actually a super power. I needed to hear that from artists and media growing up and I couldn’t find that anywhere. Being now a mirror for people that they’re safe to feel the depths of their emotion is so important to me and little Cari. 

Now that ‘In Search of the Antidote’ is out, what is coming up next for you this year?

Albums are so interesting. Like I said, they’re a time capsule and there’s always a gap from when I finish a project to it then being released in the world. I’m already somewhere else from the time this album was created, so I’m having the itch to create something new now. Maybe that’s just the soul of an artist, a perpetual itch to create because we’re always evolving and changing. 

What are you most excited about for your upcoming tour in Europe and UK?

I’m just too excited to see the fans again. I had to postpone this tour in 2023 and I missed them so much. I missed the energy of screaming songs to each other and just dancing and having fun. Being on the road and away from home for so long is so challenging, but seeing them every night makes it all worth it. 

TEAM CREDITS:
talent FLETCHER
photography TYLER PATRICK KENNY
styling MARC ERAM
hair GLEN OROPEZA
makeup ALEXANDRA FRENCH
location host ASHLEY VAN DER LAAN
editor TIMOTEJ LETONJA
interview JANA LETONJA
cover design ARTHUR ROELOFFZEN
Special thanks to BRETT, DEREK, ALISON & EMILY