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Meet Fi Sullivan

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Fi Sullivan.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have been singing for as long as I can remember. It is a passion I carry with me wherever I go. I often find myself writing lyrics to the rhythm of my footsteps, singing with the leaves in the breeze, and harmonizing with moving water.

The first time I recognized the true creative power of the human singing voice was during my senior year at Denver East High School while practicing vocal improvisation in Angelaires, East’s small vocal Jazz ensemble. Singing in Angelaires and the East High choir helped me realize the immense sonic power, unparalleled emotion, and beauty evoked by the dissonances, harmonies, and overtones amplified by multiple singing voices. I experienced how acoustic vocal music engages and connects people leading diverse stories and lives.

When my voice and technology joined for the first time as part of a project to produce new electro-acoustic sounds through my interpretations of whale sounds from a human vocal perspective, I was completely fascinated. I could now extend beyond into a new environment of recorded, organic, algorithmic, synthesized, and computer-generated sounds where I could interact, create, and exist vocally between multiple acoustic and electronic atmospheres. In college, I learned music production through the program, Ableton Live, to continue my pursuit of electro-acoustic possibilities. I joined my life-long passion for music with my new passion for technology by earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in both Music and Computer Science at Middlebury College in Vermont.

During undergrad, I traveled to Goldsmith’s College in London to further understand music computing technologies and learn the roots of sound synthesis and complex techniques for stochastic and generative music composition. I then continued my exploration of the electro-acoustic realm by becoming a research assistant for electronic music and generative art, joining various all-arts improvisation collectives, and developing software for audio-visual installations involving gestural analysis and machine learning. As a result of creating and learning in these diverse fields, my sound and performance as an artist expanded into new dimensions. I began using technology to transform my voice into extended sounds which interacted with acoustic saxophone, synthesized beats and melodies, and responsive projected visuals to create a stimulating audiovisual atmosphere for an audience.

My passion in wanting to discover a deeper understanding of the evolving relationship between the human singing voice and technology prompted me to apply for the Thomas J. Watson Fellowship, which is a one-year grant awarded to individuals allowing them to pursue independent, self-designed research and exploration outside of the United States. I was awarded the Watson Fellowship for the 2019-2020 year to explore how the relationship between the human singing voice and technology impacts the continuity of the human voice in music and sound art with my project titled “Intersections of Technology and Human Vocal Continuity.” I traveled to communities in Germany, Austria, Greenland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Australia, and Argentina that maintain traditional vocal techniques and create new vocal music and sound art environments to explore why communities have these spaces for contemporary sonic experiences. I also performed at arts festivals, music venues, clubs, and universities with local musicians, artists, and researchers throughout the year. I am hoping to be able to continue my Watson Fellowship research in Chile and Norway when it is safe to do so. I am now using everything I have explored, studied, and learned at the intersection of music and technology to pursue my career as an electro-pop musician, songwriter, and producer.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The main obstacle I have as an emerging musician is the global pandemic and the impact it has on the music industry and live performances. I’m at a point in my career where I’m trying to develop my musical practice and presence by performing as much as possible and connecting with professionals in the music industry. Unfortunately, these opportunities are currently limited to unavailable, and I look forward to the day we all can attend live musical performances together. In the meantime, I have been performing from my front porch, a treehouse, and the roof of the Edgewater Public Market. I also live stream all these performances on social media.

Tell us about your work – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
As an emerging musician, I am constantly exploring extended vocal possibilities through new sonic realms in electronic music. My songs, lyrics, and production are all influenced by the beauty and complexity of nature and its symbiosis with humanity. My passion to explore the human voice in new sonic environments at the intersection of technology and music appears in my music and performances.

I have a couple of songs out on Spotify, Apple Music, and other streaming services under my artist name, “Fi Sullivan.” I am planning to have an EP released by the end of the summer.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as moments during which I discover beauty in my songs while composing. Lyrical or harmonic revelations are beautiful moments that can culminate into larger poetic and melodic completions. I feel extraordinary compositional enthusiasm when I finally uncover a hidden landscape in my mind that I had been trying to describe with prose or sound all along. Moments like these allow me to compose and sing non-stop for hours. However, the most wonderful moment of beauty is when I compose and perform my own song in such a way that it truly connects with an audience. Performing an original song and feeling the electricity grow throughout the space as we all begin to move, dance, smile, or sing together is magical. I define success as moments during which I can sing my words and songs to create interhuman connections and transport listeners into new sonic realms and the magical land of music.

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