D’eve Archer calls herself “a misfit” when asked to define who she is as an artist.
The Guelph musician takes pride in refusing to pigeonhole herself, saying her love for different types of music enables her to not be defined by a particular style.
“When people ask me ‘What kind of genre do you sing?’ I usually give three or four different genres, then tell them to smash all those together,” said Archer.
When Archer last spoke with GuelphToday in April 2016, she mentioned how Europe influenced her style and the subject matter in her lyrics.
One year later, the University of Guelph music grad says she exceeded her 2017 goals after another tour through the continent. Archer made it a priority to find music representation in Europe, but still allow her surroundings to shape the content she produces.
“(Being in Europe) still motivated me to write, but this time I started collaborating with different producers and different writers,” said Archer.
She found herself working with Swiss-based musical group The Opposite Pole. Before the second leg of her European tour, the group flew Archer to Switzerland, spending three days locked in a studio writing session.
She says she’s found more opportunity in Europe compared to Canada, due to the circumstances of her travels.
“When I’m in Europe, it’s because I’m working,” said Archer. “I’m surrounded by musicians, I’m at these music conferences, and you’re constantly meeting musicians, producers, managers, labels.”
Her alter ego, Saturdae Jonez, was developed during previous trips to Europe, allowing Archer to explore darker themes and new sounds in her work. One of her goals last year was to put Jonez at the forefront, creating new content through the mysterious lens of the character she created.
“I made D’eve Archer Music my business,” said Archer. “D’eve Archer always exists, but the artist representing the business is Saturdae Jonez.
“Her character was a mystery to me, since I was writing this new music that didn’t feel like it was for me. She wants you to feel what she’s singing to you, and most of what she does is through some sort of vocal effect.”
Archer experimented with voice altering software, trying to give her alter-ego a unique sound. Struggling to find something practical for live shows, she was approached by TC-Helicon, a company who specializes in looping sound, to test their products.
She figured out the software quickly and made TC-Helicon instruments a staple in her performances. Since then, there is a noticeable shift in her music.
“You will not hear Saturdae Jonez sing something completely clean,” said Archer. “They’ll be an echo, a filter, or distortion in her voice.
“People who know me and see Saturdae’s videos, they’ll say ‘Why did you do that song like that? You don’t need any of that stuff when you sing.’ I’ll tell them that’s not D’eve singing, that’s Saturdae Jonez. This is what she does.”
She says her goal for 2018 is to expand on the visuality of her performances, preferably through her social platforms.
“It’s really hard to sell looping, to put it onto an album and get a reaction,” said Archer. “(For 2018), I want to release more experimental videos and really get my audience to interact with me, not just having to see me live.”
But Archer wants to continue performing in Europe, saying she plans on organizing a 90-day tour through music festivals and her own concerts. She hopes she can use her online platform to gain a bigger following before she goes.
“We’ll see where we end up in 2019,” said Archer.
