Artist Profile: Fielded
Fielded, the dynamic vocalist from New Jersey, has ridden their idiosyncratic voice and flawless harmonies across the shimmering waves of various genres, collaborators, and sonic motifs. Yet, in the process, they have still managed to maintain their own unimpeachable sound, standing boldly next to any artist who has been blessed with Fielded’s creative capabilities.
Growing up in a musical family, with both parents playing and gigging in an ‘80s-style rock outfit, Fielded was encouraged from childhood to pursue the “most unique version” of themselves. Surrounded by their father’s eclectic taste in music and their mother’s much softer style, Fielded was exposed from a very early age to the breadth of what music has to offer and very quickly gravitated toward exploring the capabilities of the human voice.
In that vein, Fielded originally began as a noise project, becoming a member of the bustling Midwestern noise scene of the 2000s.
This pursuit eventually gave over to a more indie-pop based approach, birthing Fielded’s first two fully-developed projects, NINE-THIRTY-THIRTY and the EP “Boy Angel”.
At that time, Fielded prided themselves on their ability to produce music almost entirely independently, writing the instrumentation, performing the vocals, and conducting the mixing and mastering for all of their music themselves.
Over time, they reached a creative standstill within this induced isolation, and, while also attempting to songwrite for other artists in Nashville, Fielded eventually realized that they needed to open their mind to the possibilities of collaboration.
“At that time, I felt like CIS men in the noise scene were constantly just trying to.. get [their] sticky fingers all over my project and make it better. And I would be like, ‘F*ck you. This is mine. This is what I get to have. You get to have everything…’ I think it's not the most digestible format, but I've gotten a lot of satisfaction out of it. I've learned a lot about myself as an artist through doing that.”
Drip Drip, Fielded’s second studio album, ultimately signalled the end of an era, as they moved into a more collaborative approach that helped them to redefine their sound.
The four projects they have released since 2020, Sacrifice Zone, Demisexual Lovelace, “Young Medusa”, and Plus One have all featured a variety of collaborators, with Fielded handing over the reigns for much of the instrumentation to a rotating set of very talented musicians.
Chuckles Deluxe, their upcoming album releasing on May 2nd features Alex Goldberg on drums, Max Zuckerman on bass and guitar, David Lackner on keys and synth, and Jesse Sparkhawk on harp.
This has left Fielded with more space and time to hone in on their vocals and songwriting, and the influx of ideas and creative involvement has manifested itself very clearly in their work.
“I did a lot of collaborations with Armand Hammer and Billy Woods and Eucid and other rappers and producers… I really got to know that my voice is this vehicle; everything moves on top of the voice. I feel that I could sing on any genre of music, any backing track, any produced track, and it would be so distinctly Fielded. I truly feel like I will always find a way to bring it back to my genre.”
This discovery of the capabilities and centrality of their vocals has led Fielded toward a confidence that has permeated their new creative output. Fielded’s songwriting has followed suit, taking on a more diverse range of topics beyond the fare that has populated their earlier projects.
Therefore, Chuckles Deluxe will, in a way, be a joyous celebration of their new creative headspace: a monument to their simultaneous reinvention and continuation of all the things that make their sound special.