Gay Singer Owen Pallett of Final Fantasy Covers Celine Dion
The NY Times called Owen Pallett, a.k.a. music project Final Fantasy, "The World's Most Popular Gay Postmodern Harpsichord Nerd." Mmm - dreamy. Well, Owen certainly up-ed the gay factor when he covered Celine Dion's "The Power of Love" at a release party for an anti-Celine book called, Celine Dion's Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste. Ouch.
No comment on the Celine-hatred; I know he loved it, and the video's totally adorable. Before singing, Owen even admits he considered performing an a capella "Where Does My Heart Beat Now" in a dress. Aw!
Owen posing with fellow gay music-y, Ed Droste of Grizzly Bear. Who knew they hung out?
I can't embed the clip of Owen doing his violin cover of Celine, but follow that link to watch the video. And check out his video for the single "He Poos Clouds" below, if he's caught your interest.
He is intriguing; I'll have to revisit him soon. But how about a little background on the gay singer from Ontario? Well, first off, he got the name for his act from the Japanese video game series, comparing his musical stylings to the whole concept. He's said...
"I like the idea of it, this big gay thing. ... The games are ridiculously overwrought and convoluted emotionally."
Very true, Owen. I love that he's a gay-mer. As far as music, Owen has toured with and arranged for Arcade Fire and later, along with his friend, Leon Taheny, released his debut album, Has A Good Home. He followed up with an EP called Young Canadian Mothers.
Owen has said Canadian, German and French music journalists - not surprisingly - love his music, but added the "impatient ears" of the U.S. and U.K. aren't as enthusiastic. Fair enough; but I'm really feeling "Many Lives 49 MP." I guess he does know his Final Fantasy.
Having gone solo, Owen released the He Poos Clouds LP in 2006. Check out the video for the album's title track below; there are some cool animated, fantasy sequences - along with the cute, violin-playing Owen himself. These sequences actually remind me more of Shadow of the Colossus than of Final Fantasy - but OK, nobody played that...
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