Artist You Should Know-Peaches

No, it's not the fruit, it's Merrill Beth Nisker. She's a Canadian artist who was born on November 11, 1966. She currently resides in Berlin, Germany, and she's gained international stardom --among her little, microscopic niche audience. So, why bring her up, then? If she's such an unknown (she has no top forty singles or albums anywhere in the world), what makes her so important that she gets a feature on 'Artist You Should Know'?  Well, truth is, you have heard of her, at least in some context. Maybe you don't even know you've been listening to her music, as it's commonly used on movie soundtracks (i.e. "Mean Girls", "Lost in Translation") as well as TV soundtracks (i.e. "Ugly Betty", "South Park", and "30 Rock"). Also, she's made quite a few guest appearances on high-profile albums (i.e. P!nk's "Try This" and Christina Aguilera's "Bionic"). She's been quite an elusive figure in the music industry, but she's also made some influential moves, as M.I.A. was inspired to use drum machines in her music after collaborating with Ms. Nisker. Even more, indie singer Feist was once Merrill's room-mate. Her figure in music is a small one, but it burns with a fiery passion, as her music utilizes abrasive electronic instruments and loud guitars to carry her rapping (and often screaming) of a singing voice. At the turn of the millennium, with her niche already carved out, she's consistently continued to refine her music, and is an artist who definitely could have fared well among a wide audience.

Ok, so here's the real reason why I've brought her into the spotlight (and why she's only gained a small following): more than any artist in the history of music (besides Frank Zappa and possibly Prince), never before has an artist's music revolved so much around sex. Modern rap artists like Lil Wayne, Drake etc. claim how much they 'fuck bitches' and try to explicitly describe how they 'suck a pussy' or how a 'pussy be suckin they dick', but they ain't got nothin on Peaches. Not even Madonna's sexual tirade in 1992 holds up to the raw, unabashed carnality that is Peaches' music. All of those artists are coy and wimpy compared to Ms. Nisker. Don't believe me? Well, let's look at some of her song titles: "Fuck the Pain Away", "Slippery Dick", "Cum Undun", "Lovertits", "Tent in your Pants", and "Diddle My Skittle", to name a few. Now let's look at her lyrics: "Sucking on my titties like you wanted me", "Big chuck young buck (fist fuck cock suck)", "Rubbin' the club, legs in between, lovin' the scrub, keepin' it clean". Yeah, a woman made these lyrics, which brings me to my next point: her uncanny ability to bend gender norms is incredible, and it isn't gender-bending in the vein of Nicki Minaj. Unlike "Roman Zolanski", Peaches has no alter ego to deliver her masculinity, it just comes of in abundance, and it feels natural for her.

But, it took a few years to figure it out. Originally, Peaches began working as a drama teacher in universities around Toronto. By the 90s, however, she decided to start a music career, and began with a group called Mermaid Cafe. They released one album in 1995, but it went nowhere, selling a few copies. For the last stretch of the 20th century, Peaches continued to experiment with different sounds and topics, and was then a singer in her band The Shit. This is when she realized that sex was her best topic of discussion, and the glam rock of The Shit was the perfect sound to get her point across. She adopted the pseudonym Peaches during this time, and when The Shit dissolved, she dived into her solo career.

Then came 2000. A year when a sling of new artists (Britney, Christina, Mandy Moore, Nelly Furtado, J.Lo, P!nk etc.) were omnipresent in the mainstream. But none of those artists were as cutting edge as Peaches. She dropped her solo debut album, titled "The Teaches of Peaches" in September 2000, and the small following that Peaches had acquired now erupted with excitement...and confusion. It was loud and feisty like Mermaid Cafe and The Shit, but it wasn't at all like glam rock, it was a new kind of genre: electroclash. With Peaches' fuzzy voice over throbbing bass lines and drum machines, "The Teaches of Peaches" revolutionized the music industry --albeit very slightly-- but her collaborators (notably M.I.A.), were inspired by her willingness to experiment with electronic elements. Critics did not dismiss Peaches, as her debut as acclaimed for its overtly explicit sexuality and new way of thinking. Commercially, it did very little. It didn't chart in the US, and it debuted in only a few European countries. It sold 50,000 copies worldwide. Still, despite commercial disappointment, Peaches wasn't one to back down, as she worked steadily to find new ways to explore the subject of sex and expand her musical horizons.

That came in September 2003, when she released her sophomore album "Fatherfucker". The title is a play on the word 'motherfucker', only with a male connotation instead of a female one. This title was chosen in order to indicate where Peaches was headed next. Her debut explained her style and sound, "Fatherfucker" was now meant to explain her message and political views, especially towards feminism. She continued to bend gender norms, and her music was essentially the same as it was on her debut, only it didn't hit quite as hard. Critics were one to point this out, claiming it didn't match the level of power or consistency of its predecessor. And Peaches' fans concurred, as "Fatherfucker" also didn't chart in the US or many countries around the world. It sold 40,000 copies worldwide, slightly less than her debut, but it was still deemed a mild flop. But Peaches didn't see it that way, since it was her second album that she produced all by herself, and she felt accomplished in that regard. She took another few years to deliver new music; during this time she decided a change of sound was needed to maintain her appeal.

July 2006 is when she arose, this time with a refreshed attitude, a new glam-rock sound, and  a new purpose. Her third album was titled "Impeach My Bush" (in case you didn't get it, 'Bush' refers to the US president from 2000-2008), and while it retained Peaches' classic messages of female empowerment and gender-bending, she exposed her extreme liberal views, and began to express her opinions on gay marriage. She did it in her own way of course, and "Impeach My Bush" was just as electro-dazzled and as sexually-charged as her earlier work. With her update in sound, her small following grew a tad bit bigger, and "Impeach My Bush" became her first album to chart in the US. It landed at #168 with sales of 5000 copies. It was a small triumph, but a triumph all the same, as she was now starting to make a bigger impact. Critics were also favorable of the album, and gave it reviews that were more consistent with her debut. They also favored her collaborations with Greg Kurstin and Jesse Hughes, and the new rock-sound they created for her. It was the mainstream breakthrough she was looking for, and she wasn't about to take a break. 

By the end of the 2000s, Peaches was becoming a sought-after collaborator among pop and indie artists alike. Her music was featured in various mediums, and her sexuality was a favorite among her peers. In April 2009, she released her fourth album "I Feel Cream". It was astonishingly different than any of her other albums. For one, it was subtle, her voice was smooth, the music was all synths and no guitars, and it featured a more tamed version of Peaches. But that didn't mean it was a retreat from her signature style, oh no, it was still sexually explicit and gleefully weird. It wasn't as truck-stopping as her previous work, but it was an artistic leap forward. Critics welcomed it, and once again praised her sound and style. Her fans were generally pleased, as the album debuted at #160 and sold 3000 copies in its first week. At this point in her career, though, Peaches was not focused on professional success, as her name was now recognizable by a few more people now, and her music became the topic of much discussion in proceeding years.

As of July 2013, Peaches has not released a follow-up to "I Feel Cream", but she's been plenty busy. She's been on tour, politically involved, and has taken part in some documentaries and TV shows. There's no certainty if her future albums will be more successful than her previous ones, but one thing's for sure: Peaches is not one to dismiss.