Fernie was born in Brazil but grew up in Montreal, adopted into a home that spoke English, Portuguese, French and German. It was a difficult and often alienating childhood, yet Fernie found an escape in songwriting. By the time he was 20, he had written and recorded his first tunes, but he was still living at home with his mom, working at a dép, and contemplating giving up on art. Finally, at a party one night, Fernie met the producer Samant (Samaether). Their bond was instantaneous: soon they had founded the West Island collective Kids From The Underground, and began crafting Aurora. Fernie had gone from abandoning hope to dreaming of the future, channelling his love of Frank Ocean, Adele and movie soundtracks into a new, expressive sound.


Following on Aurora’s bewildering success, Hopeless Dreams sees the singer ashine with new confidence, revisiting the worst moments of his past—from childhood trauma to extractive relationships. At times, as on the silken “Valhalla,” Fernie’s voice is carried by rich, soulful string arrangements; elsewhere, like the devastating “Bones & All,” his songs have been stripped nearly bare. “Pain” produced by fellow Montrealer Patrick Watson, who discovered Fernie before Aurora’s release and became a mentor. The two musicians swapped guest appearances at 2022’s Festival d’été de Québec and M for Montreal, and Watson was the one to introduce him to Secret City.