With the political climate and divisiveness rampant across many areas in North America and beyond, gathering family and friends around the table for a big feast might come with discussions or fervent arguments. But for Tillsonburg, Ontario singer Justine Chantale, she wanted to remove any baggage that could cause emotional or mental strain. With help from Toronto pop tandem Broadtree (Nicole McCafferty and Armand Antony), Chantale has created the roots-y, revealing pop rock single “Bye Felicia.”
Chantale, who co-wrote the song with McCafferty and Antony, says “Bye Felicia” (produced by Angel Gomez) isn’t about turning the other cheek so much as standing up for yourself when required. “In writing ‘Bye Felicia’ with Armand and Nicole, the song was taken in the direction to give yourself permission to rid yourself of the toxicity in your life – in this case, a person,” she says. “At the time, I was going through a really tough period in my life, dealing heavily with grief, and I didn’t know how to set boundaries. I was surrounded by hurtful situations and toxic people who I thought I had to be around, which was making me miserable. Writing this song was the anthem I needed to be brave enough to set boundaries and put myself first.
“I’ve met a lot of people in my life who willingly put themselves in situations or be around people that hurt them because they think they need to or that they need to ‘save face.’ It never amounts to anything good. I hope that in hearing this song, more people put themselves first, say ‘f-ck that’ and ‘Bye Felicia’ to whatever or whoever is keeping them from living their best life.”
“Bye Felicia” is a roots-based pop rock single that brings to mind artists such as Meredith Brooks, Kathleen Edwards, Sheryl Crow, and The Chicks circa “Goodbye Earl.” Starting off with a series of “na na na na nas,” the track has a strong message and strong melody that takes off in the chorus thanks to the combined harmonies of Chantale, McCafferty and Antony while bassist Tim Hance fleshes out the track. Not letting people “rain on my parade” nor getting the best of you is what comes through the infectious, sing-along chorus. And while offering an olive branch of sorts if the person or people change their ways, there’s no looking back or regretting what you did to distance yourself from the poisonous swamp of hurtful barbs or internet trolls.
“I think that it’s so important to recognize that some behavior is just unacceptable,” McCafferty says regarding the message in “Bye Felicia.” “Right now, the world is teaching us that you can treat others however you want without consequence. And that shouldn’t be true because it enables the loudest, most thoughtless people to be the ones who persevere.
“As women in particular, we’re taught to smooth things over and keep the peace when people have bad behavior. But if we don’t learn to stand up for ourselves, speak up, and set those boundaries, it can actually put us in very dangerous situations. The song is an anthem to stick it to people trying to control your life, but it’s also an anthem to the joy of how freeing it can be to just refuse to engage.”
“Bye Felicia” is the latest single from Chantale who has had a string of singles in recent years to go alongside her 2015 debut EP Stepping Stones and 2021 EP Starting Today. Previous singles include “Highway 59,” “What’s The Point,” “Wondering,” and “If I Know You.” She also lent her voice to Operation Smile in 2023, a group helping children internationally who have cleft lip or cleft palate and require surgery to address the issue.
As for Broadtree, the 2023 Arts Acclaim Award-winning duo includes Cape Breton native McCafferty and Antony who started performing on the theatre stage before music took hold. They’ve had three number one singles in Canada on the Indie Country Countdown and, to date, over two million streams. Broadtree have performed at Canadian Music Week, Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition and Stomp N Stampede among many other festivals. And they are advocates for mental health issues, racial equality, First Nations rights and issues affecting LGBTQ+.
Now with “Bye Felicia,” look for Justine Chantale and Broadtree to make new fans and grow their audience with this empowering anthem. “One of our favorite writes turned into this killer bop!” Chantale wrote on her Instagram page regarding the track. It’s so good it might even persuade a few Felicias to change their proverbial tune.