I’m a singer-songwriter who writes poetry and hates dry kibbles!

“He roams the streets of Toronto and Manila in his grumpy dreams. He likes singing badly and loves his kitty treats—irony and cynicism in glittery candy wrappings—but dislikes dry kibbles with a passion! He writes poetry when he’s at his saddest, and writes songs when he’s at his grumpiest.”

Grumpy Kitty Boy is the singer-songwriter project of Toronto-based composer Juro Kim Feliz. Studying composition at the University of the Philippines and McGill University, Juro [joo-row] received performances of his work across Asia, Europe, and North America as a contemporary classical composer. He is a Golden Balangay Awards 2019 nominee (Excellence Award for Music and Entertainment), and has been invited as a resident artist of the Brush Creek Foundation for the Arts (2018), the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts (2019), and a library resident of the Canadian Music Centre Ontario (2018-2020). Once co-hosting and producing the radio talk show Sigaw ng Bayan (2014-2016) at CKUT 90.3 FM Montreal, he started leaning towards music journalism and has written for the Canadian Music Centre Ontario and the magazine Musicworks.

Juro had been a long-time pianist and keyboardist before calling it quits in 2018. He then decided that songwriting is the most appropriate channel to express his worldview: “Be authentic! Embrace the grumpy!” Latching on to the pouting cat emoji, Grumpy Kitty Boy was born in the confines of his studio and a hand-me-down Yamaha keyboard.

Through Grumpy Kitty Boy songs and stories, Juro attempts to be in touch with real deep feelings about reality, often left ignored and suppressed in people’s conception of emanating positivity in life. From the chaos of Manila, his move to Montreal and Toronto gave him a vivid glimpse of sobriety, best left accepted as it is than rejected. While his sound and lyricism emulates Owl City’s synth pop style and video game music, other musical influences also include Radiohead, Porcupine Tree, and the singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens.

Meeting Korean visual artist Yuna Kim in Nebraska, an ongoing collaboration sustains Grumpy Kitty Boy with her stunning visual artwork.