Known for genre hopping, the small singer/songwriter char has definitely been on a self-discovery journey musically, ever since her first single was released back in 2020. Within the past few years char has experimented more with unique psychedelic characteristics while still staying true to her pop aesthetic roots. This popular new sound is guaranteed to help her gain more recognition as a smaller
artist, especially as she promises new music is coming soon!
September 10th, 2023 - Valentina Nazzaro
Photo by: char
My Mini Interview with char
Valentina: Who are you inspired by musically when it comes to singing and writing your own music?
char: Honestly I feel like a lot of people it’s hard to narrow it down lol! For some of the bigger name people out right now I really admire Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish and Doja Cat. And another artist I really admire is Lacy Sturm the lead singer of Flyleaf, she has really been an inspiring vocalist to me.
Valentina: omgggg I love all those artists 🔥🔥🔥 I can so feel those vibes within your music ! What song was the most difficult one for you to write & why?
char: The first song I ever wrote Fake Spring was probably the toughest! It was the first time I had done something intricate or more advanced if that makes sense lol, with my music! and it felt really rewarding to hear it all come together ☺️
Valentina: Love that!! Also I can sooo hear ur growth in such a good way throughout your songs and with ur writing I’m sure it’s all been really rewarding for you to see ur music published! What does your creative process look like?
char: Thank you it has been for sure!! So I start a couple of different ways, sometimes I pick up my guitar first and I’ll try to find some pretty chords and write some lyrics, and sometimes I’ll start in FL Studios (which is what I use to produce my music!) and create a track. For my vocals my boyfriend is actually a producer, he goes by GOON and he has been producing my vocals for me until recently! I have my own recording set up now so I can record my vocals myself and I’m super excited about that, I’ve already been working on some new stuff 🤩!
Valentina: OMG!! New music 😍😍 I love that & wow that’s so cute with u and ur bf — my next question was going in a similar direction. In Lovers (feat.GOON), Feelings(feat. GOON) and INCOMPLETE (feat. GOON) these singles sound like they take inspo from psychedelic pop. With your other singles a different pop vibe is heard through the sound and textures of the music. If you had to categorize your music what would it be & what sound do you think represents most who you are as an artist ?
char: so two of those tracks (Feelings & INCOMPLETE) were produced by me and I’d say that’s definitely more my style! I have never been able to find a name for the genre but psychedelic pop is such a good description!! I’d say circling back to an earlier question I feel like I sometimes find inspiration in R&B artists like jazmine Sullivan, SZA and ari Lennox, and put more of my own vocal pop spin on it to fit my music! But to be completely honest I used to be in a rock band after high school so I’m known to genre hop 😂 but for now I’m in my pop phase !
On September 3rd Maryland native char released her highly anticipated single "Runaway" that already seems to have made an impact on her Spotify monthly listener following. On the day of its release, she was repping fifteen monthly listeners. Now with only a little bit over a week of her song being published, she has gone from fifteen to thirty eight monthly Spotify listeners! With sounds and textures that mirror the sub-genre "psychedelic pop" her hazy vocals and strong music production definitely has helped her gain this well-deserved rise in listeners (and in my opinion should only go up from here!). The popular subgenre known as "psychedelic pop" originated from the music genre psychedelic rock in the 60s. These musical elements were influenced by the hippie movement and like the word "psychedelic" implies had "drug-like" characteristics that reflected how one would feel when on drugs; specifically hallucinogens.
Popular bands like The Beatles, The Beach Boys and even The Who were widely recognized to have released the most compelling psychedelic pop albums in the 60s, where this style gave more freedom to musicians to experiment with sound and texture. For example, these albums were known for their Photo from char's instagram : char_little
popular electronic repetitive sounds and tape manipulations that granted the listeners a unique "trippy" vibe that not only felt relaxing but fun. Similar to these characteristics, singer/songwriter char specializes in blending this psychedelic style into her originals dating back to her first single release "Fake Spring." In this song the instrumentals, layering of harmonies and intense rhythmic beat that makes its way into the song around 0:54, makes the listener feel like they are floating on a cloud while simultaneously having to experience the change that comes with transitioning into spring. In the beginning, the electric guitar and light humming of char's vocals makes me feel like I am discovering something new for the first time. Specifically, it makes me feel like the sun just woke me up and I was compelled to make my way outside and experience the beauty of nature. Within the first minute, I can smell freshly cut grass and the sun beaming down on my face. As the beat and snaps are added the world is coming to life; awakening. I start to imagine birds flying by, flowers blowing in the wind and even moments of me and my friends laughing, as char adds intricate syncopated vocal sounds towards the end. The additive rhythm half way through the song made me feel like the waiting for spring was over and it was coming to life; one beat and harmony at a time. Due to the experimentation of rhythms and sounds, it felt easier for my imagination to creatively associate every sound with a memorable aspect of spring. Importantly, the title "Fake Spring" gives me more room to imagine a world of my own. Although char says in our interview that the making of "Fake Spring" was more "intricate or more advanced" in comparison to the making of her other songs, her new songs never lost their psychedelic pop characteristics. Honestly, I think her new music reflects a more confident mixture of these characteristics mixed together with indie and dream pop; creating an electric and mesmerizing aesthetic.
Finding Her Sound
I have been following char's music ever since her 2022 single "i AM DOiNG MY BEST" where her haunting vocals complimented the acoustic guitar so perfectly I wanted the song to go on forever. Char has made it to the top of my playlist solely due to her music's uniqueness in sound. Additionally, her artistry is specific and delivers a different type of "trippy" vibe in every one of her songs. For instance, in "i AM DOiNG MY BEST" she perfectly echos her vocals, shares dissonant harmonies, and adds an emotive repetitive vocal cry towards the end amplifying the meaning of constantly trying your best time and time again but still having that feeling that it's not enough. This dichotomy one feels with growth; knowing it is needed but hating it at the same time reminds me of what SZA confesses in her song "Gone Girl" singing "trying to grow without hating the process." Similarly, in char's "i AM DOiNG MY BEST" the simple phrase "I am doing my best" notifies the listener that she is aware of the pain that comes with growth during the process. However, the lyrics and anticipatory melodic elements start to mirror a heavier feeling that feels somewhat unexpected. In this truthful confession of a song, the repetitive echos and distortion of textures throughout, help the narrator come to terms with their struggles. As these characteristics help underline char's emotions and amplify the narrative even more, different elements are prioritized in her other songs dependent on the plot. Moreover, sometimes we are given dream pop and other times we are given a hint of psychedelic rock which tends to be darker. In these ways, narrative starts to become important when listening to these singles in order of their release. Something I noticed is how each song reflects a contrasting discovery, slowly allowing char to confidently find her sound. This storyline begins, for me, at "i AM DOiNG MY BEST." To deconstruct the song a little more, her lyricism makes us feel heavy while melodically giving us room to breathe and vocally trapping us in dissonant and elongated phrases and harmonies. As she sings "I can't sleep at night wake up all the time 3:45 again. here we go again" the guitar fuzzes underneath her vocals landing us on a jarring sound as she repeats the word "again." Luckily, we are released from her vocal grip as she throws the note away and gives us room to just exist with the steady guitar for a few seconds, before she comes back to contemplate this mental state she is in. It's hard not to listen to "lovers ft GOON," "Feelings ft GOON," and then "INCOMPLETE ft GOON" in that order after finishing the song.
Whether it was char's intention as an artist or not, the transition into these songs are needed in order to make our way all the way to "Runaway." In "lovers ft GOON," produced by char herself, she claims this is "definitely more my style" as the songs starts with a clear manipulation of electronic sounds. In this dream-like sequence the darker elements of her production drag us into uncharted territory. Truly, here is where I feel like she is entering into her villain era. This is clearly heard in "lovers" where the plot is keeping the audience on the edge of their seats as she sings "I've
Photo taken from: @char_little instagram been trying to move on but you've got me wrapped up in your arms. And I know you know what you do...you keep me falling in love with you." From here, we are thrown into sensual and spaced-out vibes that give us that clear psychedelic effect.
The beauty of char's music is how versatile it really is within this sub-genre of pop. Thus, in "Feelings" instead of having more of a darker vibe, we are thrown into this colorful experimental sound that imitates a more optimistic storyline now that we are out of the fog that "i AM DOiNG MY BEST" and "lovers" emulated. This song exceeds my expectations and NEEDS to make its way onto a dance club playlist NOW!!. The synthesized music production has a tight structure that underlines char's soft pillow-like vocals perfectly.
"Runaway'; The Song of September
The second you press play on "Runaway" the music production and storyline pulls you right in. Char's clear vocals start the song with her dragging every word in the sentence, one by one, as she sings "but she always wanted to be the main character." Following this phrase, she continues by singing "covered up and cried just so you would stare at her" losing breath towards the end as she hits the lower note on "her"; already insinuating some type of exhaustion towards the narrative vocally and musically. As the song continues the echoing of her syncopated voice, coming in one beat behind the other, creates this psychedelic feeling of indecisiveness. As the distorted sounds and vocals double one another the intensity becomes more overwhelming and the line "I just don't understand" holds power. When thinking of September, songs that have a crisp guitar or folk tune come to mind. Nonetheless, char gives us exactly what we weren't expecting from a September release, making her as an artist even more exciting. Instead of giving us what is expected, she goes against the grain and carries out a mixture of psychedelic, trippy AND spooky aesthetics in "Runaway." As I turn on my nighttime playlist and decide to go for my nightly drive, this song will be my first pick. Not only does char's voice match the night sky perfectly but the feature of @exporthitec's verse around 1:13, echos a melodious robotic-like tune creating even more of a spooky, dream-like sequence...perfect for Fall!
If you listen to Billie Eilish, SZA or even Miley Cyrus you will love char. I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us soon....and hopefully an album is on the horizon!!!
One thing that's for sure, is we here at Barley Everything will be following along very closely with her musical journey...will you?!
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