Alice Vol. 2 No. 3

You’ve been compared to artists
such as Sia and Lana Del Rey. How
do you feel about that?
Charlotte: I appreciate both of those
artists. I think that Lana really carved
the way for artists like myself wanting
to make pop. It’s a gateway for artists
like myself.
Who are your musical influences?
Charlotte: I’m always really inspired
by Aretha Franklin. I was watching
the Muscle Shoals movie and it’s super
interesting that she couldn’t find who
she was in the beginning. Nobody really
knew what to do with her and then all
of a sudden it was just her. With great
artists, you’re not easy to be placed. It
takes time to find. She’s always been
one of my favorite, if not my favorite,
female vocalist. I also liked Freddie
Mercury a lot when I was younger.
What music are you really into right
now/what’s the best album you’ve
heard lately?
Charlotte: I listened to the new Childish
Gambino album and I really liked that.
The Sampha album is amazing. The xx
album, the new one, is incredible.
Describe your songwriting process.
Charlotte: I kind of like making the
piano first and putting the melody on
top of it. It kind of merges together. I
like doing it at the same time. I don’t
usually go in with lyrics first. I usually
write the lyrics after the structure.
Do you have a favorite song to
perform?
Charlotte: I like performing “Medicine
Man.” It’s a lot of fun It’s like the sweet
spot in my voice so it’s really nice to
sing. Another called “Running Back
to You.” I completely lose myself in
that song.
What do you enjoy most about
playing live?
Charlotte: The fact that I’m not really
hiding behind anything. And it’s that
one moment where I can do that and
it just feels like I’m being my most
magnified self and there’s nothing I can
really do about it. And there’s nothing
really anybody else can do about it,
because I’ve got the microphone. It’s
kind of like a power to it. It’s like the
feeling when you were a kid, like being
a child again. The only way I can really
explain it. You don’t completely lose
yourself in it; you’re really present.
If you could tell your 16-year-old
self anything what would you tell
her now?
Charlotte: I’d tell her to stop messing
with her hair and stop back combing it.
I’d tell myself to stop wearing so much
makeup because I probably looked like
a drag queen or someone a lot older
looking. I’d also tell myself to drink lots
of water. And I’d tell myself to not try
and do things to please others, like it’s
about what makes you is you being you.
Somebody once said to me, “Be yourself
because everybody else is taken,” and I
think that’s just like quite an important
thing to remember. It’s the most
attractive thing when you see someone
truly being themselves. It takes time,
but once you find it, it’s easy. *
Alice May 2017 [89]