It’s a very uncertain time to be an artist.
But Chloé Caroline is undeterred. The Los Angeles based singer-songwriter has recently unveiled her debut album “Everywhere I Go,” an effort that’s been several years in the making. Paying stark homage to the soul and pop revival of the early 2000s, it’s a storied and thorough collection of real songwriter’s songs. It’s a true album – sonically colorful, and wide in perspective. Songs like the towering power ballad “Confetti” acknowledges when, where, and why, to point the finger whereas fellow single “Forgive Me” comes to terms with when to take blame. “Gypsy Daughter” is a soulful tune for the modern day nomad and the title track is a modern day classic in terms of “I miss you’s”. It’s a real full band album, a dwindling breed in music today, but timeless nonetheless. C-Heads caught up with Chloé over the weekend in an exclusive Q+A to talk all things Everywhere I Go.
Words by Andy Gorel
Photos by Kieran McCarthy
“A huge part of my vibe is that I want to pay homage to those who came before me that created timeless music, and to do it in a fresh way that carries some rawness and authenticity again into 2020.”
Your new album “Everywhere I Go” is out, tell us about it. What made you choose these songs?
This record was such a slow burning build. It started in 2017 with about five songs I felt really strongly about that I had started playing at shows. They were songs that I felt told some really vulnerable raw stories, but in a way that showed the departure from girl Chloé to woman Chloé. I started adding more into the mix as I began the recording process and felt like I needed to be super intentional with why I chose specific songs. I wanted to have a mix of songs of love and heartbreak that really resonated with people but also songs that pushed the boundaries and showed the different sides of me, my beliefs and defined me a bit more. Songs like “Old Souls” and “Forgive Me” really dive into who I am, and then you have “Confetti” which just about sums up some key experiences I’ve had as far as relationships go.
Your most recent single before the album came out, “Confetti” was a really bittersweet song, what inspired that one?
Speak of the devil! “Confetti” is my song child and always will be. I came up with the idea sitting in my bedroom one day thinking about how and why I got myself involved with a similar type of guy and then it clicked. “Confetti” seemed like the perfect metaphor to describe the ideal, seemingly light, perfect, beautiful love that ends up being a total disaster once you fall. It’s also a metaphor for that life of the party guy who just seems to be “it”, but it’s all a facade and he brings you down with him. It was therapy for me to figure out why I was drawn to them, turns out it was their energy I was drawn to and I’m the type of person who tends to see the good in everybody — sometimes to a fault.
What was the process like from writing these songs through the finished product?
It was kind of this constant puzzle we were piecing together. Once we figured out the songs I wanted to cut, then it was finding references for each track and looking into my influences to really nail the sound. A huge part of my vibe is that I want to pay homage to those who came before me that created timeless music, and to do it in a fresh way that carries some rawness and authenticity again into 2020. So we spent a lot of time trying different ideas, re-tracking parts, re-singing parts, stripping stuff back, etc, until we got it right. I had a lot of one on one time with both of my producers and I got to really orchestrate what I wanted in a way I had never done before and be hands-on with everything from production to comping vocals.
Is working with one primary producer for a full album something you’re adamant about or is it just the way it worked out?
So I actually worked with two producers separately on this record but we all had the same vision—to capture this New Southern California sound and push my boundaries to the next level. I became 10x a better artist, singer, and musician because of them both taking the time to mentor me really with their individual knowledge and strengths. I think as long as the overall vision is consistent, you’re not limited to one producer for a record but I think sometimes you do get something very streamlined and conceptual when you do have the attention of just one producer.
What was it like rolling out your debut album during a global pandemic where everything is shut down?
GREAT question. It was uh… different I’d say. Well I almost decided against it, and then I just couldn’t wait any longer. It had been two years and I felt like it was holding me hostage in a way. I knew I needed to get it out there but I didn’t want to throw it up either after putting so much thought behind the record, so I came up with the idea of doing mini music videos for the 7 songs that had been unreleased prior and weren’t ever singles. I didn’t know how I was going to pull it off completely alone though because it was quarantine and was freaking out. Somehow I managed to get the help of two people who really believe in me and we did it all 100% DIY. Couldn’t shoot in public most places because everything was closed, but we made due shooting stuff at my house and wherever we could get footage outside. To get the stuff for “Fever Dreams” I almost rolled down a hill and was sitting in burrs the whole time because the entire park was closed but the side of it wasn’t! We got creative.
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