Shortly after CHARLEY’s opening set at Sound on Sound music festival in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on Sept 24-25, 2022, I had the privilege to sit and chat with her for Music, Why Not! CHARLEY is a Connecticut Native whose sound consists of a 70’s rock-disco vibe with authentic lyrics and beats that will have anyone dancing. She is currently finishing her last semester with the Berklee Popular Music Institute (BPMI) through Berklee College of Music. This program allows select artists to partake in a 3 semester course of study where they are prepared for the live music scene – specifically the festival scene. Check out our conversation below!
MWN: To start off, how did that performance feel?
CHARLEY: It honestly felt like it was five seconds! We were having so much fun up there, by the time we got to the last song I was wondering where did all the time go? It was really awesome.
MWN: Right, because you’ve only done the one festival before this – Faster Horses in Michigan – plus this is right in your home state of Connecticut…
CHARLEY: Right! I was way more nervous because I knew a lot of people coming; my family and friends. But it was so nice to play my hometown.
MWN: Absolutely! And you played a new song up there, The Dogs Barking, how did it feel to play that live for the first time?
CHARLEY: I think that was our best one! It was so fresh, the crowd was really liking it. We even kind of messed up on it and started jamming instead but it was awesome to share it with everybody. We’re definitely going to keep playing it!
MWN: Did you always know you wanted to go into music? Or was there a specific moment you remember that inspired you to go for it?
CHARLEY: When I was around 6, I went to see a production of Annie and, according to my mom, I looked up to her and was just like, “I want to do that”. So, she put me in theater programs. And I think those programs are the biggest outlet for people who are just starting out because music programs are usual only classical, jazz, or choral, so I stuck with musical theater. Then I started doing singing competitions in the state, but I never wrote my own music. I didn’t know if I really wanted to share my emotions with everyone just yet. But once I got to Berklee, I was so inspired by everyone else around me. With everyone being an artist, there was just so much diversity and music in the air and I knew I wanted to do this. I started collaborating with people and kept working on music from there.
MWN: Is the rest of your band also Berklee students?
CHARLEY: Yeah! Everyone has to be in the program, or a recent graduate. It’s awesome because we’re all close in proximity at Berklee and use the same practice rooms. But even though they’re still students, we’re still going to continue this and go on tour in the future.
MWN: Because you guys are so close, do you have a particular writing process established?
CHARLEY: I usually get inspiration when I’m in the shower – of course some place where I can’t record or write it down – so it’s very inconvenient and I have to rush to get a notebook or something to document it. But I basically will start with the melody and the lyrics to try and figure out the vibe of it. Now I can play instruments, but I’m not at the level of my amazing band, so I will then bring it to my guitarist and/or my pianist to start outlining it. Then we bring it to the rest of the band and we figure out the form of eveything.
MWN: You have such a distinct look and sound to you, one that is not of this generation. Did you know that you wanted to have that particular vibe when starting to make your own music?
CHARLEY: I didn’t really think about it, I was just drawn to the 70s with the bell bottoms and the fringe – I just see fringe and I’m like “I need that”. So I didn’t ever think about it, but when I came to BPMI, they told me I was a total western person, and I had no idea! I had never really seen myself like that. And my sound just happened to go with that; being an old-soul vibe. I’m trying to make my live shows more modern, which is difficult because live sets already have such a classic sound to them. One of my tracks, “Runnin’”, sounds completely different with my band live than it does on Spotify – where it’s more of a rock-disco fusion – in order to bring it into the modern age. But I will be coming out with a live album and tracks that are more produced soon.
MWN: Speaking of the future, since it’s your last semester with BPMI, what’s next?
CHARLEY: We’re recording every song we did during our live set today, which will be on an album coming out at the end of this year, along with video footage for all of it. I’m also continuing with the more modern, produced versions of each of those songs. I am a part of this age, too, so I do love the upbeat pop and want to release something for whatever people prefer.
CHARLEY
Interview by Brittany Whitham | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!