Credit: Jacqueline Day
Female powerhouse Charlotte Sands describes her music as “a safe space for listeners to feel accepted and celebrated for their weirdness and diversity.” She combines upbeat melodies with unabashedly honest, self-reflective lyrics – and her writing is rooted in the storytelling of folk singer/songwriters. Not one to be put into a box, Charlotte Sands continues to defy genre labels as shown on her most recent EP Love and Other Lies which combines her raw folk songwriting and alt-leaning melodies.
Her newest single “Out of My Head,” a collaboration with Aaron Gillespie (Underoath, The Dangerous Summer) releases later this week. We were lucky enough to chat with Charlotte about touring, collaborations, and manifesting your dreams.
Hi Charlotte! Thank you for taking the time to chat with us.
You’ve been on tour since the start of this year (first with Yungblud and now The Maine) with no sign of slowing down. What has been your favorite part of touring this year? And do you have any pre-show rituals?
Hi! I’m so happy to be here!
My favorite part of touring has definitely been getting to meet new people and finally seeing the ones I’ve been talking to online for so long now. Touring has a lot of highs and a lot of lows but getting to sing my songs with new people every night makes up for any sleep deprivation or long drive and I just feel really lucky. My pre-show rituals on this tour usually include me trying to get my hair and makeup done in 30 minutes and then sprinting to the stage one minute before the show starts because I am forever running late.
Picking a favorite song is like picking a favorite child – but do you have a favorite song to perform, or a favorite lyric you’ve written?
My favorite song to perform right now is “Keep Me Up All Night” because it feels like a ballad but also keeps the energy of the rest of the show which is really fun for me. It’s the only song that’s slow enough that I can actually focus on my voice and how it sounds and also check in on myself and my body during the show to make sure everything feels right and I’m not over or under performing.
I think one of my favorite lyrics is from the song “Love and Other Lies” when it says “we’re only human we’re all singing the same song”. It’s so simple but I love it because it’s a reminder that we’re all just people doing the best we can with what we have and that’s enough.
A few years ago you began manifesting opening for Yungblud – and it came true! Is the idea of putting things into the universe common for you, and something you want your fans to do as well? It seems in this day and age especially; we tend to be harder on ourselves and our dreams.
I definitely believe in manifestation and speaking things into existence! I’ve seen such an insane difference in my life since I’ve started vocalizing my goals and I don’t know if it’s the universe or a higher power or maybe just my own subconscious working harder for the things that I’ve said out loud but it works! I also believe that when you speak to yourself in a positive way and you talk about things you want to achieve in a way that’s claiming them as if they have already have happened, you start to convince yourself that things are possible and you work harder to make them happen without the constant obstacles of self doubt or fear. We live in a world with so much judgment and criticism and I think that anyone could greatly benefit from the idea of manifesting your dreams and shamelessly being your own champion.
You’ve been scheduled to play Bonnaroo for a few years now but have not been able to due to its cancellation from the pandemic in 2020 and bad weather in 2021. Despite this, you seem to have been able to find inspiration from a dark time as shown in “Love and Other Lies,” the title track off your most recent EP.
Are there any other moments that have stuck with you and generated songs or specific lyrics that you could share with us?
In the second verse of my song “Bad Day” it says “I wish I felt everything less, can I be sad for a minute and not be depressed” and as dark as that sounds it was actually a note entry in my phone that I found when we were writing the song. I’m such a 0 to 100 person and I always feel every emotion so deeply which can be a blessing and a curse. I’m grateful I can feel so much because it’s why I’m able to write songs but it can also be a really heavy weight to constantly carry around which is what “Bad Day” ended up being about. It’s the story of allowing yourself to be where you are and to feel everything without automatically correcting yourself or trying to be more positive like we’re constantly told to be. It’s okay to have a bad day and writing that song has allowed me to be easier on myself when it comes to my own emotions.
You’re inspired by contrasting genres, from storytelling artists like Bonnie Raitt on one end to pop-punk bands like All Time Low on the other – creating your own distinctive sound. As time has passed, have you found it easier to create a middle ground combination of your influences, or is this something you are still seeking?
I definitely find it easier to combine all my influences now because I’ve realized how similar they all really are. All my favorite songs are so different but have so many things in common like the storyline or the quality of lyrics and overly melodic choruses. I have so much fun figuring out how to create music that sounds like mine and that reflects my influences and it doesn’t feel as daunting as it used to. I trust myself more and I’m a lot less interested in genre or whatever box that I’ve been told I fit best in which allows me a lot more freedom these days – I’m very excited about that.
Collaborations galore – you have most recently worked with The Maine and Taking Back Sunday on “Love You A Little” and Underoath on a version of “Hallelujah.” Are there any artists that you would love to collaborate with in the future?
There are so many artists that I would love to work with and would love to collaborate with more women in the future as well! I’m a huge fan of Bishop Briggs, Doja Cat (obviously), P!nk, Alanis, honestly there are so many this list could go on forever hahah.
Love and Other Lies was released the beginning of this year- but fans (myself included) are ready for more tracks! Do you have any plans to release new songs or even a debut album?
I don’t think I could stop releasing music if I tried so the answer is definitely yes! There are so many songs I’m excited about and so many collaborations and so much more. It’s going to be a really exciting year!
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