What is your name?
Charlotte Bash
What is your genre of music?
Electro pop with elements of synth and indie pop
Give us a little bio about you.
Charlotte Bash was born on November 9th in Philadelphia, PA and was raised in Calabasas, CA, a suburb in Los Angeles County. Bash began performing at a young age in the local musical theatre scene, and began to experiment with pop vocal styles in her teen years. She went to Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, where she received her Bachelors of Music in classical voice, and also studied at the Bel Canto Institute in Florence, Italy and Boston University’s Tanglewood Institute. After graduation, Charlotte moved back to Los Angeles to become an actress but instead, found her voice as a songwriter. In addition to songwriting, Charlotte also works as a vocal coach in Los Angeles, and trains people of all ages.
What made you go in to music?
I have been singing for as long as I can remember, and it brings me so much joy. I don’t think there was ever a doubt in my mind that music was supposed to be a huge part of my life, and I am so fortunate that I have been able to make a career out of it
Are you a signed?
Nope!
Your breakout track ‘Leave’ tell us more about the meaning behind the track.
I wrote Leave with singer-songwriter/ producer, Chris Price. A little over a year ago, Chris came over for a writing session and asked me, “what do you want to write about today?” It was the first time I’d ever co-written with a person that asked me what I wanted to write about, and I thought I was going to be really flabbergasted by the question. But to my surprise, I just came out and said, “I want to write a song about how you can still be a strong person and feel vulnerable…” And the rest is history.
Will we see a follow up on the debut album on a new track to ‘Leave’, like a response?
The reason I chose Leave as the lead single is because I felt that sonically and thematically, it is the most all-encompassing representation of the album as a whole, but there are no other plans for a call back…yet. BUT, Scars is a callback to a single from my first EP, Journey to Me. (You’ll have to guess which one after the album comes out…)
You also have your debut album ‘Princess Game’, im rally looking forward to, what can you tell us about it?
Thank you so much! First of all, I would like to say that I am super excited that I am not the only person that is super excited about my album’s release. This is what I can tell you without giving too much away ;): Sonically, Princess Game was very experimental in that we utilized organic and inorganic sounds. I believe that electronic music helps convey very intense emotions and I am really happy that I chose to go in that direction with this album, but it was also very important to me that I use as many real instruments as possible. These instrumental elements also carry over into the two major lyrical themes that I feel are the most prevalent throughout the album (yay, prosody!): reality vs fantasy and strength vs vulnerability. In order to be a truly strong person, you need to be in touch with your soft side and not be afraid to expose it. Dream big, but you also need to make sure your feet are still on the ground. These themes fascinate me because I think they are tough things for most human beings to grasp.. The organic instrumentals underscore the vulnerable, real, raw aspect of the album, whereas the electronic elements really added to the fantastical, wild, emotional elements of the songs.
Describe each track in two words.
Leave- strength, vulnerability
Princess Game- fantastical, sassy
Down- raw, emotive
Siren- fantasy, love
Labeled- freeing, uninhibited
Mississippi River Queen- freewheeling, escapist
Back Again- reality, final
Impossible Dream- yearning, reaching
Scars- sad, reflective
Love in the Real World- hopeful, foreshadowing
What was the writing process like?
What was interesting about Princess Game was that I had some songs that I held on to for years and then, I had others that were written and produced in a very short time frame. I wrote Princess Game and Back Again in 2013, and I wrote Scars in 2014. That group of songs felt like they were being channeled through me, and they are extremely telling of what was going on at that point in my life. In late 2015, I decided that I officially had a small group of songs that I was proud of and wanted to build on. So in early 2016, Chris and I got together and wrote Leave, Siren, and Down, and I was finishing up Love in the Real World at around the same time. The three songs I wrote with Chris were also very telling of what was going on with me at the time, which will never cease to amaze me, since there were two heads instead of one working on those. I wrote Love in the Real World because I thought it was about time I wrote a sweet love song for my poor boyfriend, who just gets a ton of crap from everyone when I write a song like, “Leave,” “Liar,” etc. I think it was the first time ever where I worked alone and decided upon a theme in advance. Usually, my songs just happen and I’m not always sure what I’m writing about until the song is over. I then wrote Labeled, and that was a really interesting process, because Sonnemm, the wonderful man who produced 6 of my songs on Princess Game, kept messing around with key changes, to the point where my song ended up in the parallel minor key (it was originally in a major key). It kind of turned my head upside down, but in the end, I realized that it really gave the song a whole new edgier vibe. And then the writer’s block happened. I had originally planned on making another EP- not a full album, but now that I had 8 songs that I was really proud of, the pressure was on to write more, and I completely psyched myself out. I have a friend that is a songwriter based in Mississippi, and he insisted that I get out of LA and clear my head…. So I took the advice, found a really cheap flight to New Orleans and rented out a beautiful, tiny studio apartment on Magazine Street for a week. I’d always made fun of writer’s retreats before, but I actually ended up writing a few songs that week: one of which was Mississippi River Queen. (Thank you, NOLA!) Impossible Dream was a really weird process. I had envisioned it as the last song on the record, so it took me a couple months to figure out what I wanted to say as a final farewell. In the end though, Back Again ended up being the last track since according to my test audience, it sounded like a bonus track. (It was supposed to be the first).
What was the recording process like?
My recording process was very unique for this album. Chris has a real home studio, but we couldn’t use it because he also has cats, which I’m extremely allergic to… and that’s how we ended up recording Leave, Siren, Down and Back Again in my living room. No stand (I actually held the recording mic in my hand!!), no booth, nothing. Just me, Chris, a computer and a mic. If I had been working with anyone else, this would have made me extremely nervous, but since Chris had recorded an entire album on an iPhone, and THAT sounded great, I knew i was in good hands. By the time Sonnemm finished the tracks for the songs we were doing together and I was ready to record, his visa had expired and he was back in Lima, Peru. I enlisted help from my friend/ singer-songwriter/ producer/ mixing God/ engineering extraordinaire, Brenden Leigh, to record and mix my vocals for the last six songs.
Do you have any gigs or tours coming up?
Of course, but I haven’t announced anything yet 🙂 But I promise I will soon!! (Just keep checking Facebook and IG)
Do you play any instruments?
Piano! I actually take lessons and am focusing on jazz/ improv
Who are your influences?
Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Christina Aguilera, Julie Andrews, Renee Fleming, Amy Winehouse, Sia, Adele, Coheed and Cambria, Pink Floyd, Regina Spektor, Ella Eyre, Rudimental, The Smiths, Ellie Goulding, Depeche Mode, Incubus, Glassjaw, Cecelia Bartoli, Gwen Stefani….. Basically, a long list of super talented names that you never hear grouped together. I feel like if I only listened to pop, my music would be very boring :-p I draw upon different talent for different things.
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
From so many things! Mainly life experiences and relationships, but also books, television, film, etc 🙂 Going to a really great concert also helps, too
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
Doing what I’m doing now but on a larger scale, of course 😀
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
Usually, the answer to this question is sleep… BUT, I am very passionate about travel. I am always looking for spots in my schedule to fill with travel plans, and I watch a lot of travel/ food shows (on Netflix and other streaming services… I haven’t had cable for a VERY long time!) I’m a HUGE Anthony Bourdain fan! I also love to read and recently started setting reading goals on Goodreads. Last year, I read 20 books and this year, my goal is to read 21 books. I also love shopping, specifically shopping sales… and I own a shirt that says “shopping is my cardio”.. And it’s not a lie. (I know you want my shirt!)
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Keep working on your craft and never stop learning
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
KEEP WORKING ON YOUR CRAFT AND NEVER STOP LEARNING!! There is so much music out there and the industry changes every second. So make sure you have the best music education you can get so you are a badass, and then learn about the business so that others will also know you’re a badass
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
“Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world”- Albert Einstein
Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
Malibu Creek State Park is BEAUTIFUL!
Your straight off tour;
1/ where do you go? Home.. gotta sleep and take care of myself 🙂
2/ who do you see? My friends and family
3/what do you eat? SUSHI! LA has the best sushi and spicy tuna is one of the great inventions in the world
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
My song lyrics, my band, a water bottle, lip gloss and my mic. I’m a simple girl 😉
If you had to give your younger self advice, what would it be?
Be patient, young grasshopper..!!!
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
