What’s your name?
Charlee Remitz
What is your genre of music?
I think the common estimation is pop, but I have a hard time describing something so dynamic with one three-lettered word. Dream pop, ambient pop—it is pop, but I believe it floats like a cloud, shimmers like the sunset. It’s unhardened. It’s pristine and full of wonder.
Give us a little bio about you.
I’m a dangerous 23-year-old both in love with and not in fear of words.
What made you go in to music?
It’s really difficult to locate the initial point of impact because it was a drenching, all at once kind of rain. It happened as most things do, as meteors strike: suddenly, without much warning. An occurrence, fated, of course, but not discovered.I think music found me.
I was an anxious child, fretting for existence. The idea of oblivion was a massive heartache in my salad days. I can’t remember music necessarily being a source of comfort, but I do remember feeling solaced by the strength of my own voice, like somehow, I knew I was in possession of a gift that would always be there for me.
Are you signed?
I am not.
You released your new single “ To Tell You The Truth” tell us more about it.
The more I’ve analyzed this song, the more I’ve come to realize it was just about this massive First. And firsts, especially the good kinds, are meant to be adored and reminisced for a lifetime. In this instance, it was the first time I’d fallen in love, and it was the first time I’d noticed how true love could make even the most mundane of neighborhoods, the deadest of valleys, the emptiest of parties, sparkle. I still remember sitting on that sidewalk in Simi Valley and saying to myself, you have to write about this. Don’t forget the way he looks: car door open, drum sticks in his hands, rat-a-tat-tatting on the steering wheel. Don’t forget his grey sweater. Don’t forget the character in the air. Don’t forget him looking up at the stars and commenting on their clarity because he’d remembered to wear his contacts. Don’t forget the Christmas tree tent down the street. Don’t forget how it felt kind of as if we were in a snow globe and we were all that mattered. Don’t forget the hum of the highway overpass. Don’t forget wishing that that drive back to LA would sweep on and on into infinity just so you could stay close to him. Don’t forget how he cared for your ill friend, enticing the strange thought, I want to share children with this person. Whatever you do, don’t forget. Because it was all so true. Wherever we went, the stars weren’t far behind. It was a miraculous, star-struck, once-in-a-lifetime kind of puppy love that saw me through the highest of highs and left me in the lowest of lows.
And it was one of the most important truths I’ve ever been privileged to tell.
What was the writing process like?
It was fast and vivid. I don’t normally sit at my desk and churn a song out in one sitting. It takes a lot of tampering—imagine a shower in an old cabin. Very temperamental, can react coolly if you turn it too far hot or too far cold. Sometimes, depending on the weather, the faucet doesn’t work at all. But when the inspiration is there, it’s usually very there. In this instance, I’d been observing this love affair I was having with my best friend and note-taking in the field for a while. I had an arsenal of things to profess and was/am still disappointed the pop music norm wouldn’t allow for all of them.
What was the recording process like?
It was like underestimating the size of a wave, choosing to ride it, realizing it’s much bigger than you’d hoped, dancing with the exhilaration, and then crashing into a reef, over and over again. Recording vocals, especially when you’re on a budget, is exhausting. You end up recording two or three songs in one day. That’s a rawness, an emotional drain, I don’t wish upon anyone. I’d actually worked on a different track with the person I’d written “To Tell You the Truth” about, and hadn’t yet shared the song, or my feelings for that matter. The day we were recording vocals, I had to swear my producer, Zach, into confidence that he wouldn’t speak a word of what we’d been working on before this person arrived to work on the other track. That was exciting in an anxious, I’m in need of some drama, kind of way. My life had become a sullen shade of vanilla at that point. I welcomed the commotion of intrigue.
Who did you work on the single with?
My main producer, Zach, wasn’t having the easiest time divining this 80s-inspired song into existence, so he called upon a producer friend of his Eric, who took the very bare bones of what we had and built the twinkling foundation for what it became. Then Zach and I took to meddling with a vocoder like two kids playing with a new toy. It was fun. Often, we disagreed.
What message are you trying to get out?
The truth matters. Its brilliance deserves recognition. Beyond that, your relationship with words matters. I think it’s important to change the way we perceive words, the way we give them influence over our lives. If you think about it, they’re just these things. You say them, and a lot of times, they set you free. There is so much silence around me. I’ve noticed that. People don’t use their voices when they should, and blab when they shouldn’t. The silence is always louder than the squawking. Perhaps because you hear so much in it. You hear this mélange of fear, unsaids, untruths, and screams, but you don’t hear anything at all. It’s a choice. You have to choose not to drown.
But it’s the greatest choice you’ll ever make. Be bold. Rage without thinking.
Will we see a music video for the single?
You will!
Will we see an EP or Album this year? If so can you tell us the release date or any spoilers about it?
My album, Sad Girl Music, will release on October 12th. Spoilers? Just one.
I held nothing back.
Do you have gigs coming up or a tour in planning?
No tour as of right now, but I will be playing an album release show in West Hollywood October 9th.
Do you have any collaborations coming up with any up coming artists?
Nope.
Would you be up for collaborations if other musicians wanted one with you? and who would they have to contact?
I’m always open to collaborate, but I’m selective, and highly sensitive to energies. If it’s not a right fit for me, I’ll know almost immediately and choose to pass.
What else do you have planned this year?
The only certitudes are self-care and self-love.
Do you play any instruments?
I’m a self-taught musician. I do play guitar and piano, but my skills in those areas aren’t anything to write home to mother about.
Who are your influences?
Taylor Swift, Troye Sivan, John Mayer, Lorde, Frou Frou, A Fine Frenzy, Elton John, Aly & AJ, G-Eazy. Also, I’ve always been very inspired by movie soundtracks and, in my middle school days, Warren Miller track lists
Which TV channel would you like one of your songs to be played on?
I’m not biased.
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
Much the same way you stumble upon new loves, old friends, beautiful places, unexpected wonders. The fates.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
I’d like to hope I’m sitting in my personal library looking out on a garden I most definitely won’t be managing myself, with an elusive smirk on my face. I know exactly the value of my Self and I’m completely untainted by the calamities of unconsciousness.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
I’m always writing. I’m always working. Being a creative means the job of it follows you everywhere. You don’t just put your brain in a drawer for the night. It’s always up, mayhap more awake, when everyone else is asleep.
I do spend a lot of time working out, reading, being a modern 23-year-old in a collapsing society. I’m plagued with anxiety and drink furiously, not to mention my humdrum search for unconditional love.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
When you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
Don’t listen to anyone until you’ve realized your worth. The world will try to decide for you how expansive your impact is, but until you’ve taken the time to measure all your parts, don’t listen.
The smartest thing I did was recognize the validity of my existence beyond wasting oxygen.
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
Not much of a saying, but I try to sit back and let the fates orchestrate themselves. It’s decidedly comical watching me do so, however.
Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
I grew up in Bozeman, Montana, and I think I should say something outdoorsy, but I’m rather
Your coming off tour;
1/ Where do you go first? Home, my bed.
2/ Who do you see first? My mother, my dog.
3/What do you eat first? Probably something healthy. It’s difficult nurturing yourself when you’re traveling.
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
In ears
Chapstick
I could use a sip of something bubbly—prosecco or sparkling rosé
Polaroid camera
Polaroid film
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram
