A Conversation With Charlotte Jane
A Conversation With Charlotte Jane
Although still a rising talent, Hull native Charlotte Jane is a firm favourite amongst big-name artists having recently played shows with Sam Ryder, Rag’n’Bone Man and just announced Zak Abel this autumn, as well picking up famous fans such as Elton John, Lewis Capaldi and Calum Scott.
Now Charlotte Jane celebrates her new-found artistic independence with the release of “Coming Home“, her first new music in over a year.
When you’ve spent some time rediscovering who you are as an artist and a person, it’s only natural that reconnecting with your roots will be a big part of the process. In “Coming Home”, Charlotte Jane vows that she’s “been down that road where they do it all for show and they won’t go back” with a passion that shows that she means everything she says.
NSGs Billy Vitch caught up with Charlotte to talk about her life and music journey so far.
Billy: Good morning Charlotte and how are you, what have you been doing today, and how’s that going?
Charlotte: Hey Billy! I’ve just got back from the gym, started planning a tour for hopefully later this year and now sat down talking to you. It’s 25 degrees and sunny in London so I’m in a great mood.
Billy: You grew up in Hull, East Yorkshire right? Not the usual place you’d expect an upcoming megastar to hail from, is it? Lol.
Charlotte: I am indeed from Hull! It may be a small city but my friend Calum Scott is also from there and he’s absolutely smashing it on the megastar front so perhaps it’s not too far-fetched. Definitely hoping to follow in his footsteps.
Billy: What was your childhood like and does where you are from influence your music much and if so, how?
Charlotte: I grew up in a family that loves music, every family party had live music by my grandparents or my uncle. From a very young age, I was getting up and performing with them, learning to harmonise, playing tambourine etc. We were into soul music and indie bands. That’s 100% shaped my sound, it’s still predominantly the music that I listen to every day. I also think as a northerner, we don’t sugarcoat things and that definitely comes across in my lyrics.
(Charlotte Jane)
Billy: Your new single “Coming Home” has just come out, I’ve been listening to it all morning and absolutely love it! It has so much going on and I just think it’s a real banger! Could you tell us some more about it, what’s it about, when did you write it and what was your recording process like?
Charlotte: Thank you! It was actually the first song I wrote after a 9-month hiatus due to the pandemic and having some mental health struggles. I felt so uninspired and for the first time in my life, I completely fell out with music. I couldn’t even listen to music for pleasure, I just played video games instead. I did my first writing session with my friend James Earp (Lewis Capaldi) and I was worried that I just wouldn’t have a song in me. We didn’t set foot in the studio at all that day. We sat in his living room, just me, him, an acoustic guitar and the voice notes app on my iPhone. We chatted about how, when the world stopped, we had to be still for so long and become reacquainted with our surroundings. For me, that was back home in Hull (I’d been on the road consistently for about 18 months so hadn’t spent that long back home for a long time) and I really fell in love with it. I felt like I’d spent most of my life trying to get away from there, feeling frustrated that I was from somewhere that felt so cut off from opportunity. Now, I see it as a place I can go to exhale and remember who I am.
We wrote the first half of the song that day, I then wrote the second verse back home a couple of months later. We finished the whole song on Zoom in another lockdown, I recorded all of the vocals at home. Then we got back into the studio to finish it off properly, an incredible producer called Phil Cook joined the party and made it sound HUGE. My favourite thing in the production is that we sampled the original intro from the first voice note recording at the beginning of the song.
Billy: How would you describe your sound?
Charlotte: Heart-on-sleeve, Soul-Indie-Pop. It’s really evolved over the last year and I’m so excited to share the music I’ve got to come.
Billy: Your rise has been monumental, to say the least! From having recently played shows with Sam Ryder and Rag’n’Bone Man as well as picking up famous fans such as Elton John, Lewis Capaldi and Calum Scott, I mean come on, that’s some C.V.! How do you keep yourself grounded?
Charlotte: It’s so funny because it sounds so amazing on paper and I’m incredibly grateful for all of the opportunities and support I’ve received but the industry manages to keep me well and truly grounded on a daily basis. It’s so up and down which is hard to deal with sometimes. There have been some incredible highs and they always seem to be aptly paired with something pretty earth-shattering the week after. It’s only recently that I’ve figured out that I need to have things outside of music that provides a bit of consistency for me to keep me on the straight and narrow. For me, that’s been exercise and allowing myself to have more of a social life.
Billy: How are you coping with your success, do you find it hard at all? What are some of the pros and cons of being an emerging and extremely popular artist?
Charlotte: Right now I’d say the biggest challenge for me is how lonely being an artist can feel. I’m happiest when I’m on tour and connecting with other people. The social media stuff can feel very self-serving a lot of the time and that doesn’t align with who I am as a person. I care about people, feeling like I’m doing something of value to others. I’m figuring out how to be on social media and feel good about it, it’s a work in progress.
(Charlotte Jane)
Billy: How do you write your songs, do you have a specific process?
Charlotte: Songwriting for me, is storytelling. I go through stuff, have a conversation about it and spin it into a song. I work best when I’m working with my talented mates. I’m much better at being vulnerable when I’m in a safe space with people who know me. My friend Phil Simmonds rarely needs me to even say how I’m feeling when I walk into the studio. He can soundtrack my mood with chords better than anyone I know, which makes the songwriting process pretty dreamy.
Billy: If you could sit down with three people from history, past or present, who would they be and why?
Charlotte: Aretha Franklin, so she can sing to me. I would give anything to have been able to watch her perform. Would quite like to sit down and chat with anyone who built the Pyramids and ask how on earth they lifted and transported the 2.5-ton blocks without modern technology. Then, on a more personal note, I’d love to be able to go back and meet my granddad. He passed away before I was born and it has always felt strange to me that we never knew each other.
Billy: Name three bands or artists you think we really need to check out.
Charlotte: Dijon, Jordan Mackampa, Sarah Close.
Billy: What do you think is the meaning of life?
Charlotte: To have, love and be loved by a dog.
Billy: We’re a UK-based publication, based in Liverpool. Have you ever visited Liverpool and do you have any plans of performing here in the near future?
Charlotte: I LOVE LIVERPOOL! If the demand is there, I’d come and play a show in a heartbeat. I’ve done quite a few writing sessions in Liverpool. I’ve also drank many a pint in Heebie Jeebies.
Billy: How is the rest of 2023 looking for Charlotte Jane?
Charlotte: It’s a new adventure for sure! First-year as an independent artist since I started out in 2019. I’ve got a load of new music ready to go and hopefully, a tour at the end of summer before I go away for 5 weeks supporting Zak Abel in Winter!
Billy: Thank you so much for your time. Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Charlotte: Thanks so much for talking to me! Two things: buy Chipspice and put it on your chips, thank me later (It’s a Hull delicacy) and keep your eyes peeled for tour dates coming soon.
To follow Charlotte Jane on social media click on the links below
