LA artist Charly talks latest solo EP “Awareness”

The multitalented French artist Charly from LA has released her solo EP Awareness. Charly is a part of Charly&Faust as well as The Sutra, but that did not stop her from producing Awarness with Eric Reymond.

Her intimate songs have an emotional delicacy about them that surround the listener, inviting them in. The music video for “What’s Next” gives a hand drawn illustration to the song and it’s meaning.

In addition to her work as a musician, Charly is also a film composer. Her love for the art is easily seen in her EP Film Scores.

Editor-In-Chief Kailey Howell had a moment to chat with Charly about the new EP, what it was like moving from France to LA, and where she draws her inspiration from.

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Kailey Howell:  Tell me about some of your earliest memories with making music, when did you realize that music was what you wanted to do in life?

Charly: My earliest music memories might be a mix between my father playing drums on kitchen pots with wooden spoons, and Gnawa musicians playing at my grandmother house in Morocco.

KH: When you moved to LA, how was it getting started in the music industry here versus back home in France?

Charly: I actually moved to LA to improve my music skills and my English. I think that the way music works in LA fits better with the music genre I am playing. I don’t say that the music business in LA is easier than in France, but here there is an audience for the kind of music I want to do that doesn’t exist in France.

KH: Who are some of your biggest inspirations in music?

Charly: Tracy Chapman, The Who, Lady Gaga, Pattie Smith, etc.

KH:  You released your solo EP Awareness earlier this year, what drove you to release a solo project outside of Charly&Faust and The Sutra?

Charly: I used to write and compose songs on my own outside of bands I was part of. Earlier this year, I realized I needed to go back to that. Being able to write what you want and compose the way you want alone was what I needed at this time. In Charly&Faust, my partner Faust writes most of the lyrics, and in The Sutra, Buddhi De Mal writes and composes before coming to the band with songs. I don’t say I don’t like being part of bands, but I think combining solo projects with band projects is a good way to not get frustrated on one or the other.

KH: “Creature of Your Nights” is one of my favorites on the EP, can you tell me a little about the writing process behind it?

Charly: Whao! Thanks! I wrote this song years ago and it kept evolving. I started writing this song while I was seeing someone. I changed the lyrics while our relationship was evolving. That was actually an interesting process to write without knowing what I really wanted to express at the moment. Let’s say that the song helped me understand what I wanted and what was the situation step by step in this relationship.

KH: Not only are you working as an artist, but also a composer, including work in film. That being said, what is one of your favorite movie soundtracks? If there was one movie you could completely redo the soundtrack to, which one would it be?

Charly: That is a hard question … I love “The Broken Circle Breakdown” soundtracks. There are more songs than scores, but I realized few weeks ago while having a conversation with this music supervisor that I had more affinities with those kind of soundtracks than with proper scores. It is actually obvious when you listen to my EP Film Scores. If I had the chance to redo the soundtrack of a movie I would choose “Frozen”. They did a great job for sure, but I miss the old Disney movies soundtracks, which had all their own music identities. It sounds like Disney soundtracks are now kind of all the same. At least, for most of the new movies.

KH: Who are some of the artists you are listening to right now?

Charly: Anna Calvie, Vulfpeck, Toto, etc.

KH: What can fans expect next from you?

Charly: The music video of “What’s Next?” is actually being released June 10. I am working on more shows, and maybe a new single soon…

*Photo by Florian Saez