Introducing #170 - charly haze
Let us introduce you to Dutch London based artist charly haze - who has just released her empowering new single ‘Backfire’ - for fans of LAUREL, Chvrches and IDER. She took a moment to talk to us about her music.
Hey there charly haze - how are you? So your new track ‘Backfire’ is out now, can you tell us what it is about?
Hey! I’m feeling good, thank you :) Super happy that Backfire is finally out, after having worked on it for almost 3 years! I think it’s my most personal song to date, as it’s about my 2-year long recovery from a brain injury/whiplash due to a car crash in 2017. I was experiencing constant sensory overload, memory loss and chronic fatigue so my life was quite drastically put on hold. There were no guarantees for full recovery, so I had to spend most of the time at home and writing songs really helped me to process all the emotions and changes. I promised myself that if I would ever fully recover, I would start releasing music again. Eventually, I went to the US for specialist treatment which was successful and led to full recovery, so I wanted to use this for the song as well. So Backfire is not a sad song, but it feels like a ‘full circle’ in which I touch on both the darkest days as well as the fighting spirit, regaining control over your body and life and celebrating that I’ve come out the other end.
The track was co-written and produced by Adam Bar-Pereg, how did that partnership come about? What was it like working together?
So Adam approached me after having heard my debut single Tanlines on Spotify’s New Music Friday Netherlands playlist. We started talking, I sent him my demos and Backfire appealed to him the most. He is English but Amsterdam-based, and I’m Dutch but London-based, so we had to work remotely for most of it due to the lockdowns. Even though the composition itself was kind of finished and I had a very specific idea of what it needed to sound like, Adam not only made that happen, but he’s added so much more to it! He’s one of Benny Sings’ band members and he’s definitely added some of that groove, which I feel is a refreshing addition to my music. We could luckily do a studio session together in Amsterdam last December as I went home for Christmas, so we did the final touches and it was great to finish it in the room together.
Where are you based? What are your favorite things to do there?
I’m originally Dutch and lived in Amsterdam for a long time, but I've been based in East-London for 2 years now. I love how vibrant and diverse my neighbourhood is, and I love just walking around and people watch whilst sipping an iced-oat vanilla latte, haha!
We were obviously in lockdown for quite some time, so there was a lot less distraction and my favourite thing was just to spend most of my evenings at my tiny desk, pink neon light on, working on many song ideas that had been sitting in my voice notes for a while. As I ‘launched’ charly haze during lockdown, I have made all my music videos from home as well, so I had to get super creative. I did 3 videos out of my bedroom, playing around with different backdrops, lights and outfits. Doing everything alone can get a bit isolating at times, so I’m really excited to start co-writing and collaborating a lot more again now things are opening up!
What are your key influences when it comes to your music?
Death Cab For Cutie for the indie melancholy, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa for the pop perfection and The Midnight, San Holo and ODESZA for the electronics.
What is in your headphones right now?
Chet Porter - Bummed (feat. Alison Wonderland). I’ve had it on repeat for weeks, it makes me feel so many things and I just can’t get enough of it! It’s sad and melancholic, but also uptempo and makes you want to dance and jump around and have a sneaky cry and then move on and make out with a handsome stranger. If that makes sense… ha!
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to your music before?
As catchy, ‘80s inspired electro pop with a hint of melancholy and nostalgia.