Last year Charlz returned from a lengthy four-year hiatus with a swag of melancholic pop. Spending the previous six months writing in LA, she came home to Melbourne with a publishing deal and a list of collaborators including Deadmau5 protégé ATTLAS, UK phenom Maths Time Joy and Grammy Award winner Latroit.
My Top 5 female influences by Charlz
1. Chrissy HyndeI was raised on the Pretenders and was always been mesmerized by her – I still am. I remember realising early on that she didn’t have a traditional conventional style as a singer- she was strongly unique and I just loved listening to her music so much. She was inspiring for me. I wanted to find myself as an artist as Chrissy Hynde had found herself as an artist.I’ll never tire of listening to her sing Back On The Chain Gang, or Kid, or Stop Your Sobbing.
2. Gillian Welch Listening to her is pure peace and comfort for me.She is a magnificent story teller.When I listen to her songs I can drift away and pretend that I am momentarily in a wooden homestead in the smokey mountains drinking whiskey by a fire and listening to country music. I remember that slow beauty of life when I hear Gillian Welch.
3. Lucinda Williams This woman takes her strength and force and brutal truth and forms it all together into these thunderstorms of songs which are harsh, real, melodic and vulnerable all at once. She has been a huge inspiration for me as a songwriter.
4. Adele Obviously she’s amazing in every way.To me she has been inspiring because through her I saw that the world loves a love song. For a long time I was denying myself the natural songwriting process because I thought no one wants to hear songs about heartbreaks and love, but then watching Adele- I realised there is an audience there- so I embraced it.
5. Britney Spears Toxic. Woooah. Through Britney I embraced my inner pop princess. I began to love writing catchy melodies and learning the craft of writing a good pop song.I would listen to Toxic or Piece Of Me and think- this is next level skill, the way it’s delivered, she took those songs and imprinted them with her unique Britney voice and delivery.