FEATURE: Spotlight: Chloe Rodgers — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Chloe Rodgers

___________

IN my opinion….

PHOTO CREDIT: Lucia Garcia

Chloe Rodgers is one of the finest new artists coming through. I love the dreaminess of her voice and how immersive her songs are! I have been listening to a fairly new cut, Faces, and it is as beautiful song that one really dives into and can be swept away by! There is a sweetness and mellow vibe, but her songs are packed with nuance so that one keeps coming back. On the first listen, you will pick up a lot, but you’ll keep listening to the tracks and new things unfurl and shine. I will bring in a few interviews soon - just so that we can be introduced to Rodgers properly and get an idea of where she is heading. I am not sure whether she is releasing an E.P. this year, but there is a lot of demand for her stunning music. Whilst her social media numbers are climbing, I feel that it might be the summer of this year when we see a real surge from her – as she might be able to gig and get her music to a bigger audience. There are a lot of fantastic new artists around right now, each offering something different. I don’t think there is anyone truly like Chloe Rodgers. I have seen she has shared posts where publications and various sites have backed her music and tipped her to be one to watch this year.

PHOTO CREDIT: @whoistiani

It is all richly deserved from an artist who has made a hugely strong start in her career! Although my favourite song from her is A Delphian Lullaby, I love Faces, and The Algae, and I can feel these songs slotting together nicely on an E.P. I also think that, when it comes to touring, there are these small and intimate venues where fans can feel the full effect and spine-tingling sounds of Rodgers’ songs. I am going to quote from a number of interviews as there is a lot to discover about Rodgers regarding her background, ambitions and musical influences. The first one I want to bring in is from CLOUT:

“HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN MAKING MUSIC?

Literally since I learned to talk. When I was learning to read at nursery I used to get feedback from the teachers saying I was learning but needed to just speak the words rather than sing them – I shit you not. And my papa always used to make up songs with me about the stories he’d read to me so I quickly learnt to do that on my own too. I’ve got lyrics in folders somewhere that I wrote at 4/5 years old that are just hilariously terrible. Stuff like “I’m sitting on the floor, it’s sparkly as well, it’s like my bestest friends, have cast a lovely spell”

WHY DO YOU MAKE MUSIC?

Because I love it. It’s been brought to my attention recently that music is just how we decorate time. For people who genuinely enjoy your music, it’s like you’re making those few minutes a bit more meaningful, colourful, emotional or just more nice for them, the same way an artist makes a little bit of space nicer or more thought-provoking for people. Even if it just gives them a catalyst for an emotion they’ve been needing to let out. & I want to do that for myself too.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY HAS BEEN YOUR BEST MOMENT SO FAR?

If you mean the best moment of my music career, I’d probably say when I supported a lovely and crazily talented American band called the Harmaleighs at The Bodega in Notts and in the middle of their set one of them announced through the mic that they had been nervous to approach me after I played because they thought I was so good! Hearing that from them just made my year. If you meant the best moment of life in general, I wouldn’t know what to tell ya. Maybe it was the time my papa was at our house & I took him for a nap (it wasn’t long after he came out of hospital after a brain op that went wrong so he wasn’t really himself anymore). I sang to him and I thought he was asleep, but then when I finished the song he poked his little head up and said “can you play me another one chlobo?” And that was really special.

PHOTO CREDIT: @duckgarnham

If you have not heard of Chloe Rodgers before, then I think you will hear a lot from her this year. Although 2021 has just begun, I think that she will be one of the brightest artists; a lot of people will turn into her music for the first time. Under the Radar shone a spotlight on Rodgers when she released her debut single, A Delphian Lullaby, back in September:

“Hotly tipped Nottingham based singer, songwriter and musician Chloe Rodgers releases her debut solo single today. Entitled "A Delphian Lullaby", the single is out via Crowds And Power on all streaming platforms.

Having carved out a reputation as one of the brightest emerging talents on the East Midlands music scene in recent years, Rodgers has spent the past few months working with Scandinavian production outfit Twenty Committee.

That association came to fruition after producer and composer Anders Källmark spotted her on You Tube. "She was so effortlessly talented," says Källmark, "that we thought she must be performing a series of covers. But she wasn't!" Kallmark subsequently included her as the main vocal component in Twenty Committee, an innovative project featuring a rotating cast of songwriters and performers that's been compared to 4AD collective This Mortal Coil. "Chloe is absolutely integral to Twenty Committee and puts her own spin on everything we do together," adds Källmark.

Since first collaborating with Källmark and Twenty Committee, Rodgers has laid down a number of tracks culminating in a string of releases for the project such as the haunting single "Bones", which came out earlier this summer.

Born and raised in Nottingham, Chloe cites Thom Yorke as her biggest inspiration. "You know immediately that his lyrics have hidden depths," she suggests, "but the deeper you dig, the further you are from getting to what they might mean".

I am fascinates in learning more about Chloe Rodgers. Her voice is so full of textures and colours that are so powerful and stirring. Her compositions and lyrics demand repeated listens and, when you put all of this together, you get an immense hit! I want to introduce an interview with Wonderland. - they spoke with Rodgers about her single, Faces, and what she hopes to achieve this year:

“Chloe Rodgers is the youthful face of alt-pop you should already be getting to know. The singer got her start in music biz after accidentally winning Nottingham’s answer to X Factor whilst she was interning at a record label. Unbeknownst to her, her boss had entered her in the competition, but she still charged forth and became an instant fan favourite. When local fame soon followed, a cocktail of live performances and her rising presence on YouTube lead her to producer Anders Källmark – who originally thought her songs were so perfect they had to be covers – and record label Crowds And Power.

Hi Chloe, how have you been during this uncertain time? How has it impacted your music and creativity?

Hey how’re you doing! It’s been a bit up and down for me but mostly down to be honest. I was ill with something that may have been the virus (coughing, rattly chest, lost my voice & energy etc) for a good few months starting in March so I was unable to sing for that entire time apart from the odd day here and there where it would temporarily clear up. So I didn’t get much writing done at all and just didn’t have the energy for it. It’s obviously a lot harder to find a job with the current crisis so it’s hard to find time for what I really want to do which is music! But there won’t be any gigs for a long time anyway. Really hope the live music industry survives this.

COVER DESIGN: @howiewonder

How did growing up in Nottingham influence you sonically? Who are your musical heroes?

Growing up here has definitely inspired me to want to be alternative. There’s such a varied music scene here and it’s made me want to explore so many different paths of music. So far my releases have been ethereal and cinematic sounding but this isn’t the only sound I want to create in the long run. At the minute I’d say my musical heroes are Radiohead, Whisky Moon Face and Billie Eilish. All completely different artists that inspire me in different ways. I’m always harping on about how beautiful I find Thom Yorke’s lyrics, but with Whisky Moon Face it’s completely different. They make a blend of like Russian folk and french jazz (I think?) with lyrics like “I wish I was the lice in your hair” and “there’s a dead dog in your bed, you can’t sleep in your bed” which is just such a quirky and strange way to say “I really fancy you, come and share my bed if you like!” & I completely adore it. Their singer also does things with her voice that I’ve never heard anywhere else and it’s just so brilliant.

The music video for “Faces” is really haunting and ethereal – where was it shot and what did you want to convey with it?

I can’t take any credit for the music video at all. The ideas and locations were all thought up by Kate Lomas & Anna Tiani from Autonomy and by Jack Davies from Friction Collective. We shot in some lovely places in the Bath/Bristol area. We wanted to convey the passing of time with Bonnie as a sort of younger version of myself and the contrast between the lighter & darker sides of the mind; peace and ease (walking with the flow of the river, running happily in the fields) VS struggle and turmoil (wading against the flow of the river, being lost in the dark, being trapped in the tall grass).

What do you want fans to take from your music?

I just want to make people feel something. If I could make people feel the way I feel when I listen to “No Surprises” by Radiohead or “Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish, where my heart just swells and I want to hug everyone then I’d be so happy. I always try to put the kind of imagery into my lyrics that I loved analysing when we studied poetry in A-level English so it would be really awesome if anyone took the time to think about those parts of my songs too. I never understood why we never studied song lyrics as a part of learning about poetry.

What’s next for you? What are you looking forward to in 2021?

I have 2 more singles to release in the coming months and videos to work on for those and we’ll work on the album after that. With the pandemic it’s hard to predict what is even going to be possible. Hopefully when the restrictions ease a bit it will give me chance to rehearse with the band to get my set perfected for when the live music industry is resurrected (fingers crossed)”.

I shall wrap up soon, but there is one final interview that I need to bring in that reveals some interesting information. Even though Chloe Rodgers is just starting out, I think a lot of heads are turning her way.

PHOTO CREDIT: Paul Boast

The last interview I am going to source is from Mystic Sons. They asked her (among other things) which current artists she is connecting to:

“Can you remember the first song that made you want to pursue a life in music?

I don’t think there really was any one song really. If I had to pick one it would probably be Complicated by Avril Lavigne, I had such a massive crush on her when I was little! But it was mainly my papa (grandad) that made me want to be a singer, he was always singing and making up songs for me. He had such a gorgeous voice.

Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?

I’m currently listening to lots of Whisky Moon Face and Billie Eilish. Whisky Moon Face are a stunning combination of french jazz, & Russian & Irish folk I’d say? They’re absolutely incredible musicians and the singer does such unique things with her voice that I’ve never heard anywhere else, ‘When These Bones’ and ‘Dead Dog’ by them are some of my favourite songs ever. They deserve so much more recognition than they get. & Billie Eilish just has the most heavenly tone I’ve ever heard and her lyrics bring me to tears. Bloody stunning!

How many of your songs have you written about people in your life?

Ooooo quite a lot. I’ve written a good few songs about love interests and one about losing my papa. I’d say the song I’m happiest with that is about people in my life is one I have written recently about two of my best friends, Yana and Ella. It’s basically about how much I love them and want them to be happy. Hopefully I’ll be able to record it soon!

Outside of music, what is your biggest passion?

People. I think trying to make my friends feel loved & sticking up for the little guy is probably what most of my energy goes into besides music. I do love drawing & calligraphy as well though”.

Go and follow Chloe Rodgers (all the links are below) and check out her amazing music. I do feel we will get a physical release this year, and I know Rodgers will have a very successful and long career! It only takes a few moments of Rodgers’ music before you are…