Jealousy tends to be one of the more destructive human emotions but it does make for a great song. Enter in, Charlotte Cardin, whose latest track “Dirty Dirty,” explores the depths of burning desire and perfectly characterizes that moment at the club when you see the object of your affection dancing with someone else. The Montreal-based singer’s frank lyrics and sultry jazz-tinged sound puts her at the forefront of the new league of strong female vocalists who aren’t afraid to speak their minds while wearing their hearts on their sleeves.
The Untitled Magazine has the exclusive video premiere of “Dirty Dirty (Live at The Emerald).” Check out the clip plus our interview with Charlotte and don’t miss her on tour, she heads to Brooklyn to perform at Baby’s All Right on November 16th!
The Untitled Magazine: Can you elaborate a bit on your background, was music a part of your childhood?
Charlotte Cardin: I was born and raised in Montreal and music was always part of my life. Although my parents are scientists, they pushed both my sister and I to take music lessons from a very young age. From 7 to 17 I took singing lessons and loved it. I never thought I’d make a career out of it, but music was always a part of my life.
UM: You were on a reality television show, La Voix, how was it to make the jump from that kind of atmosphere to creating your current music?
CC: It took a few years after the show to find my own artistic identity. Being on the show was a wonderful experience and it helped me grow a lot, but at the same time everything went so fast that I needed to take a break after the hurricane to focus on finding my own path. I went back to school full time and wrote a lot of music in my free time. From folk, to pop to jazz, I was just trying a bunch of different styles to find what I really liked.
UM: Sometimes you sing in English, other times in French – When you are writing music how do you decide which language to go with?
CC: I don’t really decide on the language, it just sort of happens. I have a much easier time writing in English (even though I come from a French speaking family), so 80% of the time I end up writing in English. Some specific melodies will evoke French more than English in my mind and that’s when my French songs are written.
UM: We’re excited to premiere the live version of “Dirty Dirty,“ Can you talk about the meaning behind the song?
CC: The song is basically about jealousy and how seeing someone you like with another person can trigger very intense emotions inside you.
UM: Your recent EP is called Big Boy, what is that in reference to?
CC: Big Boy is the title of the first song on the EP. Big Boy isn’t someone in particular, though. I just liked the idea of making people believe the whole EP was about one specific person. I write my songs from personal experiences, but also from stories I hear or even fictional concepts. I would say my tracks are 50% fiction and 50% reality. I love the idea of mixing both, because it makes the story telling very fun for me.
UM: Now that you’ve released, Big Boy, what’s next?
CC: We’re playing a lot of shows this fall and next spring. I’m also working on a full album that should be ready mid-2017. We’re already excited to share our new tracks!
