Seriously Love, Go Home: Charlotte OC on Overcoming Obstacles and Reigniting Her Love for Making Music

The British singer-songwriter Charlotte OC is no stranger to the music industry. Starting out at just 18 years old, she quickly caught attention with her distinctive and hauntingly beautiful voice. After her almost four-year break from music, Charlotte returns stronger than ever, constantly evolving and finding her unique “northern” sound within dark-pop, blending soul and electronic elements.

Letting us in on her journey marked by transformation, reinventions, and overcoming obstacles, one thing is clear: Charlotte’s music will always find its way back to the light. The UNSEEN Magazine caught up with her to explore the heart behind that journey.

THE INTERVIEW

Laura: Hi, Charlotte OC. Thank you so much for taking the time to do an interview with me for THE UNSEEN Magazine! I always love to start with some rapid questions as a quick icebreaker, so our readers who might not know you yet get to know you better. How would you describe “Charlotte OC” in three words?

Charlotte OC: Emotional. Passionate. Show-off. *laughs*

Laura: Is there a difference to you, “Charlotte”, as a person? What are three words you would use to describe yourself?

Charlotte OC: Definitely a show-off. *laughs* I would say emotional and passionate. Annoyingly, I would say I'm not one of those artists so different from what they do. I wish I were, so I could switch it on and off, but it is basically me as a person.

Laura: If your life had a soundtrack, what song would it be?

Charlotte OC: I think it would be "The Killing Moon" by Echo & the Bunnymen. There are a couple of songs that serve as a soundtrack in my life, but I feel like that's how I hear and experience the world. That song feels like that.

Laura: What is one thing fans would be surprised to learn about you?

Charlotte OC: *laughs* I’m a bit of a nerd. I love video gaming and fantasy novels. I've watched Lord of the Rings, I cry every time. Yeah, a nerd.

Laura: What's your favorite video game?

Charlotte OC: *laughs* I don't want to say. That stays in the vault. I'm too embarrassed to say.

Laura: And now I'm wondering even more.

Charlotte OC: I’ve given enough! *laughs*

Laura: You released your EP, "Seriously Love, Go Home", this July. Before, you hadn't released any music for about four years. Was there a moment you had the feeling you were ready to go back? What inspired you to release music again?

Charlotte OC: There was a while I was in a period where I was still kind of making stuff, then it stopped. I just didn’t pick up my guitar at all. Whenever someone mentioned music, I would walk out of the room. Then I was taken to the Lake District, and I took myself out of my bedroom – out of my depression pit, if you will – as I got there. There were a few things that happened, and I had some help at home. I was like “Oh, my god. I want to play my music”. I don’t know; I started listening to it, and everything fell into place. I've compiled all these songs, which include some demos from a few years ago and some recent ones. I felt like they all really fit. There was one moment at night when I messaged my record label and said, “I got this idea.” I didn’t know if they had dropped me or whatnot. They’ve read this crazy email, which I was aiming for, and here we are. The EP happened, and it is inspired by my time living in London and my time living in Blackburn. It’s gone down well, and I’m just really grateful that I had this moment where it all made sense again.

Laura: Do you have a favorite song from the EP as well?

Charlotte OC: I think it's "God, We Tried". That was the first song that got me when I was going through that rough time. It was the first time I had felt excitement again. I kept listening to it over and over again; that was the one I just couldn't let go of. Romeo, I feel like I have grown over time. It’s the one that has been the most well-received, but for me, I think it's "God, We Tried".

Laura: You've already mentioned a bit about your time moving back to Blackburn and the meaning of the EP. Do you always plan a message when writing a song, or does it happen the other way around? Do you feel like you need to convey a message?

Charlotte OC: I feel more so than ever now. I can't write when I don't know what's going on. I have to be feeling it; it's some way for me to address what I'm feeling, and it'll already be there. It's just about me being brave enough and finally putting pen to paper, to be honest. That’s how my writing process kind of works. Whether I'm willing or not to be straight up with myself and possibly others around me. I've recently come to realize, more so than ever, that when you truly tap into it, how crucial it is. It has become my new favorite way of writing. I used to write where it didn't really mean anything. It's not an enjoyable experience doing it like that.

Laura: You grew up in Blackburn, and you were signed by a record label at 18 years old, but then you were dropped. How did this experience shape you as a young female singer-songwriter in the music industry?

Charlotte OC: I was so young when it happened. I was so much more confident that it didn't really hit me. It didn’t really hit me as much. As I got older and all the record deals that happened after, that's when it started chipping away a little bit. There was still that confidence – until just before I made the EP. That's where my confidence took a hit. That's where everything went on top of me. In this industry, it's just a constant. If you're going to have a long career, I always find it's a marathon. It's going to chip away at something in you. I feel like anything in life is so important. I love my journey. Yes, it's been hard, and I'm still loving it. I'm loving what's happening now. I could never look back and think, “Oh, my God, I wish that hadn't happened,” because whatever has happened has always, always made me grow in some form or way. It’s such a generic statement, but it’s so true. I can't stress enough: As bad as it gets, it's just going to get better. If it’s a small way or a huge way, there's always a benefit. It’s all about learning, which I didn't excel at in school, but it is important.

Laura: Thank you for your words. Like you said, it is so important. It's like a constant process of failing, but then you realize you might have learned a great deal more.

Charlotte OC: Yeah. It might open another door. Every single door that was shut for me led me to the best place possible at that time. I feel like, without being very “woo woo,” you are going to have these moments, where something puts you in the place that you're meant to be in at that time.

Laura: How do you feel about listening to your earlier work, for example, to your first EP “Colour My Heart”? Is there a certain feeling to it? Nostalgia maybe? Or do you not want to listen to it again?

Charlotte OC: The first EP I put out was "Colour My Heart"; I don't think I'll ever hate those songs. "Hangover", "Colour My Heart", "Cut the Rope", "Stolen Car", I just love them. I still go back and go: “Where did that come from?” I have no idea how it even happened, but I had already kind of figured out what was going on there. Now I feel like, along the way, I definitely got lost. Like, really lost. I feel like I'm finding my way back now. Slowly. I'm proud of my early work, such as the first EP. Some other stuff, I'm like “Oh, God”. *laughs* People like it, that's amazing! Yeah, some of them, I just can't. *laughs*

Laura: That is what I love about music, it's for everybody! I'm so glad that you still like it! I've heard from so many artists that they can't listen to their earliest work because they think it's so bad.

Charlotte OC: I mean, don't get me wrong, when I did the "Colour My Heart" stuff, I was “Yeah, I'm proud of it”. I love performing it as well. There’s an album before that. My mum loves it, bless her heart. But yeah, no. *laughs*

Laura: It’s the album you put out under your actual name, right?

Charlotte OC: Yeah, I don’t want people knowing about it, though, but they will. *laughs* Horrific. I was 18. It is quite impressive for me to be writing at that age. In school, I really struggled with English Literature; I struggled in every subject. Regardless, I will always be proud. That’s a girl who literally got an F in English, and there I am, writing a song. There will always be pride.

Laura: Is there a certain emotion you feel you're still learning to express through music? Where do you maybe have a hard time?

Charlotte OC: Yeah, probably happiness. I'm very good at doing the hard-hitting stuff. I feel like when I did "Romeo", that was my way of doing something purely happy, but it also has a darkness to it. I would struggle to be entirely positive, but I am generally quite a positive person. I don't know. I find it difficult to just be a very smiley face. If that makes sense? One day, maybe I'll do it, but it's difficult. *laughs*

Laura: You previously mentioned, your confidence dipped before your EP. It surprised me a lot, as I had looked at your Instagram, music videos, and performances. I think you radiate such confidence; you really seem so sure of yourself and who you are. My question would have been, what helped you to get so confident?

Charlotte OC: First of all, thank you. I don't know. Like I said, when it came to music, it was the only thing that got me up in the morning. As a kid, I had a really tough time at school. I was like, “It doesn't matter, I know what I'm good at. I know what my career is going to be. I've just got to survive going to school”. I feel like that's just always been in me. My mum and dad also have a massive impact on my sister's and my general personality. How we are around our family, and how we should feel about ourselves. We were brought up to know our worth, and we've had really great parents who instilled us with a lot of confidence.

Laura: Were they always supportive of your passion for music, and when you realized you wanted to become a singer?

Charlotte OC: I mean, they were just happy that I could do something, as it was really bad at school. Really bad. *laughs* The school tried to take me out a couple of times because I just wasn't meeting their standards. It was really bad. When my dad enrolled me in guitar lessons, I caught on straight away. I'm not very good at it, but it was the first thing I understood. As soon as I started writing and uploading it to MySpace, everyone was incredibly supportive, because everything had been so difficult prior. It was the most supportive family from the get-go.

Laura: I’m glad to hear you've got such a big support system! What you said sadly reflects the way society is structured, which is not for everybody. It’s not the same or a straight path for everybody. It's such an important message that even though you're not good at something, you will find something you're good at. There is something out there for everyone.

Charlotte OC: Exactly. It was upsetting. It was hard. Especially, if you're struggling with it, they shouldn't throw you out because you're not handing in your homework, because you are not understanding it. There were many things I had to overcome as a result of that experience. That's why music has been such a powerful thing for me. It was like an outlet. The school system was somewhat flawed, to be honest.

Laura: You described on your Instagram that Germany has always had a special place in your heart. Did you have a specific experience there that's why you love it so much?

Charlotte OC: Every time I go, I have the best time. I was not living there, but I was there for a couple of months. The first time I went, I obviously went out and experienced all the clubs. That's what inspired Colour My Heart. Then I continued, and I experienced it during the summertime. I was like “Oh my God. That is insane!” I just fell in love. *laughs* I love electronic music, that's another passion of mine, so it just always felt like a place that feels free and wild in a sense where anything goes. I absolutely love that. There’s also this side of it, where it's quite German. *laughs* I just love the juxtaposition of it. It seems like complete opposites in one place, and I love that. Every time I go, as soon as I land, I feel at home a little, and I love it. Really good food as well. Every time I eat, I’m like “Oh, this is the best!” *laughs*

Laura: You have some shows scheduled for November and December this year. Is there a song you are most excited to play for your fans?

Charlotte OC: I might be doing some new songs – we've not rehearsed them yet – but I can already tell I'm going to absolutely love performing some of them. I love performing "Romeo" at the end, because it feels really, really good. However, if the new material comes in, I'll have to rehearse it. *laughs*

Laura: What do you hope for people to take home with them when they listen to your music or go to a concert of yours?

Charlotte OC: Anyone who’s watching, I want to do music because I want them to see that you can do it. You just have to keep going. I hope that it’s inspiring to them. It’s not easy, but you have to put yourself out there. If music is something you can’t not do, then find a way to do it. I hope that’s something people can take away from it. Also to be moved. When I’m on stage, I really don’t give a shit about what I look like. When I’m performing, I’m really expressing myself, and it makes me feel like a kid a little bit. I’d like everyone else to feel a bit free, and hope it loosens them up a bit when they’re watching me.

Laura: Are you interested in adding a couple of songs to our artist recommendation playlist? Maybe the last song you could not stop listening to, or your favorite song of all time?

Charlotte OC: My favorite song of all time is called "Diagram Girl". It's a remix by Shock Machine Rework, but it’s by Beyond the Wizard's Sleeve. There’s also a song I can’t stop listening to, called "Love Wars" by Womack & Womack – I just can't stop. It sounds like you're on the staircase up to heaven, and this is the song that's playing. It feels really sad and really beautiful at the same time.

Laura: I'm definitely going to check out the songs! I love songs like this, those that defy categorization.

Charlotte OC: "Controversy" by Prince is a bit like that. There’s a sadness to that song while it's still happy. That’s like a real love of mine, finding songs like that.

Laura: Thank you for your recommendations, and thank you again for taking the time to talk to me for The UNSEEN Magazine! I wish you all the best for your upcoming era!

If you want to experience both Charlotte OC’s new era and her beloved classics live, she’s heading out on tour in selected cities this November and December.

Tickets are still available HERE!

LISTEN TO "SERIOUSLY LOVE, GO HOME" HERE:

LISTEN TO OUR ARTIST RECOMMENDATION PLAYLIST HERE: