Oct 31 2021

Charlotte Hall Interview & her new single “I Feel Alive”

By David Presley

Great to have you on Xttrawave. Please, introduce yourself.

Hi I’m Charlotte Hall and I am a singer-songwriter from Chesterfield, U.K.!

What got you into music and made you realize that it was your chosen path?

I think I’ve always wanted to pursue music right from being a child. I remember taking a guitar magazine to nursery and really wanting a blue Flying V Electric guitar that was in it! I joined a lot of music groups at school originally to keep away from bullies as I was quite an introverted and shy teenager at times. Music had been a form of sanctuary for many years and it had become very integrated and part of my identity from a young age. So it was destined to be that I would go on to study a BA and Master’s Degree in Music.

Tell us about your new music? And what’s the story behind it?

“I Feel Alive” is a song about breaking free from a 9 to 5 job, getting out of a small town, and into a city that has a much bigger music scene. The city in question is Sheffield where there are notable music alumni such as Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Human League, and Def Leppard. It is a music scene I hope to be part of.

“I Feel Alive” is optimistic, hopeful, and encouraging to listeners. It is about never giving up on your dreams. Life is too short to not pursue the career you really want. I hope this single does connect with more listeners on this very relatable subject.

What makes your music unique? How would you describe it?

My music tends to be quite different for every release that I do, it is certainly still under the Indie Umbrella but I have delved into other genres such as Folk, Country, Rock, Britpop and Pop. Fingerpicking guitar has become a bit of a signature sound the more singles I have written and released. My acoustic guitar playing is one of my strengths as a musician and this time round, I have used this technique on electric guitar.

Who are your biggest music influences? And any particular artist/band you would like to collaborate with in the future?

The music is under the Indie Pop-Rock genre and is influenced by the likes of Johnny Marr, Sam Fender and Jeff Buckley. The very first chord is actually the same as Paul Simon’s “Kathy’s Song”, I just used a different fingerpicking pattern to create the riff. It was after listening to Jeff Buckley’s “Grace” just by chance that I thought; “I want to write a song like that; I want to have an electric guitar introduction as intricate as that!”

The absolute dream would be to collaborate with the iconic Queen of Rock that is Stevie Nicks. Anyone who knows me will know how much I love her and her song writing!

Which is the best moment in your musical career that you’re most proud of?

For me it has to be getting onto BBC Introducing York and North Yorkshire as a student; I did song writing as a fun side project then, but that moment made me realise I want to pursue this seriously. My debut single got several airplays and I also secured “Record of the Week” with my single “Stratosphere”, which I uploaded back onto streaming platforms last April!

How do you balance your music with other obligations family, friends or work?

I work full time so it does involve some sacrifice at this stage. There are nights where I do want to hang out, go out for drinks, watch Netflix, but making these easy decisions makes getting a music career much harder to achieve. There have been moments where I threw in the towel during lockdown, but I always picked it back up. I knew I would never be truly happy if I wasn’t pursuing music.

What advice would you give to aspiring musicians?

If you really want it, no matter what level, you’ve got to keep going even when it’s tough. If you throw in the towel, pick it back up.

If you had one message to give to your fans, what would it be?

Thank you so much for following me and being part of the early days of my music career! If you want to keep up with new releases feel free to follow me on my socials and Spotify!

What’s next for you? Any upcoming projects?

I will be releasing more music before the year is out, we’re not far away now so stay tuned!