It’s been a quite a journey watching Nashville’s Charlotte Sands rise. I checked her Spotify stats today; right now, she stands at a cool 1.3 million monthly listeners. This is with a mega 2022 ahead of her. I don’t claim to have much in the way of inside knowledge here, but many are taking the bet on her. She ended 2021 with a roar at the Dallas area Unsilent Night event, and is dropping her EP Love and Other Lies this Friday, January 21st. Soon, she will embark on a full US tour as the direct support for Yungblud, and has announced a festival appearance at Forecastle in Louisville, KY (supporting Jack Harlow, Clairo, Porter Robinson, and many more).

This is where I play the hipster card I say I knew about her when she was recording with folks from VEAUX and collab-ing with Sansol the Artist. If you know, you know.

If this is what’s announced I can’t imagine what’s coming. But the excitement of it all makes me want to re-enact setting a car on fire from her “Bad Day” music video.

What a long way she has come from her Nashville Unsigned days, am I right? This is the indie artists’ dream. Check out our Q&A with her below and get hype:

Our intro to you was at a showcase presented by Nashville Unsigned at TopGolf. What is a standout memory from that night and how is your mindset today different from then?

That show was so much fun and was probably the biggest show I had played at that time! I vividly remember feeling like that was the first time I truly represented my project and my energy live the way that I had wanted to for such a long time. 

If your music was a drink, what would it be?

A shot of tequila. It’s an upper and makes you feel energetic and confident (maybe too confident) but also very emotional (at-least if you’re me). 

What is the most meaningful piece of merch you own and why?

The most meaningful piece of merch I own at this moment would honestly be my “Illiterate Light” shirt from their show at basement east because it was the last show I went to before the world shut down and has been a constant reminder to be grateful for live music and for what I get to do for a living. 

What is something encouraging about today’s music industry?

Something encouraging to me is how much more diversity there is on the creative side of the industry as well as the business side. I’m proud to see more women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+  representation but there is still so much more progress to be made. 

What precipitated the rock direction? While “Dress” was your big break, it feels to me like “Special” was the true beginning of what I consider to be the “Charlotte Sands sound.”

I’ve always listened to rock music and grew up making it before any other genre so it feels natural for me to continue creating it! I love pop music and I love the universal element of it so being able to tap into multiple genres and reach as many people as possible is my overall goal. 

Was that set for “Bad Day” as fun as it looked? 

It was so much fun! I love dramatic videos and performances so being able to sing in front of a car that is quite literally on fire was very exciting for me. 

Any standout moments from the filming process for that video?

The most memorable part of filming other than almost catching on fire was probably trying to steer the car down the street while performing the song. There was a camera strapped to the steering wheel which made it super difficult to see and having to pay attention to singing and driving was not easy!

Tik Tok has been instrumental in your rise; what accounts are your go to guilty pleasures?

I definitely am a huge Tik Tok fan, I’ve been able to meet so many amazing people because of it and I’m really grateful for that! My favorite accounts are all animals and honestly Duolingo which is so weird hahah. I love watching random brands do trends and create a personality on social media that they would’ve never had if it wasn’t for Tik Tok. 

What is your favorite Yungblud song and why?

 This is such a hard question because I love so many I don’t know how to pick one. My favorites would probably be “god save me, but don’t drown me out” and “mars” because they’re both painful yet hopeful songs surrounded with these insanely catchy melodies that make you want to scream them as loud as you can. Everything he makes feels really powerful and universal as if he’s writing it for everyone else and I really love that. 

Are there any fellow Nashville artists you’d like to shout out?

There are so many that I am such a fan of but number 1 would be John Harvie because he is the most talented, kind, hardworking, and overall wonderful human and deserves all the success that is coming his way. 

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Follow Charlotte on Tik Tok and Instagram. Check out her tour dates here. Featured photo by Nick Stafford. Also, stream the new acoustic version of “Dress” below: