Artist Spotlight: Meet Charlie PS
How does this 'Even If It Kills Me' reflect your musical journey and growth as an artist?
It sums up the chaotic journey of self-doubt and painful growth that I’ve been on since starting my musical project in 2017, especially through COVID. During 2020 I had nothing to do but sit and face everything that I had been avoiding and needed to work on and I was forced to do some uncomfortable but important self-work to get to the place where I am now and ‘Even If It Kills Me’ takes you through the ‘before and after’ of that process.
Were there any challenges or breakthrough moments during the songwriting process for this 'Even If It Kills Me?'
Initially, I planned to sit down and write as many songs as possible between March and August of 2022 and then pick the 5 that fit together the best for the EP. As I hadn’t written in quite some time, I was understandably rusty and for me the challenge was to be patient with myself in finishing the songs that I knew probably weren’t going to work, but needed to be written in order for me to get back into the practice of writing again. The songs I ended up picking for the EP were some of the last to be written but I had to go through the process of refamiliarizing myself with the songwriting before they could come to fruition.
How does this 'Even If It Kills Me' fit into your overall artistic vision?
It fits into the narrative that I’m currently trying to push of being unapologetically yourself. It’s what I want people to see in me and it’s what I hope people take away from my music. Simply put, I want to create fun, rock music that people don’t need to think too hard about but can relate to and I think this EP does a good job of encapsulating that.
Many of your songs seem very personal. How do you balance sharing your experiences while maintaining a connection with your audience?
I honestly don’t think too hard about it otherwise it stunts my songwriting process. I say whatever I want to say and put it all out there and then hope that people will end up connecting with the finished product. I think the answer is in the question - sharing your experiences should hopefully lead to you making a connection with your audience. :)
What has been one of the most significant moments of your musical journey so far?
In March of 2022 I received a grant from Canadian funding body ‘Canada Council for the Arts’. At that time my self-confidence was at a low point and the funding came with the notion that they believed in me enough to give me the opportunity and money to create my music and that gave me the permission to believe in myself again and the boost I needed to cancel my pity party and get to work!
