Charlie Russell

How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard you before, and what makes it undeniably you?

Charlie Russell's music is danceable, melodic, and kinda goofy.

What's the story behind the music you're releasing on May 8? Where did it come from emotionally?

The Beautiful Now came from my struggle to stop obsessing on past upsets and future worries. I was playing guitar and came up with this nah nah nah nah now climbing melody, celebrating the idea of just living in the now ... the beautiful now! The rest flowed from there.

How do you know when a song is finished?

There are usually bits that are just meh, where I think I can do better than that. I like to come up with stronger choices for those bits. Then it feels done.

Is there a lyric or line in your upcoming release that you're most proud of? What does it mean to you?

'We got angels, we got demons too. Those demons are just dust in time, they got no hold on you.' I love this idea that we've all got demons, but they're just dust in time. If they had power over us in the past, they don't any more, and we've moved forward in time. It feels powerful and evocative to me. Helps me fight the urge to replay past stuff and give it more power than it deserves.

What do you want listeners to feel when they listen to your track?

Happy, uplifted, optimistic, like getting up and dancing to celebrate the beauty and joy of life in this moment.

If your music were a place, what would it look like?

Ha, probably the set from the Barbie movie but in more masculine colors. I'm kind of an annoyingly glass-half-full guy.

What's your creative process like? Do you write from life, from imagination, or somewhere in between?

I write most songs from what I call seeds. A seed is usually a little snippet of words and music that I like, that feel like something I want to develop. It might show up when I'm playing guitar, or singing in the car, or reading, or in the shower, or sleeping. I write it down or record it, then keep going back and working on it.

What genre do you officially claim, and what genre do you secretly belong to?

Great question! I think my music is officially pop-rock. Secretly, I wish I could pull off R&B.

Do you make music better alone or with other people in the room?

I LOVE playing with other musicians. Love, love, love it, even if it's not always better.

What's the song you wish you had written by someone else, and why?

Jesus Had Two Daddies by Sean Patrick McGraw comes to mind. I heard him sing it a few years ago, and I thought that was just about a perfect piece of songwriting, and right up my alley.

Was there a specific moment, song, or artist that made you think, "I need to make music"?

Listening to the radio growing up! When I was 12, I asked my parents for a guitar for Christmas. They gave me a guitar and some lessons with a local player. I've never looked back.

What did your younger self think your music career would look like, versus what it actually looks like now?

Younger me thought I would be in more music videos by now.

What's a part of your personality that shows up in every song whether you intend it to or not?

Optimism I think.

Are you the same person on stage as you are in the studio, and in real life?

I'm a little more showy with the band, but only a little.

If you could only keep one, your voice, your instrument, or your lyrics, which one and why?

Lyrics and melodies. I love to sing, but I'd also love to hear other artists cover my songs!

What does success look like to you, not in the industry's eyes, but in yours?

I would love to have my songs out there in the world.