Interview: Charlotte Sands
Charlotte Sands is the blue-haired pop rockstar that you need to hear right now. With goldspun, hair-whipping melodies to the likes of All Time Low and rich vocal tones that are smooth like butter, this rising star is taking the music scene by storm, and you don’t want to miss it. Charlotte’s latest single “Bad Day” is out now, another killer track to add to her growing collection of standout staples from the Nashville-based singer/songwriter. We got to sit down with Charlotte to discuss “Bad Day”, stumbling into TikTok virality, and how quarantine gave her opportunities to grow and learn like never before.
Photo by Jacqueline Day
If you don’t recognize Charlotte Sands from her ultra-fun, cascading blue hair, then her viral song “Dress” may ring a bell. After posting the track on TikTok out of spite in November of last year, Sands says she simply posted the song on the internet just to prove it wouldn’t gain immediate traction like some other songs were on the popular platform. In fact, when Sands opened TikTok a few hours later, she fully assumed the positive feedback on her post was a joke.
The song “Dress” took off on social media as a pop rock track of empowerment for people determined not to conform to society’s ‘gender norms’. Wear what you want. Express yourself however makes you feel good. It’s a message that goes hand-in-hand with Harry Styles’ stunning 2020 Vogue cover shoot in which he adorned a dress, challenging ‘gender norms’ and evoking some ridiculous, negative reactions from conservative commentators like Candace Owens. TikTok fans embraced the hard-hitting message of protecting individuality and absolutely ran with it. Sands goes on to explain she feels lucky that her first song to grab people’s attention is one that really embodies her artistry and her identity.
However, Sands’ fans did not just show their support for the pop rock starlet on one platform. Instead, her fanbase began to grow exponentially on Spotify, Apple Music, Instagram, and Twitter as well. People of all ages really resonated with Charlotte and her brutally honest, pop punk sound. As of June 2021, “Dress” has over 6 million streams on Spotify alone and Charlotte has quickly risen to the occasion as a fearless leader in the arena of not giving a fuck and living life how you choose to.
Photo by Jacqueline Day
After “Dress”, Sands continued to release snappy, defiant tracks that soothe our aching punk rock hearts. “Special”, “Sweatshirt”, and “Dream About You” bring us nothing but intricate lyricality (reminiscent of songwriting legends like Julia Michaels) and thumping melodies that get stuck in our heads before we even realize we’re singing along.
Impossible to put in a box, Sands doesn’t adhere to any specific genre-based guidelines in her work. Rather, she lets her music speak to the fact that she herself is a human that’s constantly growing in different directions, allowing the constant in her art to be her authenticity as an artist and human rather than any particular sound.
“I’m a melting pot of the 2000’s pop-punk scene and old singer-songwriter stuff. [...] My main thing is that I try not to put too much pressure on trying to create certain types of music — I just like how things make me feel, and I go for certain energies in the room. I’m like: this is how I feel right now, this is the kind of song I want to listen to, and I want it to make me feel this way.”
In 2021, Charlotte Sands is back to bring us punchy, painfully honest banger “Bad Day” which was released to the world on June 25th. Dripping with teenage angst and refusal to suffer in silence, Sands says the track puts a spotlight on being human and all the teeth-gritting annoyances that ruin our day.
“Whenever I’m having a bad day or whenever I’m at my lowest, I don’t even let myself feel those emotions. I force myself out of that headspace because I know I have stuff that always needs to get done. But the reality is, it’s okay to have a bad day and to feel things! It’s actually important to go through those emotions! And that’s what this song is all about.””
On top of releasing her killer single “Bad Day”, Charlotte also showcases her artistic, visually creative side with the “Bad Day” visualizer (check it out below!). If the new track didn’t make you thrash your head and shake your fists before, this video will absolutely do the trick. Complete with burning cars, smashed windows, and flashes of a beautiful breakdown, Sands gives us all the angst and feelings of emotional empowerment we could ever hope for.
For fans eager to hear more from the unapologetic starlet, you won’t have to wait long! Charlotte says she has plenty of more hard-hitting, catchy singles to give the world over the next few months. And if you want to rock out to smash songs like “Dress” and “Bad Day” live, we have even better news. Sands is gearing up to play live shows as early as this fall, starting with the legendary Bonnaroo Music Festival on September 5th of this year. You don’t want to miss it!
You can check out Charlotte Sands’ new song “Bad Day” on Spotify here. Keep up with the pop punk beauty on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok to follow along her music journey.
Interview by Kelly Carrazzone & Tori Coker
