© Louis Bever
Charles uses jealousy as a driving force for creativity, which lands him on London billboards and writes the soundtrack to his life.
It’s a freezing November evening and the man who has been hailed as the creative love child of Barry White and Prince is chatting to me from his living room in London. Dressed in a hot-pink jumper, and wearing his signature chunky silver rings, Charles's smile could light up the world’s largest cities during a winter-night black-out. The singer-songwriter, trained dancer, and showman extraordinaire had a busy year finishing a new record, playing numerous gigs, and his first headline show in months. He can also regularly be seen as a model for luxury fashion giants, such as Gucci, Emporio Armani, and Yves Saint Laurent.
With a personal invite from the legendary Abbey Road Studios to perform and record at their premises, and numerous plays on BBC Radio 1’s Track of the Week, Charles’ creative portfolio would leave most people speechless. The born and bred Londoner, however, is always keen to keep it real and say it how it is, making him a huge inspiration for existing and aspiring artists.
From questioning viral moments in the music industry, featuring on massive billboards, to ironing everyone’s clothes before his shows, INJECTION got the low-down on Charles’ latest project, Gorgeous, Sick & Tired.
YADAYADA is your story about the toxic side of the music industry. Particularly since Rae’s speech at the Brits, everyone should have an inkling about how difficult it is to be a part of an industry that ruins more dreams than it makes come true. What have your recent experiences been?
At the time of writing YADAYADA, I'd always put up this façade that everything was fine and that was also how I projected myself as an artist. I never really wanted anyone to know how I actually felt. It wasn't until we were in L.A. and I opened up to other artists, that I realised we were feeling exactly the same. People don't talk about jealousy [in the music industry] but I was extremely jealous of the people who were being chosen or having these viral moments. I never wanted to make TikTok music. But at the same time, you can't help but be envious of these people who are doing that and are thriving.
Jealousy is one of those emotions we're always told is not a good one. But we feel it for a reason. For me, this was the moment when I just realised that I had to turn my jealousy into something positive. Jealousy got me to the point where I am now. It’s a massive driving force for me - it's almost like I'm in a race with jealousy and I need to prove it wrong. I need to get to the end where I can finally turn around and say: ‘I'm not jealous anymore because I did what I set out to do’. And so I put it in this track that now exists as YADAYADA, which I absolutely love and I'm really happy that it's there.
You sing about “watching paint dry on a school night” in a reference to the mundane carousel of the industry's obsession with viral ‘moments’. What is, in your opinion, the biggest issue with this trend?
I never had an issue with viral moments at the start. I think the problem now is that it’s become the goalpost, it’s the key thing that everyone is aiming for. You're not aiming to write a really good song, you're not aiming to say something from the heart. You're just aiming for a viral moment. And that’s just weird.
How, in the music industry, have we got to this point where these huge people at the top of record labels say that you ‘just have to go viral’? It’s the new buzzword and it's almost like everyone has forgotten what job they work in. And whilst I’m not against going viral, because you can find your audience and connect with fans, the music industry shouldn’t be treating it like the Bible, or like the thing that's going to be your big break. If something goes viral by accident, fair enough. But I certainly wouldn't make music just to go viral.
© Louis Bever
How would you say Gorgeous, Sick & Tired is following on from On Trend, Hungry & Broke?
It's been a long time since On Trend, Hungry & Broke came out. I feel [that EP] was just me testing the water; I had recently got into making music and I'd chucked together these songs and everything was very fresh at that point. It wasn't as serious.
But even the soundscape has changed so much since my debut EP, and I feel that Gorgeous, Sick & Tired represents me more as a person. This is the music I want to make, this is how I'm moving forward. To me, it’s like Gorgeous, Sick & Tired is my real debut EP because it feels more like me. I know what I wanted it to sound like. It also delves a bit deeper into who I am; if you listen to the lyrics, you start to understand that some of it is quite deep.
Do you have a favourite song from Gorgeous, Sick & Tired?
At one point, they were all my favourite. I love them all for different things, but I’d say Hearts on the Run is my favourite because I just love how playful it is. Plus it feels a bit like the wild card amongst all the songs on the EP. I remember getting into the studio and having so much fun creating it. We were looking at old adverts and listening to radio station jingles and all those sounds. That's how we came up with Hearts on the Run.
Also, it was at a time when I was going through a weird time personally. I felt that my partner was distancing himself from me and my heart was trying to chase and catch up to his. Before, we'd always run in sync, but for the first time, I felt that either he or I had overtaken each other. It just felt strange. And you listen to it and you think it's such a happy song, but in reality it’s not. It's quite a sad one. But I love it because we're not in that place anymore.
It's like I’m building the soundtrack to my life when a track plays and it takes me back to a moment in time. I really want to start logging it in a timeline.
Can you talk us through the amazing artwork for Gorgeous, Sick & Tired and all the visuals that go with it?
It was the most uncomfortable photo shoot of my entire life. It was insane. The whole theme came about because I wanted to show a bit more of who I am as a person. I love going to a proper English caff to get a fry up. That’s one of my favourite things to do. I grew up in these places but at the same time, there’s also that very glam and 70s aesthetic side of me.
The whole premise of the artwork is that you've got my glam, made-up face coming out of a dining table with a gingham tablecloth, and you've also got a full English breakfast in front of me. It represents my British heritage, where I grew up, but then you have also got the different body parts coming through the table which is playing on how I felt, and I think it sums me up in one photo.
I’d like to give a huge shout-out to Kate Sutton, who has been my set designer for years. Everything I’ve ever done, all my music videos, it’s all through Kate. I've never met someone like her before; I’d love to see the world the way she does. She sees the beauty in the most everyday things, and she is such an amazing person who has really elevated my career.
Today, I also found out that the artwork is going on two billboards next weekend. One is a huge billboard in Shoreditch, and the other is in White City. It’s going to be there for three
© Kate Sutton, Jasmine Desilva
Your live shows are nothing short of incredible. From outfits, choreography, your band, backing singers, and of course your inimitable voice. How much work goes into creating something that blows the mind of anyone who witnesses it?
No one's ever really asked me that question, and it's making me think. I've been doing live shows for so long, but obviously they never started like that.
I love creating the shows, I love it so much. I was watching a lot of Beyonce's and Prince’s world tours and researched artists I really wanted to see. I watched their shows and wrote down what I loved most. And then I started creating my show. It was all about how I wanted to make other people feel, that I wanted them to walk away and feel a certain way. I just started building it from there.
There are so many things to think of in terms of a live show. First, of course, we have the music that’s already done and we go into rehearsals with the band. Then I go away on my own and start working on choreography, which I practise in my living room in the mirror. You should see some of the videos! I guess because I'm doing it in my living room and there are no frills and I'm dressed in tracksuit bottoms - it just doesn't have the same effect. But as soon as I put on my outfits and am on stage, it just works.
I also plan the stage design to make sure it’s all looking right. And then I sit down with the light and tech guys - I write all the cues - and we go through all of that.
Everyone on stage is styled by me. I source all the clothes, literally iron all of their clothes before the show the night before, and bring all of their stuff and all the merch to the venue. It’s mad to think about it all but for me, it just feels quite normal. I love it, I’m obsessed with it! In the future, it would be nice though to not have to iron everyone's fucking clothes the night before [laughs].
When do we get a full-length album?
Good question. There's one more EP to come, which I've nearly finished, and it’ll be coming out at the start of next year. And after that, you're going to be getting an album.
You've got your EP launch party the evening before the EP drops . How are you feeling about it?
Good, actually. I want it to be quite calm. Not calm, that's a lie. I'm obviously going to put on a show but in an intimate setting. It’s very 70s. But I'm excited to talk a bit more about the songs and not have it so polished, not a massive show from start to finish. It’ll also be lovely to hear from the audience and fans, what they thought of the tracks. It's at the Roof Gardens, a new members club that's opened up and I'm the first artist to do a show there.
© Louis Bever
Charles’ commitment to his music and his perseverance in an industry that seems to make it extra hard for real talent, artistry, and brilliance is beyond commendable. He makes it look effortless and glamorous and has every ingredient of a mega star-to-be. Undeterred by viral TikToks, he turns momentary frustrations into musical gold, whilst pouring his heart and soul into his art:
‘People look at my stuff and see my presence online and think that I've got it sweet or that I'm earning big bucks from this. In reality, have spent every single bit of savings I've ever earned on this music. And I’ll continue to do that.’
Gorgeous, Sick & Tired is out now; listen to it on Spotify or any other streaming platform.
Comments