Chloe is a producer and singer that goes by the name 'Cholly', a nickname that stuck. She likes to experiment with different sounds to make her music. Currently, she performs her tracks alongside A Motion For Control. Cholly is a BBC Introducing artist who has played number of festivals including BBC Airwaves and Fresh on the Net Live. Her music is described as cinematic Electronic Pop. She streams to Twitch under the username chollymusic. 'Winter Scarf' is a song to express feelings around seasonal depression and seeking comfort in nostalgia during dark times.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Cholly, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
Both my Mum and my Dad are really into music. My Mum would sit and play piano when I was really young and I enjoyed listening. The music made me feel sad or happy depending on what she was playing. I saw an episode of Tellytubbies when I was around 5 years old and there was a girl playing twinkle twinkle on violin. I became obsessed with it and kept telling my parents I wanted to play violin. They told me if I was still interested when I was 6 they might consider getting me a violin, and I was, so they did. Eventually I learned piano too, and some other instruments. I always sang but was quite shy about it. It wasn’t until I was 18 years old that I started to write and sing songs.
What is your creative process like?
It can start in a few different ways. I may be in a certain mood and feel the need to write a song. I might have an entire idea in my head that won’t go away until I make it. I might have found a sound that I just love (this could be anything, e.g. a squeaky car window), or I might have a melody in mind. I write lyrics when I think of them usually, then I take from all my notes when I need lyrics. When the song is ‘finished’ (it never really is finished, but I have to stop obsessing after a while), I usually pass it on to Conor Amos (The Zoomers) to mix, because I’m not very patient with mixing.
Your latest song is 'Winter Scarf'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
I wanted ‘Winter Scarf’ to be simple, and I wanted to express the feelings I get during the winter. Usually I experience heightened anxiety and depression at that time of year. This is what the lyrics are about. I chose not to use percussion because percussion motivates me and during the winter my motivation disappears. During the winter, the usual things that make me feel better stop working (exercise, food, socialising), and everything starts to feel the same. Everything blurs together. This is why I’ve made the vocals mutate into instrumental sounds as the track goes on. This is where nostalgia comes in. I have used a voice recording of my cousin Sean I took in April 2022. He had cancer, and passed away in September 2022. He spoke about nostalgia, nature, Christmas, family and trips abroad. He was very content thinking about happy memories. Nostalgia is something that gives a lot of people comfort in difficult times. The recording was from the last conversation I had with him in person, and it is a good memory. He loved music and I thought the voice recording was perfect for this.
What was the most difficult challenge you faced?
The most difficult music-related challenge has probably been overcoming my anxiety about performance and letting go of perfectionism enough to be able to enjoy being on stage.
What is the biggest mistake you have made within your career to this point?
It is probably just not being assertive enough. I find it very difficult to make decisions. Not being assertive enough has led me to feel stuck at points.
Are there people who help you with the production of the songs?
I do all of the production for my music myself. My partner, Conor Amos mixes my music most of the time. I appreciate this a lot and he does a great job.
What are your long term goals?
One of my long-term goals was to release an album on vinyl. This year, I have an album coming out on vinyl thanks to the label Werra Foxma Records.
Having said this, I don’t often think about long-term goals. I focus on small steps.
What do your fans mean to you? What do you value most in them?
Every purchase, listen, and share counts. I love it when people reach out to me to say what they liked, or even take the time to tell me that they have listened to a new track. I value that they have taken the time for my music.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
Most of the time if anyone reaches out to tell me they like my music, it’s memorable. Once, somebody emailed me to tell me that they liked one of my songs so much that they learned it on bass guitar. They sent me a recording of them playing the song on bass. I’d been feeling really low that week and it was so lovely that they reached out to tell me that.
Where is the best place in the world you’ve ever been to?
I haven’t been loads of places in the world, but when I went to Vienna, I loved it. I was very relaxed there, there was a huge appreciation for art and music, and there was fantastic coffee and cake. Most of the time I’m very tense, even when I seem relaxed. I just hold myself that way. In Vienna it was like a weight was lifted. I’d love to go there, or somewhere like that again.