WRITTEN BY NATASA KVESIC PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICAH PEGUES
If one were asked to quickly list some of the most influential Canadian female vocalists, they would most likely start out with the legendary Celine Dion, the revolutionary Alanis Morrissette and round the list out with the powerful Shania Twain. Well, be prepared to add another name to that list: the romantic, smooth crooner, CHARLOTTE CARDIN. Hailing from Montreal, Cardin’s music offers a bilingual trip through failed romances, lust and love. With her work in both French and English, Cardin successfully showcases her versatility and ability to transcend language barriers by evoking a deep, emotional reaction within her listeners. Evoking emotions and self-reflection is something Cardin has made her goal since the humble beginning of her music career. “The first song I wrote was about war and how human beings should love each other rather than kill each other,” Cardin recalled. “I was twelve when I wrote it and it was for a poetry project in my English class. I never performed it, but I recorded it on Garage Band and played it on a CD player in front of the class!” As a young girl, Cardin’s parents were a large influence on her musical intake during those formative years. Even though she didn’t consider music a career for most of her life, taking up things such as modeling when she was 15, her passion for music and it’s storytelling of romance and events of regular people stemmed from listening to artists such as Celine Dion. “I listened to music my whole childhood because my parents are both huge music fans who taught my sister and me to listen carefully and notice lyrics/melodies,” said Cardin. “Celine Dion is the first artist that made me feel incredibly moved by her music and her songs still give me chills.” Cardin’s recent release, Main Girl EP, is chock full of songs that cause the same chills that she attributes to Celine Dion. With simple, bare melodies and passionate lyrics communicating tales of lust and relatable love stories, Cardin makes a powerful formal debut into the music world. When asked about the writing process of this EP, Cardin says that some of the songs had been in the works for the past two to two and a half years. “I can’t write on command… so inspiration usually comes when I’m alone at home. I’ll sit at my Wurlitzer and write music and lyrics at the same time. Language is also never a conscious decision, the song comes out in French or English without me deciding on the language,” Cardin explained. The Main Girl EP does not feature any French songs, but Cardin did release two French singles this year “Les Echardes” and “Faufile” which feature soft instrumentals and her breezy, effortless tone.
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