Charlotte Cardin

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.

Just to share my music with people from across the world is my main goal, so I intend to keep on pursuing that.”

Since the release of the EP, Cardin has been touring non-stop and most recently has been on tour with Nick Murphy (formerly known as Chet Faker) this fall. She has toured all over Quebec with her band and has now had the chance to venture further into United States, performing her new music to crowds around North America. This tour has been a milestone in many ways for Cardin and her band, which consists of her bassist, drummer, sound man and tour manager. “I’m still adapting to the touring lifestyle. Before this tour, my band and I had never been on the road for over a week,” Cardin said. “It’s been full of adventures, stimulating, amazing and tiring at the same time!”

Over the past year, besides preparing for her EP and touring, in September 2016 Cardin had the opportunity to perform at the Global Citizen Concert in Montreal. Global Citizen has a concert each year that is intended to raise money for a foundation, in this case, the Global Citizen concert raised money for Global Health to end AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Cardin was one of the featured musicians that was set to perform at the event, where she was fortunate enough to meet Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and be a part of a noble cause. “It was such an honor to meet our Prime Minister and lend my voice to a beautiful and important organization,” Cardin said. “Global Citizen has made such a huge difference in the world, and being able to be a small part of that global movement was really something.”

With her rising stardom and addicting style of music, two essential questions that must be asked of any musician had to be brought forth: “What is currently on your music rotation?” and “If you could collaborate with anybody who is a complete opposite to your current music style, who would it be?” Currently on Cardin’s music rotation is Freudian, Daniel Caesar’s new sultry and smooth album, to which she adds: “EVERYONE SHOULD HEAR IT, IT’S SO GOOD!” As for who she would collaborate with, Cardin says: “The one and only Snoop Dogg.” Let’s hope that collaboration happens in the near future! When it comes to the future of Cardin’s career, anything is possible. So far she has ventured through music, fashion and philanthropy and from the looks of it, it seems as though she has no plans of slowing down. “Just to share my music with people from across the world is my main goal, so I intend to keep on pursuing that,” said Cardin.

Written by Natasa Kvesic | Photography by Micah Pegues