Raised on the pop-punk bands of the early 2000s and rooted in the storytelling of folk singer-songwriters, Charlotte Sands combines upbeat melodies with unabashedly honest, self-reflective lyrics. Sands describes her music as “a safe space for listeners to feel accepted and celebrated for their weirdness and diversity.”
Her recent single "Dress" has amassed over 25 million streams since its release and also broke the Top 100 on the iTunes Pop Chart, and is currently inside the Top 50 at US Pop Radio. She has had quite a prolific 2021 highlighted by several single releases, landing on the cover of Spotify’s ‘New Punk Tracks,’ press features at Paper Mag, AltPress, & Allure, a feature on the latest Cheat Codes album, and breaking 1 million monthly Spotify listeners. Most recently, Charlotte performed at Sad Summer Fest, where she shared the stage with acts like All Time Low, The Maine, Four Year Strong, & several others.
This week we talk to Charlotte about the success of her viral single “Dress,” life on the road, and advice for aspiring musicians.
LEG: “Dress” is out there in the world and with over 25 Million Streams already! When you posted the video on TikTok, did you have any idea what it would become?
CS: Honestly, I had no idea. I didn’t even really understand TikTok at the time and posted it expecting nobody to notice. I love the song so much and hoped that people connected to it in the way I wanted them to, but I definitely didn’t expect it to reach as many people as it did.
LEG: For those unfamiliar, give us the backstory on “Dress” and the meaning behind it?
CS: We wrote “Dress” because we wanted to create a space where people felt represented by a song where diversity and going against the norm is celebrated. As much as it was written about Harry Styles, it was also written for anyone who wants to feel confident wearing whatever they want and being unapologetically themselves.
LEG: How has having TikTok as an outlet for musicians changed the game do you think?
CS: Social media has impacted my career as an artist massively. It allows you to reach audiences that would normally take years of touring or massive budgets. It’s so much easier to connect with fans now, and it allows for so many more opportunities to reach new people, which I really love.
LEG: What advice would you give to young female musicians starting out in the business today?
CS: My number 1 piece of advice for all artists, and really everyone overall, is to surround yourself with people who make you feel valid and have a similar vision as you. Finding good people to grow with should be the ultimate goal. I am where I am because of the people around me and without them I wouldn’t feel as proud of this project or as understood and seen in every aspect of my life without them.
LEG: For all of your success was there a time that you failed to reach your goal either personally or professionally, and how did you learn from that experience? How did you bounce back and turn that defeat into future success?
CS: This sounds so strange, but I don’t remember a specific moment of failure in my career - not because I haven’t failed at anything but because I see failure as an opportunity to try again and with a different method. Trying and failing is all part of the process and if I wasn’t failing constantly I wouldn’t be growing or learning what works and what doesn’t. The only moments that have felt like real failure are the times I didn’t trust my gut which lead to feeling like my art wasn’t being represented the way I think it deserves to be, but I’ve gotten a lot better at following my instincts even when it feels terrifying.
LEG: How wild is it to be on tour and seeing the audience sing along to every word of your music? What’s one story from being on the road that you can share?
CS: It is truly the most magical feeling in the whole world. It’s like finally meeting family members that you’ve never met. You feel connected to each other and there’s a mutual love for one another without having to share everything about yourself. I’ve spent a lot of my life feeling like an outsider and every time someone sings along it just feels like we’re all finally finding our people. One of my favorite stories is when we were in Columbus, Ohio and I was walking down the line of people handing out free CDs and I met a girl named Abbey. She cried when she saw me and it was the first time that anyone has had that reaction to seeing me and I was so shocked by it that I just hugged her for what felt like 20 minutes. It was such a wonderful feeling because we were complete strangers standing on the street hugging each other just because she happened to find my song on a playlist and connected to it so much that she drove for hours and waited in line in the freezing cold just to see me. It’s the entire reason I make music, and moments like that make it all worth it.
LEG: Being a part of the Yungblud tour was such a huge look! How did the whole tour come together?
CS: That tour was so incredible and such an insane first run for me, I’m forever grateful I got to be a part of it. I honestly don’t know how it came together, I think it was just a mix of manifestation, timing, and consistency. I have been a fan of Dom for years and mentioned him constantly in every interview, podcast, and article I’ve ever done talking about how much I wanted to tour with him (including making videos mentioning it) but I truly don’t know how it happened. I like to think it was the universe rewarding me for something or my years of manifestation finally working but it is also super likely that I just fit the sound they were looking for and I’m very okay with that!
LEG: Can’t forget to discuss your track with The Maine and Taking Back Sunday! “Loved You A Little” is starting to gain a lot of streams and airplay. How did this collab come about?
CS: This song is one of my favorite things I’ve ever been a part of and I’m still shocked when I see my name on the song next to some of my idols. I met the guys from The Maine during the Sad Summer shows I did with them, and they were just the kindest people ever. When they reached out to do the song I didn’t know Adam Lazzara was on it and I remember thinking “woah this song has a really cool TBS vibe to it”. It wasn’t until the day before I recorded my vocals when we were on the phone discussing which parts I should sing and they kept saying “Adam's part" - that’s when it clicked and I’ve been pinching myself ever since. It’s such an honor to be able to sing this song with such incredible artists and vocalists and overall people, it’s really a dream come true.
LEG: Next up…. Another tour! This time with The Maine! (Charlottesands.com has tix!) Got a city that you're looking forward to hitting the most?
CS: I’m so excited for this tour especially because I get to perform “Loved You A Little” every night with them and it's the coolest thing ever for me. I’m always so excited to play my hometown show in Boston but there’s so many places that I’m playing for the first time that are going to be really special, I can’t wait!
