TIDAL RISING ARTIST CAROLINE SMITH

With the help of some very recognizable names, sought after exclusive content and ear-catching new talent, TIDAL has quickly become one of the biggest players in the music downloading game. Now, after just a couple years of success, artists using the platform are finding a whole new way to become breakout stars in the industry. Caroline Smith is one of the lucky and talented few who’s music has already reached critical acclaim through the platform. The 28-year-old singer from Minnesota has been named one of TIDAL’s rising with her soulful indie rock sound and edgy style. Her most recent venture is a video for her single “Trying Not To Love You,” that features the stunning choreography of Emmy Award winner Kathryn Burns. It’s colorful, fun and everything you want to sing and dance along with.
Below read our interview with Caroline about the video, her TIDAL rise and what the future holds.

Can you tell us a little bit about the last couple of years? How did you get to this point in your career?

The last couple years has been a lot of me writing and a lot of me growing. After releasing my last album, “Half About Being A Woman,”  I toured a lot with my band. When it came time to settle in and start working on the next record, I decided it was time for a little scene change, so I moved to Los Angeles. I’m from Minneapolis and I love that city. I would undoubtedly not be where I’m at in my career if it wasn’t for the unwavering love and support of my hometown, but I really wanted to push myself outside of my comfort zone and force myself to grow. The last year living here in LA and working with new folks has been absolutely amazing and I highly recommend any artist who isn’t feeling inspired to do the same.

Clearly, video is important to your work. How do you see it fitting?

For me, when I write music, it’s always about capturing a feeling and creating a vehicle to help communicate that feeling with the listener; my music videos help aid me in that. Man, I love when the music video turns out exactly how I imagined and the viewers can really jump into the world of exactly how I’m feeling.

What was the inspiration behind the video? How did it come together?

I really wanted to show the franticness that goes along with trying to get over someone. How you can be doing your thing cool as a cucumber and just the mere thought of them or presence of them can throw you off. You’ll get some Robyn vibes in there, a little Michael, a little Christine and The Queens, but I was also very inspired by David Byrne who inserts an unlikely style of dance into a world you wouldn’t necessarily imagine it being in. The clap pattern in the song always reminded me of a tap sequence, so I knew I wanted to do a dance video, I just needed to find a choreographer that got me. And sweet Jesus, there was no one better for the job than Kathryn Burns. When she officially signed on to help me with choreography, I jumped around the empty venue my band and I were loading out of for a good 15 minutes high-fiving strangers. Kathryn was perfect because she was committed to keeping the movements and style very intuitive to my personal rhythm. Also, she doesn’t take herself too seriously which was very important. I wanted to keep it light and natural. Man, she slayed it.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

I recently sold out my first NYC show and I am not going to lie, that felt absolutely amazing. Also, I got to write a song with someone I admire a lot this year that’s slated to be released this spring and that felt amazing too. I’ve had a crazy, crazy year of working with a ton of people I’ve always admired and never thought in a million years I’d ever be sitting in a studio with trying to find a word that rhymes with “buzz”. I mean, to be honest with you anytime anything good happens in my career I feel so fortunate that I get to be a musician. It’s all a highlight to me! haha.

What is like to be a TIDAL rising artist? How is it different?

I am not going to lie, it’s very validating. I’m kind of a little weirdo. I don’t take many selfies; I’m not super into getting glammed up; I like to keep it pretty real. Sometimes, as a woman, I wonder if I need to be doing more of the sexy selfies and stuff- don’t get me wrong though, if you feel good doing sexy selfies by all means, do the selfies! go and get it! slay! I just never felt comfortable taking myself so seriously like that. And having a company I respect, created by people I adore, give me their endorsement and support, feels very good. Like cool, I’m gonna keep doing me then.

What does 2017 look like for you?

I’m going to be finishing up my album, shooting a couple more music videos, and hitting the road with my amazing band. 2016 was hard. For everyone. I think things will look up in 2017. 

Story/ Alyssa Hardy / @stopalyssatime