We spoke to 15 year old pop sensation Charli for an exclusive interview! After getting to know Charli and getting the scoop on her background and artistic influences, we get into her new hit single, “Different Kind of Girl.” The single is currently playing on New York radio and is featured on the “Last Day of Summer” movie website.
Charli has also been working with legendary Grammy award winning producer Ted Perlman (Dr. Dre, etc) for her upcoming album.
More below.
We’re here with 15 year-old pop singer, Charli. First off, Charli, how are you? Thank you for giving us your time.
Charli: Thank you! I’m great, how are you?
I’m doing well. Where does the Charli stage name come from?
Charli: I have an uncle named uncle Chucky. He is very close to my family. He practically raised my mother while her mom was sick. He took my mom in. When we decided to come up with a stage name, we decided on Charli because it was a gift to him. If it weren’t for him, my mom wouldn’t be where she is today.
Cool. Explain how that brought your family closer together.
Charli: It definitely brought my family closer. He was very supportive with my mother. He really helped her a lot. It was really a gift to him. He’s very close to the family. We’re a close knit family. It’s great.
In terms of your music, would you compare your sound to anybody?
Charli: I think my songs are very different. I try to do that. I like to stand out. I like my songs to sound different. If I had to compare it to somebody, maybe early Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato, mixed together.
Why early Miley and not current Miley?
Charli: I think of early Miley because now she’s much more rock and that’s great for her, I, however, am a huge pop fan! My first bands were Backstreet Boys and N’Sync. I grew up all around pop and that’s why I prefer the early Miley music, when it was much more pop then rock.
Interesting. It’s cool that you mention different in terms of your sound. Your current single is “Different Kind of Girl.” Tell us about that one.
Charli: I first wrote “Different Kind of Girl” when I was 11 years old. I started writing it for Ashlee Simpson because I was a huge fan of hers. She wore the black nail polish, the tight jeans, the Converse and the chunky jewelry. She was really my role model. I didn’t have an easy time in school. I was getting made fun of because I liked to be different and stand out. I liked to wear different kinds of things. When I was writing the song and I looked back at it, I was like, “This isn’t just for Ashlee Simpson, it’s also about me.” It just fit. I originally wrote it for Ashlee Simpson, but in the end it fit me so well.
Years later, what do you now think of Ashlee Simpson?
Charli: I love Ashlee Simpson. I still have all of her songs on my iPod and I listen to them all the time. I think that Ashlee came out at the perfect time in my life. She really showed me that I’m not as weird as I think I am because I like standing out. It’s me, I’m not going to change me to make other people happy.
Where can the fans and our readers hear it?
Charli: It’s actually on the radio right now. My sister heard it in New York, she came home and started jumping on my bed, “I just heard your song on the radio!” It’s in regular rotation in New York. And you can hear it on my website at www.justcharli.com. It is also going up on Digiwaxx soon, too. It was just released and I’m very excited for it.
Who produced “Different Kind of Girl”? Talk to us about the production.
Charli: “Different Kind of Girl” was produced by a production team called “The Force”. It’s made up of three young guys — Nick Carbone, Edward Anthony Natoli and Michael John Secolo — who are extremely talented.
[Grammy-award winning producer] Ted Perlman also produced a different version of the song, which was a great experience. With Ted, I had an awesome vocal booth and some really cool gear. Working with The Force was really fun too, but it was a very different experience then the one that I had with Ted. [Laughs] With these guys I had a closet with no lights and no air conditioning. I really couldn’t care less though. I love small places, I hate recording with the lights on, and the air conditioning thing kind of sucked but I got through it! I think that these guys can do so much with so little. They’re amazing!
You’re song is also featured on the official website for the upcoming movie “The Last Day of Summer”. The film is set to be huge as it stars Nikki Reed from the Twilight series, DJ Qualls and William Sadler.
Charli: Yes, I’m really excited because I’m actually a huge Nikki Reed fan, because I’m a huge ‘Twilight’ fan as well. I’ve read all the books and watched all of the movies. I was excited right away. I was jumping up and down for joy. Oh my gosh, I’m being featured on the same website as a film that Nikki Reed stars in! I’m really excited.
Cool. The single is on radio now in New York. How has New York treated you thus far?
Charli: It’s been great. I grew up in Canada and moved to New Jersey when I was younger, so I’ve always been close to New York. I’ve been going there for auditions and to record my album. I love New York; it’s a lot of fun. I’ve been auditioning for commercials and movies in New York since I was 11 years old. I don’t think New York City ever gets old; there’s always something new that I have to check out. My song is actually number one on the Reverbnation charts right now in my area, and in the top ten on the national charts, so I’m really excited about that, too. I love my hometown!
Speaking of New Jersey, what do you think of the MTV show Jersey Shore?
Charli: I think that Jersey Shore is a really fun show. Some people get too serious with it but it’s not meant to be serious, it’s a fun show just to lift your spirits up and give you a laugh.
Do you have a favorite hot spot in New York City?
Charli: I love Times Square, that’s the biggest spot ever to me. The musical for Legally Blonde is right there and I loved it, it’s amazing.
Okay. I heard through the grapevines that some of the photography you’ve been doing is with the same photographer who works with Diddy & Usher. Tell us about that.
Charli: Yes, I did a recent photo shoot with Michael Benabib, who has indeed worked with Usher and Diddy and his photos were recently featured in “O”, Oprah’s magazine. He was amazing to work with. He was so fun and full of energy. When we were actually taking pictures, he always had the music turned up really loud. He’s full of energy. He makes sure you have a good time. It was like a huge dance party. We were all moving around. It made for the best pictures. He really knows how to capture a great moment. It was a lot of fun. You can see the pictures he took on my website, www.justcharli.com.
You’ve also worked with the legendary producer Ted Perlman – Grammy award winning producer who has worked with Dr. Dre, Burt Bacharach and more. How did that come about?
Charli: I met Ted a while ago. When I met him, we were working on some songs and he was very cool. It was an awesome experience to be in his studio. His studio is so warm. He’s a very warm person himself. When he brings you to the studio it’s like bringing you to his family. He treats you very well. It was awesome. Knowing all of the people that he’s worked with, and to see he’s still as humble as he is, it’s amazing.
He’s worked with Dr. Dre and all of these other people. I’m so lucky to be in his hands right now. I also worked with his wife, Peggi Blu. She was there to help with my voice; she was the voice coach and she was amazing as well. Both of them are full of energy. Peggi was throwing candy all over the place! She’s great. It was an awesome experience to be recording in his studio in California. It was an amazing time.
Awesome! Tell us about some of the songs you worked on with Ted.
Charli: I got to work with celebrity songwriters that Ted Perlman hooked me up with. We were recording the songs and as soon as I got there, we sat down and figured out all the keys to the songs. We worked very closely on the songs we did together. We developed a relationship with them. Since I wasn’t the writer for the songs that I did with Ted Perlman, I wanted to make sure that I could still connect with them and be there with them on an emotional level. We went through all of that. Even though I didn’t write them, they still hit me close, and they feel like they’re mine.
I just noticed your official website was launched www.justcharli.com and it’s very cool. Tell us about your very detailed website.
Charli: My website is amazing it was created by Sabrina at Urbanista Graphix. There is so much fun stuff that people can do on this site, it’s very interactive and user-friendly! You can read my Chatty Charli blogs, and watch all of my Chatty Charli video blogs, and there’s a Charli’s Closet fashion corner as well. You can also check out my Cheeky Charli merchandise, join the Charli’s Angels fan club and receive free stuff, play games and download desktop wallpaper. We also post promotional stuff and free giveaways!
What’s next up for Charli?
Charli: The next step is doing a whole bunch of interviews, photo shoots, magazines and finishing the album. There is nothing better to me than just being in the studio and recording. I love that. It’s the best feeling in the world. I love recording with the lights off. I dance in the booth! Nobody sees me but I’m literally dancing to the song in the booth while I’m singing it. That’s why I love the lights turned off – nobody can see me actually making a fool of myself. I feel like it helps the emotion of the song come out. I’m hoping to be playing live in front of audiences all over soon. We’re also putting together a tour for 2011.
Unfortunately for you, on a tour, the lights would be on and everybody would certainly see you dancing!
Charli: You know, for some reason, I love performing in front of big huge crowds instead of just one person. When it’s just me in the studio with a producer in front of just the glass window, it’s kind of awkward but when there are a hundred people out there I can put on an awesome show for them.
Do you have any last words for our readers?
Charli: Thank you so much for all of the support and don’t forget to check out my website at www.justcharli.com!
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