“Oh, boy. I would say I am an in-progress human trying to figure it out [with] 7 billion other in-progress humans,” affirms the first-ever Capitol Records/Loud Robot signee, Chaz Cardigan.
With a few million streams accumulated on Spotify alone, one might assume the freshly minted major label artist would introduce himself a bit differently. The singer’s 2020 breakout single, “As I’ll Ever Be,” is heartfelt and featured on the Netflix film, To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You. After a successful stint in the independent realm — the year has brought forth buzzing tunes like, “Not OK!,” “Vulnerabilia,” and “Being Human (Bad Robot Session).” And the guitar-strumming crooner’s pen is at the helm of each of his music sheets.
Whether Cardigan is drenched in gummy bears on-camera for a YouTube audiovisual or curating a new Pride playlist — the newcomer’s demeanor is warm and interactive with his growing fanbase. Following substantial radio promo, came the announcement of the Capitol Records/Loud Robot star’s debut cross-country tour, alongside, Barns Courtney. Unfortunately, the tour could not come to fruition. In time, with the rest of the world, Cardigan was paused and needed to find creative means to navigate COVID-19.
Today his lyrical profession: “Everything’s all wrong/ And I’ve never been better,” rings true for himself and others with the new single, from Vulnerabilia, his early 2020 EP. The self-reflective project featured deep cuts documenting how he lives with a panic disorder. And the “Everything’s Wrong,” music video “…is all about not letting a breakdown keep you broken down,” he explains to The Knockturnal.
The Haoyan of America-directed animated music video features a scanned 3D model of Cardigan. Its production makes for an interesting plot twist, with its creation being rooted in photogrammetry from a virtual environment. The Knockturnal caught up with Chaz Cardigan ahead of this week’s “Everything’s Wrong” music video releasing — to discuss his Nashville upbringing, songwriting, and what’s en route amid this quarantine. Check out the J.J. Abrams cosigned singer-songwriter in his own words.
The Knockturnal: You say your songs and songwriting are a means of “cracking codes to emotion.” How so?
Chaz Cardigan: Music is cool to me because it’s how many people are able to put words to their feelings — not even just songwriters, but people in general — emotions are messy and hard to articulate. Art has this job of helping us articulate those feelings. I write a lot about how we communicate: what we say to each other, and what we don’t say.
The Knockturnal: In what ways has Nashville influenced your artistry?
Chaz Cardigan: Nashville is a city where everyone around you is better than you at everything — it keeps your ego in check. It’s like L.A. or New York City in that way. It’s very competitive. The city really forces you to find what you’re good at and hone your craft, whatever it is. Otherwise, you get lost in the noise.
The Knockturnal: Congratulations on recently releasing your EP, Vulnerabilia. What is a typical day like as a recording artist with Capitol Records and Loud Robot?
Chaz Cardigan: It [is going to sound] like such a cop-out, but my life hasn’t changed much since I signed my record deal. This is especially true during the ongoing quarantine. On a typical day, I’ll dig into work around 11:00 AM, writing or recording songs. I then take notes on videos or mixes that came in. [All of this is in preparation to try and] come up with ideas for TikTok — film them — and practice on my guitar or piano. Usually, in the evening, I’ll go live and play a few songs on Instagram or TikTok. That has been a good way to stay sane during the pandemic.
The Knockturnal: Your song, “As I’ll Ever Be,” from the Netflix film To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You broke through to the mainstream. What was that experience like behind the scenes?
Chaz Cardigan: Wild. What’s crazy is that there’s been a lot of things happening. They’ve all happened while we’ve been stuck at home. So, it all feels very unreal. I had a song in a Netflix movie.
That’s crazy on its own, then the song, “Not OK!” went to radio and has been climbing [an] alternative chart. A few TikToks blew up out of nowhere, and suddenly, Jonathan Van Ness is dancing to one of my songs. All of it together is insane. I’ve been playing shows and working on music for about 15 years now.
All the growth I’ve ever seen has been super incremental. Suddenly, in the middle of a pandemic, everything just explodes. It’s been amazing to see people connect with the songs the way they have.
The Knockturnal: Your new “Everything’s Wrong” music video is animated and features you locked inside a peculiar laptop. Whose idea was this, and what is its significance?
Chaz Cardigan: The idea was sort of a cocktail of some ideas that I had. It also includes some more thematic ideas that the director, Haoyan of America, had [in mind]. It’s about feeling stuck in your technology and trapped by your digital avatar.
The Knockturnal: How was it scanning a 3D model of yourself ahead of the audiovisual’s creation?
Chaz Cardigan: Tedious, but in the best way! I made a scan of myself, for the “Not OK!” music video. Still, we were able to do it quickly and pretty efficiently at the Bad Robot soundstage. Because of the pandemic, Haoyan, his animator, Alex Futtersak, and I were limited while working remotely.
So, the scans were done with an iPhone. There are a few apps that can create 3D models for AR and VR, but we used one called Scandy. The tech is super cool, but it’s also really primitive. You can only scan yourself using the iPhone’s front-facing camera because it has a depth-sensor.
[While using this app, it accesses what] your phone uses for facial recognition. We’re in the early stages of this sort of tech being accessible on your iPhone. So, it’s still a little shaky and takes a lot of patience, but it is cool. We were able to pull it off at all at a distance.
The Knockturnal: Can your listeners expect more new music from you soon?
Chaz Cardigan: There’s a lot of music coming. “Everything’s Wrong” is the first piece of a series.
