On her latest single, “Puppeteer,” Toronto’s ECHLO tells the story of unintentional manipulation within a past romantic relationship. Seamlessly blending atmospheric dark pop, electronica, and trip hop, the mesmerizing track
from her forthcoming album “I Was I” comments on how easy it is to fall into the role of puppet or puppet master both in personal relationships and in the greater society we live in. “Sometimes we find ourselves in a position of power over someone else, the master in a love affair. Sometimes we take advantage of this and sometimes we wake up and cut the strings. We have all been masters and puppets in some form or another. At some point,
we have to cut our strings and break free.” And this is an artist that knows a thing or two about breaking free. ECHLO (aka Chloe Charles) initially launched her music career in 2010, releasing a series of jazz- and folk-infused albums and EPs. She toured extensively, performing upwards of 1,200 shows, across ten countries, and garnered acclaim from high-profile publications including Rolling Stone and Billboard Magazine. While the path of
least resistance would have meant she continued happily travelling that road, she felt a deeper yearning to shake things up and break free from the path she was on. “When I first started playing music, it was the guitar I experimented with, and that led me down a wonderful path that brought me all over the world,” she says. “I arrived at a point around 2018 where I felt a bit restless and that I wasn’t growing artistically. That led to me
starting to write with keys and synths, which opened up a seemingly endless realm of musical possibilities.” It was amid this musical evolution that Chloe assumed the ECHLO moniker and released the single “Head High”, which reached #1 onthe CBC Music Top 20 Chart, and eventually made CBC’s Top 100 Songs of 2018. “ECHLO, in general, evolved from Chloe, who was more introspective. I’m not trying to disassociate from what I’ve done in the last; I’m proud of that work. ECHLO is further reaching, more outspoken, less reserved and unapologetic about certain concepts and feelings,” she says. The music video for Puppeteer is indicative of ECHLO’s history of
being born into the nexus of the music and visual arts worlds. As the granddaughter of renowned Canadian artist John Richmond, she assisted her grandfather in the creation of his work from as early as nine years old, while also learning her distinct guitar picking style from her mother, Victoria. Meanwhile, her father Noel, who was a successful and gregarious international nightclub owner eventually re-married Cynthia Lennon, bringing ECHLO closer to her stepbrother, Julian Lennon, and in turn, a deeper understanding of the music of The Beatles.
The music video for “Puppeteer” was conceptualized and directed by Dusty Deen, an independent filmmaker who has produced and directed several award-winning short films and music videos. Constantly pushing himself to experiment with different styles of filmmaking, his most recent projects, including Puppeteer, include original animations that adapt a variety of unique mediums to create surreal and unusual experiences. “I encourage everyone to go and discover more of Dusty’s work”, says ECHLO. “I hope our collaboration brings him more of the recognition and success he richly deserves.” As an avid visual artist as well as a musician, collaborating with
other talented visual artists in the creation of music videos is incredibly exciting for ECHLO . “I’ve always placed visual arts on par with music,” she says. “They are equally important to me and I believe they compliment each other tremendously. I’m not interested in creating what I see as today’s typical ‘look at me’ type of music video. Instead, I prefer to look at each video as the creation of a distinct visual piece of art that can be appreciated on its own. Inspired by the likes of Portishead, Massive Attack, and other triphop acts of her youth, ECHLO draws from a wealth of electronic and digital sounds to create “Puppeteer”, a hypnotic and pulsating piece that demonstrates beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is pulling the right strings
I have always had a complicated relationship with putting my own self care needs before others’ expectations or demands of me. Suffering from writer’s block last year, I found myself with a new focus to liberate myself from self-criticism.
“Fear” has a deliberate air of empowerment and was written from a place of happiness, breaking my cycle of only writing during low periods. Recording it at home allowed me to go in with greater freedom of mind in a more relaxed setting – free to create something I could dance to.
You can listen to my new single on your preferred platform!
If I decide to try being healthy, it better be because of me
This lyric signifies my understanding and constant striving to remember to be mindful of my own needs, so that the motivation for my self care stems from within myself.
I hope that you can take this message into your own life and feel liberated as you engage with “Fear.”
Thank you for listening,
Roni Bar Hadas
Vevo, the world’s leading music video network released the complete list for its highly-anticipated Vevo DSCVR “Artists to Watch” 2022 campaign. Beginning November 1, Vevo’s DSCVR ATW will showcase engaging, high-quality live performance video content from the class of 2022, with two unique performances from each artist, shot exclusively for Vevo.
Born out of Vevo’s taste-maker series and brand DSCVR – “DSCVR Artists To Watch” is now in its 8th year and consists of 21 global artists whom Vevo has tipped to break through to the mainstream.
With over 500 submissions, Vevo’s DSCVR ATW program is one of the most highly anticipated and competitive lists to appear on, as the artists and bands that make it receive critical exposure and promotion that help propel their careers. ATW artists and bands will be marketed and featured in Vevo’s expert music video programming via playlists and editorial features across Vevo’s network, including YouTube and connected TV platforms, such as Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, and Apple TV.
Vevo has a long history of supporting and introducing emerging artists to new global audiences and its DSCVR ATW champions emerging artists through live performance content. Alumni include now-household names such as Billie Eilish, Pop Smoke, Sam Smith, EarthGang, Guaynaa, Lewis Capaldi, Arlo Parks, Maggie Rogers, James Bay, Jorja Smith, and more.
Speaking to their Vevo DSCVR “Artists To Watch” live performance video for “Weightless,” that’s streaming everywhere as of today, Chiiild says, “I am so honored to have been chosen as one of Vevo DSCVR’s Artists To Watch for 2022. It feels special to be back on the Vevo DSCVR stage for another performance alongside such an incredible roster of both international and domestic artists. Thank you to the team and all of the creatives involved that patiently helped bring my vision and the world of Chiiild to life.”
Sam Mackoff, Vevo’s Senior Manager of Artist & Label Relations, says, “Chiiild has made a name for himself occupying a space that is so uniquely his own. His dreamy tracks & genre-bending style make him one of the most exciting voices of this year. Back in May, Chiiild’s infectious music captured our attention & landed him a feature in our DSCVR series ahead of the release of his debut album. We are excited to welcome him back to the stage & continue the partnership as a part of this year’s Artist to Watch class.”
Vevo’s global in-house production teams worked closely with the artists and their teams to shoot all content in accordance with the CDC’s COVID-19 safety protocols. All content was shot in 2021.
The Vevo DSCVR Artist to Watch 2022 campaign is sponsored by Ray-Ban Stories, built in partnership with Facebook.
Vancouver’s hyperpop duo BIG KILL release “SAAB 900”, their second single from their debut mixtape in February. “SAAB 900” is front loaded with shallow glamour. The rev of an engine. Your first car. The song morphs into what’s underneath, thoughts of self destruction and loneliness. It epitomizes what makes Big Kill so special and unique; a combination of experimental energy and pop-forward elements that go zero to one hundred in a matter of seconds before coming back down to a smooth cruising speed. “SAAB 900” is an instant hyperpop banger – off-kilter and a little whacky in style, packed with dramatic dynamics, experimental melodies and earworms.
The track, like all of Big Kill’s music, was welded together in their studio beneath a giant warehouse where they have become a fixture in the Vancouver music scene offering their musical prowess and guidance to many up-and-coming local artists. “SAAB 900” follows Big Kill’s first three releases, including “Fat Lip” featuring Pitchfork-approved artist DEBBY FRIDAY (which was named Northern Transmissions‘ Song of the Day and was featured in Popwrapped, EARMILK, and Exclaim!) and acts as the cornerstone to the announcement of the group’s first mixtape titled BIG KILL FUTURE due out in February 2022.
Written, produced and mixed entirely by Big Kill, with the finishing touch at the mastering stage provided at the hands of Stuart Hawkes (Charli XCX, Mura Masa, Disclosure) of Metropolis Studio in London, UK, “SAAB 900” is nothing short of a journey that further showcases the duo’s dedication to the highest level of limitless creative exploration.
neillfrazer@hotmail.com
