We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Chloe Borthwick. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Chloe below.

Chloe, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

This august I released an album with eight original songs called “Sharp Left.” I wrote and produced the songs myself and am really psyched with how it came out. It has a country/rock vibe which is sort of a new sound for me, hence the title “Sharp Left.” For the next year my goal is to release roughly one song a month. I just dropped my September single “Iron Lining” which is a breakup song that grapples with being told to “look on the bright side” after a devastating loss.

Chloe, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a 23 year-old singer/songwriter from NY state. I’ve been involved with music from a young age, starting piano lessons around 4 and later taking up the oboe. I was always really fascinated in what makes a ‘great’ song. I started writing my own music around the same time I started singing which was around 12 or 13. I’ve been involved in a large variety of musical ensembles; symphony orchestras, soul bands, alt-rock bands, jazz bands, wedding/cover bands, choirs, etc. I think my wide musical palette has really influenced the way I write and make music. I went to college to pursue a degree in Jazz Vocal-performance. I was still able to play oboe and fortunately had enough time to work on my own music as well.

As a full-time musician, I now work most nights playing solo piano/vocal cover gigs in NYC. Being exposed to such a diverse catalog of music growing up has really helped me as a professional. It feels really good to be able to play a song that’s requested, even if I’ve never rehearsed it before. I pride myself in being able to musically adjust to most environments easily.

Though songwriting isn’t my full-time gig, I certainly hope it will be eventually. I feel like that’s where most of my innate talent lies. I think most people can learn the piano and learn how to sing, but writing a good song in my opinion requires a certain level of natural aptitude. However, I can confidently say that the more songs I write in a given year, the better the quality tends to be. So it still is definitely a skill that can be practiced. One of the first memories i have of being really obsessed with a song is on an MP3 player I got for Christmas circa 2007. I had a playlist my mom made of songs I loved, a big chunk of them were from Disney movies. I vividly remember listening to “A Whole New World” from Aladdin and being so awe-struck by the melody. I maintain my excitement about that song to this day- and I aim to create music that evokes a similar reaction. I definitely want to audience to be entertained, but also feel something impactful whether thats good, bad, happy or sad. I think the best songwriters to exist know how to perfectly balance on the line between entertainment and art.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being a creative for me is the actual product I’ve created. I feel like I’ve heard so many in-genuine answers to this question, people saying the “community” or the “impact of their music on listeners” (or maybe I’m just more shallow). It’s not that community and impact on listeners isn’t a factor at all, but it’s really not the reason I make music. I make music because I love good songs, and I also just love making things in general. If I’m not writing or producing something I might be drawing or painting or decorating my apartment. I don’t have the same proclivity for those things as I do music but I still maintain the urge to create. Once I’ve finally finished a song, I legitimately listen to it upwards of twenty times a day until I’m sick of it. To be honest, it’s not even that I’ve gotten sick of it, but more likely that I’ve started creating something new that I can be obsessed with now.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Firstly, the music industry is ever-changing and super hard to understand. A lot of non-creative people I know will suggest that I play certain venues or send my songs to certain radio shows etc. in an effort to “get discovered.” It’s very rare that any artist “gets discovered” anymore, with the exception of going viral on TikTok. I really don’t say this to garner pity or anything like that, I just think people don’t really know exactly how music works anymore, and I’m not sure if even music execs and huge artists do either. Ultimately everything is a business, so I think that artists who have entrepreneurial mindsets (or teams that do for them) are the ones who are “making it.” Unfortunately for me I was not blessed with that trait even a little. I still think there is hope for artists like me- the internet is full of opportunity. I think authenticity still wins about 70% of the time. I like to hope that the cream still finds a way to rise to the top. It’s just a really daunting road to go down.

Secondly, s a professional musician and artist, I’ve come to resent live music. When I go out, I avoid it. Some people understand this completely, whereas others will say “well, isn’t this your passion? That must mean you don’t love it that much.” I still feel the same rush of excitement when I hear a new amazing song for the first time, and I still am inspired when I see an artist I love give an amazing performance. The reason I resent most live music nowadays has little to do with the music itself and more my reaction to it. When I’m not playing the same 100 songs over and over, I don’t want to hear someone else do it either. Even if they’re amazing, I just find myself analyzing every component of the performance; the song itself, the execution, the intricacies of the melody, etc. That is something I really feel too exhausted to do anymore- unless I’m creating something myself or being paid to play songs. Imagine you were a carpenter. A friend asks if you want to go see the best carpenter in the world build a chair. It might be the most amazing chair you’ve ever seen, but the thought of watching someone do the work you do yourself is not exciting.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.chloebeemusic.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chloebeemusic/?utm_medium=copy_link
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/0LGQe4cO54IC7Rg9NwdR0O?si=ndtTAT2OTyWEnF8-KqGXiA

Image Credits
Olivia O’connor Victoria Romulo