The first time I saw Charlotte Sands play a show live, it was when a friend bullied me into an evening out in Midtown in Nashville. We get out of our Lyft at at Winners Nashville for Whiskey Jam, which my aforementioned friend had mentioned was a country-leaning line up.
Queue Charlotte Sands going up there with blue hair, slaying alternative songs. It was a real moment for me in the audience, one that made me say, “wow, she’s going to be huge.”
In a town like Nashville with so much talent, it’s hard to place your finger on what exactly makes any given artist more magical than the next. But she had whatever that something is.
2022 was a banner artist for her. Many first discovered Charlotte in 2020 on TikTok through her leaked single, “Dress.” The track was an invigorating f-you to folks who were aghast about Harry Styles wearing a dress on the cover of Vogue. “Dress” embedded itself in the US Pop Charts for 10 weeks and was played internationally on 200-plus multi-format stations, making it one of the biggest independent stories of the year. To date, “Dress” has amassed 35 million-plus total streams.
But Charlotte’s career didn’t start with the overnight success of a viral song—she has been grinding it out for nearly a decade, and her success is a testament to her broadly resonant messaging and her tireless work ethic. Since, 2018 Charlotte has released 27 singles and 2 EPS, covering a wide swath of creative real estate with her trusted longtime producer Danen Reed Rector, along with a motley assortment of creative conspirators spanning alt-rock bands such as Underøath and Sleeping With Sirens to pop and alt artists like Mokita and The Maine. Her catalog has amassed over 135 Million cumulative streams, averaging 1.9 million listeners per month.
Since that show at Whiskey Jam, Charlotte Sands and her band have played 103 shows, including national and international summer tours opening for big-name artists like YUNGBLUD, My Chemical Romance, in front of 32,000 people, and The Maine; a fall headlining tour across North America with many sold-out shows; and festival performances at Bonnaroo, Forecastle, Austin City Limits, South by Southwest, So What!, Boston Calling, and Riot Fest. Now, 2023 is almost booked up with a fleet of international dates.
Her latest single, “Alright,” an ethereal but anthemic pop track, chronicles a profound turning point in her story.
“I want to be the big sister to those who feel like freaks. My intention with my music is to create a safe space for people to feel accepted and celebrated for their weirdness and diversity,” Charlotte reveals. “When people feel seen and supported, the world becomes a better place.”