HOLLYWOOD, CA- As Blurred Culture’s music editor, I get a lot of emails from aspiring artists asking me to listen to their new music. Believe it or not, press play on for everything I receive. If I hadn’t I would have missed out on discovering up and coming talent like Sage Charmaine.
This young lady has released a handful of tracks, and let me tell you … she’s got some bangers. And she’s only 16 <insert surprised face emoji here>.
We invited her to perform an early evening set for us at Madame Siam back in May, which she absolutely killed, and we caught up with her after she returned from a short four-city tour opening for Hey Violet. It was particularly good timing as he single “June” had just hit the million stream mark on Spotify. We talked about the roller coaster of a ride she been on the past few months.
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First off, thanks so much for performing for us at Madame Siam. You absolutely killed it for us… and you were awesome at The Troubadour.
Thank you so much! & thank you guys for having me!
It’s always amazing to me when a new artist, particularly an artist so young, kinda comes out of nowhere to drop some musical treats. I just saw on your socials that your single “June” recently hit the million stream mark on Spotify! That must be pretty exciting.
Yes, it just hit 1 mil today! Yes, it definitely is. But I feel extremely happy and super accomplished
Did you ever imagine that song blowing up so much?
To be honest, no. I always liked this song but I definitely didn’t think it would be my most popular.
Which song would you have thought would have been the bigger hit?
I was expecting “Don’t Leave Me” to be more popular because the song resonated with me more. I thought a song with a more upbeat sound would do better … or maybe a song that was less about love and relationships and little more angsty and sassy
I guess the audience was just feeling the emotions more in “June”. That song really tugs on the emotions. The dynamics, especially in the chorus, are pretty big.
Yes! It’s definitely a crying song fosho <laughs>. I wanted a big “grand” like chorus, because of the song kind of sat like a ballad otherwise. I wanted to make sure it didn’t lose its feeling.
Do you think “Don’t Leave Me” is more “Sage” than “June”? You’re pretty sassy on stage and you’ve got a couple of other songs that delve into the “angsty” realm like “Ashes” (if I remember correctly). You’ve mentioned on your social media that “Don’t Leave Me” is your favorite song off the EP. I guess I just wanna know why?
Yeah … I think it is. I think the whole EP captures all sides of mem but that song specifically is a good embodiment of “Sage”. That, or “Cherries” or “Not Really.” On stage I’m extremely sassy, and I love to turn up the whole “bitchy teenager” attitude with a little bit of 90s Britney innocence thrown in as well <laughs> But I think what makes me love the song “Don’t Leave Me” so much is not only the lyrics, which are about being completely obsessed with someone and wanting them all to yourself but the music behind it too! Rocky Lynch produced this song and so he made sure everything I wanted was added in. I love the chorus break down where the synths come in and it sounds a little bit like Diplo. When I perform it, I jump around & try to get the crowd to do it too <laughs>
It’s must have been a whirlwind the past few months getting to tour with Bhad Bhabie and Hey Violet. Those are some really good looks. How’d that all come together?
Yes! It definitely was! I went on tour with Danielle (Bhad Bhabie) first. I opened up for her in Reno and that’s where we first met. I did one more show with her after that and then we decided I was going to go with her to Canada. The shows were super fun! Ahe has an extremely large, crazy fanbase, so the energy at the shows was cool and a lot all at once. Definitely super lit tho & down to perform with her anytime!
More recently I went on tour with Hey Violet. They had a four-day tour supporting their newest single so I went with them as their opener. It was not only a cool experience because I had been a fan of theirs, but also because they hadn’t performed for the past two years & still had a shit-ton of people come out for their shows. Their fans are also super sick, they’re all super sweet as well. Both tours were overall awesome experiences that were super fun.
Were there any personal highlights during the tour for either act? Anything that caught you by surprise that made your day?
I think just being there was the highlight. Both Bhad Bhabie and Hey Violet are artists I listen to on my own time and definitely a year or two ago had you told me I was gonna be performing with them, I would be in total denial <laughs>. So just the opportunity I guess was a highlight. Being part of tours whether the audience actually wants to give other acts a chance and not just rush to the headliner is always appreciated.
As far as making my day, I think the “meet and greets” definitely do it for me because it’s always cool meeting the people that relate to you & hearing what their feedback and comments are. I especially love to meet and greets after shows like Hey Violet and Danielle because I’m meeting people that are most likely brand new to me and what I’m all about so its a cool experience.
What can we expect from you for the rest of the year? I know you only released your EP a few months ago, but are you planning on dropp[ing more heat or going on more tours? What’s the 411?
Yes, I’m definitely gonna have upcoming performances. As far as I know, my next show is August 18th at Echo Park Rising. As far as releasing new music, new shit is definitely currently in the works. Ideally, I wanted to have another project done by fall, but it might be more like winter or spring. But definitely, expect a lot of performances in the future and new music for sure
Reflecting on the past year, is there anything you’ve taken away or learned that will benefit you going forward? Any pearls of wisdom that you’ve picked up along the way?
Hmm, I think yes. I think the biggest pearl of wisdom I’ve learned is that it’s extremely important to surround yourself with a solid group of people you can trust, and have that be your “team.” In life in general, but especially in this industry, people will always try and benefit themselves even if it comes at the expense of you. Because of this, it’s also important to not let these events backtrack you or hold you back. Stick to what you know and love and own whatever you’re doing. Good and bad karma is always prevalent!
Follow Sage Charmaine on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
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