Birmingham-based singer-songwriter Charlotte Champian writes and produces jazz-infused soulful songs from her home studio. Her musical influences include Lianne La Havas, Laura Mvula, Brooke Fraser, Joni Mitchell, Birdy and Jacob Collier. Her distinctive style experiments with layering of vocal harmonies, trumpets, double bass and keys.
TODAY, Champian releases her stunning debut album ‘As the Summer’. Charlotte has brought together eight songs that she has written over the past 4 years into a cohesive whole. She has worked remotely with musicians all over the world to record instrumental parts and compile them for each track. Opening track ‘Blue Light’ will sweep you away instantly on it’s bed of ethereal vocals, before Charlotte’s soulful voice takes centre stage. The lyrics and delightfully narrative and poetic all at once, and we feel an instant connection to the themes and the music presented.
Champian comments on the origins of Blue Light’: “One day, I was taking the train home and scrolling through my phone. Something distracted me and I looked up and noticed that everyone else on the train was staring down at their phones. I felt like I was in a scene from the Matrix and that I’d just woken up to reality. Blue Light is about the monetisation of our time and attention by big tech and how we’re manipulated to become addicted to the blue light. ‘Your time’s so precious to us’ lingers in the background vocals in the choruses. This track was influenced by the soulful tones of Lianne La Havas.”
Make sure to listen to ‘Highlight Reel’, which has beautiful brass parts, jazzy piano and bass. In an age of social media perfection and filters, this track is sure to resonate with many. ‘Lemon Sky’, previously released as a single, is comforting and mellow, with a soft glow like a summer’s sunset. A slight gospel hint, this track oozes sophisticated musical arrangement. No wonder it was Producer’s Pick for BBC West Midlands Introducing.
‘Found’ features insatiable double bass, with rich piano which is sure to warm you up, whilst ‘Shimmer’ has a slightly more loose, funky edge. We particularly love this one for it’s soothing lyrics: ‘We’ll blunder through it all… I’ll be there.’ In fact, Charlotte wrote this track in response to the tragic loss of a dear friend. ‘Say’ is perhaps our favourite track on the album, featuring a surprise guest vocal from the wonderful Shayanne (in fact, this one is a co-write). Charlotte explains the inspiration behind the song: “Say is a song to my younger self. In my teenage years, circumstances and unkind voices around me caused me to lose trust and confidence in myself. I have spent the past decade re-finding my voice and learning that my voice is just as valid as everyone else’s.”
‘Breathe’ is sure to melt your heart with its violins at the opening and the sparse verses where Charlotte’s voice shines through centre-stage, before the choruses build up in glorious texture. This is a song to savour. ‘Such Walls Fail’ provides an unforgettable closing track with it’s Satie-esque chords, and vintage-style piano, alongside haunting vocals. One thinks to Kate Bush on this one. All in all, this is a wonderfully confident collection of songs. ‘As The Summer’ is an elegant and poignant album that will linger long after hearing…
