There’s something about Brooklyn-based, Metro-Detroit-bred singer-songwriter Charlie Burg. His music has an effortlessness to it, as though he’s just sat down one day and out its flowed, straight from the heart. From new love to lost love and everything in-between, he just gets it, y’know? Now three EPs deep (‘Violet’, ‘Moonlight’, and ‘Fever’) and signed to FADER Label, the 23-year-old is teeing up for big things.
Hi Charlie, what first drew you to music? Have you always been a fan?
My parents’ records, and an early compulsion to Emote! Yes.
What prompted you to become a musician yourself?
It wasn’t really a choice! I’ve always felt drawn to music as a means of expression.
Does songwriting come naturally to you, or is it something you have to agonise over?
Both. Writing is my way of making sense of what I feel. But it doesn’t stop there… creating a piece of music is a painstaking process of trial and error. It’s draining, it’s all-consuming, it’s unyielding in its demand for attention… but we cherish the agony don’t we!
Are there any lyrical themes or vibes you find yourself repeatedly drawn to?
I find that my lyricism tends to be an attempt at making sense of my past, and how certain moments in life inform my present. Sometimes I write to hold on to things, sometimes to let go.
Is being a musician living up to the hype so far? What have been your highlights?
As with anything, there are good days and bad days. I am very lucky to be doing what I’m passionate about for a living. Highlights? Shows in Europe, shows around the States, basement shows.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on self-acceptance, and honouring my “art” by finishing what I started. That’s as specific as I think I’d like to be. I put “art” in quotations because this word comes with a lot of baggage, and your definition of it is different than mine. For all I know, you could think that my music is a load of bullshit – it’s not for me to say.
Do you have much in the diary for 2021 yet?
It shall be a new era, to say the least.
If you could knock anything off your bucket list during the next 12 months, what would you choose?
Recording in Paris… and reducing my carbon footprint.
Is there anything else we should know?
The Earth is dying right before our eyes, and we are to blame!
