by Haley Harkin
Upon driving into Rocky Mountain National Park, the first thing we spotted was a moose.
inspiration
Odd Woman Out
My name is Charley Young. I’m an indie synthpop artist based in NYC. I was born in San Diego, California, and grew up on the Gulf Coast of Florida. I’ve always loved music and always knew I wanted to be a singer, but it took me a while to become confident enough to pursue my dreams. About five years ago, I decided it was time to stop being scared and go for it – Whether or not the timing was good, whether or not I was “ready.”
Music Is A Staple
Photo by Thornburg Creative
Much of my childhood is hazy in my memory because of its ever-shifting nature. The one thing that I can still recall with rather unhindered detail is finding my voice as an artist even when life itself was uncertain.
When my parents split, it was messy. The house foreclosed, my mom and I moved in with my grandparents four hours north, and my two older sisters stayed in Cincinnati with my dad. As my mom struggled to find a job and a sense of new permanence in Akron, my aunts and grandparents stepped up and helped with caretaking duties. I was eight or nine years old.
Painting Dolphins On The Wall
My friend that traveled with me said this one thing that music is magic and it is all that creates reality. I didn’t understand that until things I wrote in songs started to happen in my life in the future. That’s where I will leave off. Grateful to join this community.
The GDC’s of Songwriting
It is not uncommon for artists to create bodies of work surrounding one incident, such as a breakup; Adele’s 21, and Joni Mitchell’s Blue come to mind as examples of this very thing. Myself, I went through a heartbreaking experience over four years ago which created the agony I needed to inspire myself to pick up a guitar and begin writing in a big way. I believe that that pain was the push I needed to put me where I am today. I released my debut album two months ago.