Image via Max Varen
If you’ve been following NOTED! since day one, you’ll know I’ve had no success when it comes to arranging interviews, even with local artists (Jim E. Brown, I’m looking at you).
That’s why it was such a lovely surprise when New York based artist Chloe Jane got in touch with me. An emerging talent in the dance-pop scene, she had just released her new single ‘Middle Man’ - which you can read more about here.
Straightaway, I was amazed by Chloe’s self-starter attitude; from songwriting to running social media and booking gigs, she pretty much does it all herself. In between her busy schedule of live shows, ice skating and roller blading, she found the time to chat to NOTED! about her new track and future goals.
L: Thanks for chatting with us today! How are you doing?
C: Really good. I’ve been prepping for some shows I have coming up in New York City, and then I’m doing a festival on Sunday in Pennsylvania. So I’m just lining all that up, and working on releases and all that fun stuff!
L: First of all, I’d like to congratulate you on your new single ‘Middle Man’! It’s been out for a couple of weeks now - what’s that been like?
C: It’s been super great, the reaction has been amazing to see. I feel like people that have been following me and supporting me for a while now have been really enjoying it. It’s definitely one of my most vulnerable songs, so it’s amazing to see people connecting with it.
I feel like this is the most authentic song and video I’ve ever done, because I wrote it about me being the middle man between my parents. And I grew up pretty much as an only child, so they both relied on me my whole life to be the glue.
It was a really funny story when they first listened to it, which I could share…
L: Yes! I was going to ask about their reception of it, because they’re in the video right? How was that whole experience?
C: Yes, that’s my real mom and dad. I wrote this song in a session I did in New York earlier this year, with an amazing songwriter and artist called Lex. We were both talking about our lives and families, and we both had a common thread of being the middle man in our families. And yeah, we got really transparent about what it’s like on the day to day, having crazy parents!
So I brought it home one day and played it for my dad, and he was like “oh my gosh, I love this song! I love the pre-chorus melodies, and the synth…” - he wasn’t listening to the lyrics.
L: And you had to break it to him…?
C: No, I didn’t even say anything, I was just so glad he liked it. Then I sent it to my mum who was travelling at the time and in a later time zone. I woke up the next morning to my dad saying- “Chloe, what’s this song about? Mommy’s all upset! Is this what you really think?!”
I had to say, hold on, this is not about you - it’s about me. Then they both acknowledged that they put me in the middle a lot, and the stress it causes me. We had a laugh about it after I explained this, and they agreed it’s a great song and that so many people are gonna relate to it. So they really turned their thought process around.
L: Tell me more about the music video.
C: I had this idea to make the video comedic, in a sense. I like to make darker subjects come from a more uplifting or inspirational point of view. So I came up with this idea for the video, where it starts with my parents fighting and then cuts to me rollerblading on the streets of New York to get away from them, as I sometimes feel I need to do when I’m being the middleman.
I started ice skating when I was three, which led to me finding out that you can turn ice skates into roller blades. I thought it was so cool, and I got some wheels and learned in a day how to do it. It was really similar to ice skating.
Then I called up my friend Max Varen, who shot ‘Sleepless Nights’ - he’s also a pro ice skater and rollerblader - and told him my idea. We shot it in three days and it was so cold. My parents really pulled through, because there were a lot of scenes in different places all over the city. It was quite an ambitious project, about eighteen hour days for three days straight.
L: Wow, that must have been exhausting. It’s so interesting to hear it broken down like that, because it just looks like so much fun.
C: Yeah! But I love doing videos. I get such an adrenaline rush. Max and I worked so hard on it, and it was lots of fun to film. We had so many obstacles, though, shooting that style of run-and-gun on the streets without any permits. People were yelling, cars were coming - I lost four wheels at one point and didn't realise until twenty minutes later! But the show must go on. It was insane, but we loved it.
L: I wanted to ask about your experience writing this song. You've said how vulnerable you felt with these lyrics - do you find that’s a new thing for you?
C: For sure. I love making fun, uplifting music; I started DJing when I was thirteen, and my parents met in Ibiza, so I grew up around a lot of electronic music. I knew all the biggest DJs by age eleven and was listening to all their music. I really gravitated towards that euphoric kind of music that brings people together. I saw how it made so many people dance and come together, and I said - that’s what I wanna do.
But then I also grew up listening to so much pop music with real storytelling and songwriting involved; I love Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, and Whitney Houston. It’s only in the past year or so that I’ve been really digging down into this emotional vulnerability, and I found there’s a way to blend the two. I want people to feel connected to these emotions, while still having those electronic elements that can work on the dancefloor. It makes me who I am by blending my different interests.
L: That’s such an interesting take on pop music - you’ve used the dancefloor to create this blend of sadness and healing. And I guess this is what your music is all about, right?
C: Exactly. An artist I look up to who does this really well is Robyn. She writes the most heartfelt lyrics that if you just played it on a piano it would make you cry. And then she has an amazing synth and drum production on top. I think it’s important to transform those emotions into something you can dance to.
L: Off the back of that, I wanted to know more about your songwriting process in general, and your main influences when writing.
C: Recently, my songwriting process has really shifted. When I’m in the studio now, I don’t get inspired by a beat or a track anymore - I want to hear chords that speak to me. So I’ll sit down at the piano, because that’s where you can create a melody.
With artists like ABBA, for instance, they create these timeless songs with amazing melodies that you can never get sick of. That’s what I am focusing on, creating songs that can transcend, and starting at the piano really helps with that. Real instruments - then you can add all the fun stuff.
L: That’s definitely refreshing to hear in the current climate of generative AI in music. It’s nice to see musicians still recognising the importance of stripping it all back, and starting with the instruments. I also wanted to ask about your live performances. I saw you actually debuted ‘Middle Man’ live on the day of its release.
C: Yeah!
L: And you were rollerblading as well?
C: Yeah, there’s this rollerskating rink/live venue in Brooklyn called Xanadu. When I went there, I just fell in love with the place; they have a stage, an LED wall, a massive disco ball - it was like I went back in time. And that was my first time ever performing live singing and roller skating.
L: How do you warm up for gigs like that? It must be very physical. Do you have any pre-show rituals that get you in the zone?
C: I had to practice my singing while running around. [During the set], I DJed a bit, jumped into the rink and did the songs, then went back up to continue DJing. And I remember taking the mic off my back, and it was just saturated. It’s definitely a stamina thing, and I hope to do it for many years to come and make it my thing.
L: I wanted to ask about your alter ego and upcoming album title - Princess of the Night. How do you get in that mindset, and do you think that the ‘Princess of the Night’ and Chloe Jane are separate? Or do you find it quite natural to embody this?
C: I feel like the Princess of the Night is how I feel the most myself, and confident in myself when I'm on stage performing. The thing that switches it on for me is getting dressed, doing my glittery crystal makeup, putting on a sparkly catsuit and feeling I look great. Then I get to a place and I’m ready! You know, I just switch on. It’s not like a different person, it’s just a different side of myself.
During the days or nights, when I'm just alone at home..I've got a lot going on up here! I'm constantly going between "am I right to do this? Is this what I'm meant to do?" Then I'm always like, yes, this is what I'm meant to do, but it's such a crazy journey being an artist.
L: Obviously with us being UK based, would you ever come and play here?
C: Oh my gosh, I am obsessed with the UK. I actually performed in Camden at the end of August last year.
I love the UK. They just get art and music, [particularly] pop and dance music. I also did some writing sessions with some writers and producers in London, and it’s such a great music hub, I hope to be back there and do a whole tour.
L: I love that you connect with the UK so much; I’m from Manchester, and we have this strip of gay clubs and bars called the ‘Gay Village’. When I heard ‘Middle Man’ for the first time, I thought it would not be at all out of place there.
C: I would eat that up. I would love to just hang out there all night - that is totally my kind of thing!
L: If you ever find yourself up north, you should definitely come and check it out. I’m gonna start to wrap things up now, but I wanted to finish with a fun question. I know you love ice skating, so if you could take three celebrities ice skating with you, who would you choose?
C: I would take Zara Larson - she just seems like such a fun person. I’ve actually met her once, at a charity event in Colorado last February. I sat next to her for the dinner, and she was the coolest, nicest, most funny person ever.
Let’s be strategic here; my overall idol is Gaga, but I feel like I would be too nervous to go ice skating with her. Maybe Charli XCX. She would be so fun. And then maybe not someone in music - my celebrity crush, Jacob Elordi.
L: What a mix of people! Speaking of Elordi, what’s your take on the new Wuthering Heights film? I’ve heard very mixed things.
C: Oh my gosh, yeah. It’s nothing like the book, but it’s so beautifully shot, and the soundtrack is incredible. I just love the songs on that record - ‘Chains of Love’, ‘Dying for You’, etc.
L: Maybe I’ll give it a go then…Finally, what is next for the Princess of the Night?
C: Oh, lots of things. I’m trying to make a lot happen. The plan is to release a single every two months, with a music video. The next song I wanna do is a disco-pop song and I want to shoot it at a roller rink, which I’m starting to wrap my head around.
And then, I was going to put the album out at the end of this year, but I’m thinking of releasing it in January next year. Christmas is a whole thing, the whole music industry shuts down, and everyone is just focused on Christmas music. And it will start the year off strong!
Chloe Jane certainly has her work cut out for her. In the meantime, make sure to check out 'Middle Man' on all streaming platforms, and keep up with her on Instagram @chloejane.
