1. Hi Chandler! Please introduce yourself to those who might not know you. 
Hello! My name is Chandler. I’m an artist and singer-songwriter, born and raised in Los Angeles, CA. I create music that blends electronica, pop, and rock.
‍‍
2. When did you first realize music was your path? Was there a specific moment or influence that solidified being an artist as your dream?
Music has always been a part of our upbringing. My mom had us in piano lessons and dance basically by the time we were two years old. My grandma was a piano and vocal coach, and my aunt was a piano teacher. All my cousins sing.
‍
This moment I have is so specific: when my parents got divorced and I moved to Maine, I remember singing in a tree to a friend, and she told me it was good. It was the first time I became self-aware of having a singing voice—like, “Oh, maybe I can do something with this.” From then on, I started auditioning for theater from 2nd grade through 8th. Then I picked up the guitar and went pretty indie folk. Then EDM. Then alt.
‍
And now we’re here—mashing them all together.
‍
3. Being in the alt music scene, which is usually pretty male-heavy—what does that experience mean to you as a woman, and how are you navigating the space? 
I think being a woman makes it pretty fucking awesome. I love being a woman. But I’ve also identified as a tomboy my whole life, and this scene has really allowed me to step into both my masculine and feminine sides.
‍
Women are taught for so long to suppress their rage, and all that stuff gets stuck in the body. So to get up there and dance and explore my range—it’s so awesome. I’m going to have dancers at Warped Long Beach, so it’s going to feel like a little party. It’s fun to be sexy.
‍
If a woman or a teenager can look at me and be like, “Damn, I can be both. I can wake up wanting to dye my hair a fun color, or I can get comfortable in my body by moving, dancing, and being silly”—that’s the dream. I think people assume we’re sexualizing ourselves, but we’re not. The body is not inherently a sexual thing, but our bodies are constantly viewed that way. I’m just comfortable in my skin. I get to wear bright blue eyeshadow and dance and be weird and hot if I want to—and that’s very empowering.

To be free is the greatest gift. I just think when we can all stop giving a f*ck, we can teach others to do the same. It’s also refreshing to see all the subgenres emerging in the alternative scene—led by incredible women, some of whom I’m lucky enough to call friends—doing it all so unapologetically.
‍
4. What's it like to be a part of the effort to create a supportive community for a set of diverse women in the music industry?  
It means so much to me to foster a community that’s kind, respectful, and inclusive—queer, and of all different backgrounds, ethnicities, races, and religions. But when we go to shows, we’re all just one unit. My Discord is a space where people can make friends, so when they go to shows alone, they know they have a community there.
‍
5. You made your Warped Tour debut this summer in DC, and you're headlining our Warped Warmup Show at The Voodoo Room on July 22. How was your first Warped Tour experience? And what are you most excited about for your Warped Warmup show? 
My first Warped experience was so surreal. I went when I was just 15 years old. I had the same time slot as 3OH!3 and Ice Nine Kills, and I genuinely thought no one was going to show up. But by the second song, the whole place was packed.

My genre of music is pretty unique for Warped Tour, so I was really happy that people were into it. It was just so fun to be up there. I’m especially excited to bring back some older songs this time—when we did Warped, it was all tracks from the new EP, but for San Diego, we’re definitely doing the bangers.
‍
6. You’re releasing your new EP “Coming Up For Air” next month , what can fans expect from you? Any new sounds you're experimenting with? 
The next two tracks are very dance rock, with lots of grit but also super fun and summery. They put me in a good mood when I listen to them, so I hope people feel the same way. They’re not deep; they’re just meant to be something you can dance to.

It was nice to step out of writing from a traumatic place for once. It’s easier to perform songs like that too—less taxing on the mental.
‍
7.  What’s the inspiration behind the EP title? 
My last album art was me drowning underwater, telling my whole life story—who Chandler is. This new EP is about exploring my sexuality after that chapter. After healing and a breakup, I just didn’t care. I went out and made so many mistakes, but I felt like I could breathe again. I was coming back to myself.

I wanted it to reflect growing up, being in my 20s. The time period of this EP is set between ages 26 to 28.

8. You mentioned that your latest single “Emergency (SOS)” was the first song you wrote for your upcoming project. What is the writing process like for you going into the studio? What’s your favorite part?           
I walked into the studio and said, “I want something that makes people dance; I want to really sing and explore my vocal range, and I want it to feel happier than my last album. Feminine rage, but make you dance.”

It was my first time writing as a unit, as a band. The energy in that room was so contagious, I knew it had to feel like that for the rest of the EP. All real instruments. It also took so much pressure off and made the session move so much quicker.
‍‍
9. Which artists helped shape your voice—not just musically, but emotionally or aesthetically? 
Oh man… I used to listen to this girl Jayme Dee on YouTube, and she had such a cool way of taking really popular songs and making them indie, putting a unique spin on things. I learned a lot about how it felt just by listening.
‍
I grew up on a lot of Billy Joel, Bon Iver, Avril, Paramore, The Lumineers, Arctic Monkeys, Tame Impala, The Black Keys, Fleet Foxes, and Beach House. Such a wide range of music… This EP reflects a lot of the experimental sides of those albums.
‍
10. If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be? 
Absolutely would be Nothing But Thieves, Yungblud—I just love everything he stands for. Justice, Tame Impala, The Technicolors, or Muse, too.
‍
11. What would the movie of your life be called, and who’s starring as you? 
Haha, oh boy. Hm. I don’t know about the title, but I know it would be about a girl who didn’t let her life circumstances get in the way of her fate. A girl who is curious, bold, and loud. Growing into herself by using her pain as a paintbrush. Maybe… “Don’t Let the World Turn You Cold.” I’ll have to sit on that one. Kind of like a “This Is Us” moment. Emma Stone for sure.
‍
12. If you could pick one album as the soundtrack to your life, what would it be? 
Billy Joel’s The Stranger reminds me of my dad banging on the dash of the car with his drumsticks that he always left on the floor.
‍
13. What’s a personal achievement from this past year that you’re especially proud of? 
I’m really proud of how much work I’ve put into exploring myself and other genres. Never pigeonholing myself by thinking I need to stick to one thing forever. We are constantly evolving, and it only makes sense that our music evolves with us.

I’ve done a lot of healing this past year, and I’m really proud of how much I’ve grown as an artist, a friend, a partner, a daughter, a sister. Stepping into my power without fear holding me back.

14. What’s next?
I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing. Continue to explore myself, get experimental, and keep telling the stories of my life and the people I love. I hope I get to tour soon. I love performing. Album two is definitely already in the works.
‍
I can’t wait to just keep doing what I love, surrounded by the people I love. I want to travel more and enjoy life—to be in the sun, be healthy, be kind. That’s all I could ask for.