#Risingartist: We tried to channel Lana with Cloe Wilder newest song
16-year-old alternative pop artist — Cloe Wilder — is a rare exception; she finds herself writing and recording a sophomore EP (produced and co-written by Sam Nicolosi; exact details TBA). Outnow, is the EP’s second offering — the ethereal and emotional “Remember Me” — and introduces a theme that’s intricately interwoven throughout the entire forthcoming project.
Resembling that of a lullaby and channeling the spirit of Lana Del Rey and Billie Eilish, “Remember Me” is a nostalgic and universally relatable track. With wistful vocals possessing qualities of both delicacy and acute control, “Remember Me” captures the essence of Cloe’s childhood.
Having interviewed Cloe along with exclusively unveiling the single, Ones To Watch describes her as “prodigious and precocious,” praising “Remember Me” for its “sage-like lyrics draped in mellifluous melodies that seem cloaked in a lifetime of expression.”
Stream / Purchase “Remember Me” here.
Succeeding the release of the EP’s dreamy-folk lead single “House by the Water,” Cloe remarks: “I don’t often write about my family, but I wanted to capture my childhood with ‘Remember Me.’ I wrote it to resemble a lullaby, creating this soundtrack to my very own supercut. When I listen to it, for a couple minutes, every home movie comes back to life.”
Cloe’s youngest years revolved not around soccer practice or trips to the mall with friends, but instead learning the great classical works on the piano, and attending weekly recitals. Although she found passion in the piano, a life of playing 18th century piano concertos was not her ultimate plan. More inspired by Lana Del Rey than Mozart, she attended her first songwriting camp at the age of 12, and immediately after, “couldn’t imagine doing anything else,” she says.
It wasn’t until a little further down the road when she was introduced to songwriter and producer Sam Nicolosi, that her destiny seemed ready to be truly fulfilled. “Sam and I met through his manager,” Cloe recalls, “we did a session in March of 2020 and I absolutely loved him. Eventually I was only working with him. It changed my life and my process, because he gave me so much room to be myself.” That partnership resulted in her 2021 debut album, Teenage Lullabies (produced by Nicolosi), which truly showcased her raw talent, one well beyond her years.
Being in this world of sad songs, I feel like there’s a way to present it,” Cloe explains. “I think that there’s a way to be really blunt about it, and still make everything pretty. I’ve just tried to be super honest.”
Still, comparisons to Lana Del Rey are not unfounded, as she’s been a fan since she was seven years old, and has a similar ability to convey melancholy in a way that feels like a shared experience. Much is revealed, though, by her admission that she’s also spent a lot of time listening to the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Elliott Smith, so, obviously she’s not trying to cheer up her listeners with this new material, but rather give them someplace to go to not feel so alone in their sadness.
“Cloe really developed a concrete vision to express in this new body of work,” Nicolosi observes. “Capturing a sort of raw, less produced, and more folk-inspired sound was the mission this time around. Cloe wants to make songs that make you feel something. There have been sessions where the song is so real that I want to cry, even after hearing it over and over. There’s true magic in that.”
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