caro♡ Drops Sophomore Album 'wild at ♡'

The French-born, London-based caro♡ releases her singular, sophomore album wild at ♡ on PC Music. Alongside, she reveals the video for focus single “behind the clouds”, directed by Joe Ward. A member of Planet 1999, this 11-track album follows her debut Heartbeats/Heartbreaks. 

“This self-produced and written album is called « wild at <3 » because one of the things I am most obsessed about is freedom. And when I hear this album title this is the first thing I think about, being free.” caro♡ explains. “I mostly hear it in an emotional and psychological sense, like freeing yourself from limiting beliefs, overcoming self-doubt and shutting down negative self-talk, allowing yourself to shine your light. It’s also about strength. It took me time to find an energy for this album.

I have felt very stuck in the past, in all senses possible, and with everything I do now, I am very conscious of doing anything I can to never go back to this. I made this album for myself, but more than the first one, I was also thinking about the message that people could take out of it. I thought that all these positive words I was working on telling myself, all this upbeat energy that I wanted to feel and find within, could maybe resonate with others. A lot of the songs lyrics are like these direct sort of pep talks, « hold on to your heart, keep going on », « don’t let go, don’t drop it », « go straight for it », and that’s really the message. 

Know yourself, believe in yourself, be wild and dare to dream and then honor these dreams. Be brave and vulnerable, accept to dive into the unknown, and do it with the conviction that if you’re true to yourself, you’re doing the right thing, that no matter how deep you’ve dived into darkness, there is a way up towards the light.”

caro♡ elaborates on “behind the clouds”: “I thought this song was a good introduction into the album. It starts with bare vocals, as if it comes from an exposed and vulnerable place, and it is kind of a summary of the journey to come. It’s basically about coming back to the surface, holding on to your heart, what you believe in, in order to carry on towards the light. It also talks about lighting the “fire” within yourself and I’ve always liked this idea.

The idea that you need to find that thing that sets your heart on fire, that makes you want to grow, which gives you courage to move forward. It’s almost like coming back to life. I remember getting a bit emotional recording the line “hold on to your heart, keep going on”, and I think it’s because I see this song as my own motivational self-talk. “Behind the clouds, the sun is always shining” is quite an optimistic message, and I think generally that is the vibe I wanted to go for with the whole album.”

Last month, she already released “from the heart <3” and “4ever1” alongside a co-directed music video by Amal Guichard and Jim Alexander shot at Seven Sisters’ magical seaside. The chanting, hardstyle^lite track encapsulates the idea of a utopic ecosystem in which all assimilated individuals act as a united strength, resulting in an infinite positivity loop. 

Her upbringing in the remote stillness of coastal France has deeply shaped her relationship to creativity, “I feel like an outsider having grown up in a place where there’s no cultural industries. I didn’t know the difference between a songwriter, a producer or a composer as a kid so I didn’t build these boundaries in my head.” caro♡ is a founding member and lead vocalist of the pop three-piece Planet 1999 and signee of future-pop label PC Music, who have notably collaborated with Charli XCX.

Her debut album saw accompanying remixes from Count Baldor, Cecile Believe + more, as well as working as a producer on other singles for MEYY, daine. caro♡ has created remixes for A. G. Cook, Namasenda, Erika de Casier, Wave Racer etc.

photo credit Mathias Adam @mthsadm

To post a comment, you must register and login.