Q&A: Chlothegod Tackles New Era of Emotional Ferocity in “I Feel Different Every Day”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIMBERLY KAPELA ☆
CHLOTHEGOD’S ARTISTRY THRIVES ON HER ABILITY TO CHANNEL THE CHAOTIC BEAUTY OF HER EMOTIONS – Chlothegod, the charismatic vocalist and clever songwriter known for blending unfiltered soul with cathartic alt-rock, is back with a fiery new single, “My Gf H8s Me.” The track previews her sophomore EP, I Feel Different Every Day, set to release on January 17. This single promises to push boundaries both sonically and emotionally, showcasing a version of chlo that is raw, loud and unapologetically herself.
In discussing the forthcoming EP, chlothegod shared, “It's the first time that I've ever been able to scream that loud, both metaphorically and literally... I was able to experiment with my own voice, along with the words I said — the things that I meant when I said them. Even just the literal volume in which I sing on my new project feels symbolic to me.”
“My Gf H8s Me” exemplifies this evolution. Its glitchy drumbeats mirror chlo's unraveling inner thoughts, striking a balance between vulnerability and her trademark dark humor. The song takes an unexpected turn as the narrative shifts mid-track, challenging listeners to reconsider how personal emotions and perceptions can shape relationships. It’s a testament to chlo's ability to wield honesty and wit in equal measure.
Following the success of her 2023 debut EP Nearly Straight, chlothegod dives deeper into themes of self-discovery, navigating the chaos and contradictions of young adulthood. Where her debut showcased her sensitive storytelling, I Feel Different Every Day amplifies her rage, messiness, and exhaustion with an intensity that resonates. The EP’s lead single, the pop-punk-inflected “Digging Around,” and its accompanying video hinted at this shift, delivering a mix of defiance and exhaustion that feels both universal and deeply personal.
I Feel Different Every Day captures the tumult of a woman in her twenties—a document of identity in flux, marked by startling self-awareness. Through chlo’s lens, we’re invited not only to examine her flaws but to confront our own. Her vulnerability becomes a mirror, her candor a call to introspection. While touring far and wide for her debut EP last year, she realized her insular songs actually resonate far beyond herself, and as painful as that outward self-reflection can be, chlothegod profoundly proves how freeing it truly is.
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
CHLO: I'm really in the space of creating. I have a baby sister, and I love to say that I'm like the rebellious older sister who has done all the things before. I want people to come in and feel comfortable and safe to have made mistakes and to have loved and to have lost and to have grown and feel confused about where to go. That's the position that I hope that I'm creating.
LUNA: What inspires you to push boundaries within your sound? Are there any specific experiences, artists, or moments that have encouraged you to explore new musical territories?
CHLO: I’m a huge fan of an artist called Veda who's based out of Atlanta. I grew up listening to more neo soul, like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. I'm like a military brat. I moved all over when I was really young and the first couple of moves, I was really nervous, and then eventually my family and my life circumstances in general, encouraged and pushed me to be brave and to branch out, to be unafraid and courageous in my own spirit, but specifically to connect with other people. When I was young and going to school, I had to ask myself and say am I going to be here by myself, or am I going to branch out and not be afraid of other people, other places, other things? I think that even has more of a hand in the music making than even the music I was listening to. I love Tia Corine. I'm inspired by the women that I listen to, and branch out on my own and expand in my own self.
LUNA: You just released your newest single for “My Gf H8s Me.” What is the inspiration behind the single and what themes and emotions do you explore?
CHLO: It's what you see is what you get. I was into this relationship where me and my ex girlfriend were together, and then we were like, wait, do we even like each other at all? We moved in together in true lesbian fashion, and then we realized it was a nightmare, and were just sitting in each other's faces, not enjoying each other's company whatsoever. It's that thing where love sometimes becomes parasitic and feels like, are we even together for any reason other than the fact that we're just here right now together, we've put this time in, and we are afraid to separate or waste the space. I was just stuck in this thing where we both were super unhappy and incompatible, really from the beginning, but just stagnant and opting out of our lives and our love for each other. I am reflective in my music in general, but that was one that was specifically based on one specific relationship that didn't work and didn't make any sense from the get go.
LUNA: You are about to release your sophomore EP I Feel Different Every Day. The title itself is so evocative. How does it capture the essence of the EP, and what does it say about where you are creatively and personally?
CHLO: The essence of the EP is definitely all over the place. Since I started releasing, I have no desire to make one thing entirely, boxed or molded. I definitely wanted the space to be able to explore all the sounds that I love. Some of those things that I was telling you growing up, I didn't always listen to rock music, it's really my dad's love for rock that I'm now only just exploring as an adult. But anyway, I wanted to be able to create the foundation that I'm going to be expansive and that I'm going to be able to sing and say whatever I feel, whether or not it fits into whatever genre. And so in that it's parallel to how I feel in my life, how I run my life, how I run myself as well, where I do feel different every day. I like to wear different hair. I like to meet different people. I like to even play a different character in my movie of life. I wanted my project to be reflective. I wanted to be able to share a little bit more intimately growing up. I managed my family for the first time, which I've never done. I talk about my love, I talk about myself in ways that I've never really shared all the way before. I wanted to be a little bit more vulnerable and honest and set the stage that I'm going to be a little bit more of an open book and that's how far I got with it, and just started writing and creating.
LUNA: With your sophomore EP on the horizon, what has been the biggest change in your approach to making music since your debut? Have you experimented more or taken any risks – either lyrically, sonically or emotionally – with I Feel Different Every Day?
CHLO: I Feel Different Every Day is a different approach. I used to live in North Carolina and make music just at the kitchen table, and that was what I was doing all day. It was repetition, repetition, repetition, in a psycho way. And then moving to LA, the whole process has been very different. I make music with my friend Mike Irish, of course, and all the new people that I've met since moving here, and that process has opened up where I was unstable and desperate for the next chapter of my life. I was creating from that space, so it was really rigid, really cold, and I was really scared of that. Now I feel, especially since releasing Nearly Straight, I've had a relaxation in for myself where I'm like, ‘okay, I'm doing my thing that I want to do. I don't need to be so afraid that it's not going to work, or scared that I'm not going to be able to do it.’ I've been able to take a step back and make music from a different place of myself. It's a more peaceful place, but it's also a little bit more sturdy and stable. I'm supported here. The people that I make music with really understand me, hear me and value putting my story first. I feel like you can really hear it in the music where I'm more honest and more open and just more willing to share. I think the process for me is being able to take it down a notch and put some space in between the days that I'm creating and really be thoughtful and intentional and purposeful about what I'm saying.
