Nashville-based alt-pop trailblazer Caroline Romano reveals her highly-anticipated debut album, Oddities and Prodigies, out on all streaming platforms today.
From misty-eyed ballads to fiery pop-punk anthems, Oddities and Prodigies is a vivid snapshot of Caroline’s personal and musical journey — “this album is everything I know in 16 songs,” she says. From tackling what it’s like to struggle with depression and anxiety to examining first loves and first heartbreaks, Oddities and Prodigies is an all-encompassing look at Caroline’s personal growth and resilience.
Elaborating on the album, Caroline says: “I believe I’ve been writing bits and pieces of this album for my entire life, and as I sat down to summarize it in songs this past year, it fell together like the final pieces of a puzzle.It’s the beginning of the story I’ve been waiting to tell. This is chapter one. At heart, this album is a wrestling match with one’s self. It’s for anyone feeling so alone or feeling like such an oddity that they will never find a way to be themselves while simultaneously being happy. I have been one of those people, but I’ve learned that oddities and prodigies go hand in hand. This album is for those with impossible plans and lonely minds. I hope you find some of yourself in these songs. I have found all of me in them.“
At just 20-years-old, Caroline Romano has already written and performed into the hearts and ears of an anxious generation. She’s accrued millions of streams across her repertoire and has captured the attention of key tastemakers like Hollywood Life, Just Jared, EUPHORIA and American Songwriter. Her songwriting abilities showcase her witty, introspective and hopeful take on modernity, romanticism and the highs and lows of being young in today’s world. An exciting and honest young talent, Oddities and Prodigies introduces Caroline Romano as a pop powerhouse with a long career ahead.
Tell us about the genesis of your project. How did you get to where you are now?
I’ve always known I wanted to be an artist. Even as a little kid, I would tell you that this is what I wanted to do when I grew up. It’s always been music. I started writing songs in middle school, and I came to Nashville for the first time on my thirteenth birthday to play at open mic nights around the city. I fell in love with performing, and I guess I just never stopped. I never will. I ended up where I am today by just writing and playing and writing some more until people started to listen. It’s all I know how to do. Dare I say it’s all that I really am.
What should a song or piece of art communicate in your opinion?
A song, or any piece of art really, should just say something. It should make the consumer (and the artist) feel something, even if that something is nothing. The ability to feel, to emote, to connect with art is the strangest phenomenon. The right song can make you feel like you’ve lived one thousand lives, and art can dig up questions within you that you didn’t know were there. I guess the only thing art shouldn’t communicate or bring about in people is indifference. That is my biggest fear, indifference. Let it be love or hate or numbness, but never indifference.
Who were your top 3 artists last year?
Noah Kahan, Bo Burnham, and Yungblud
What do you do when you’re feeling uninspired?
I write about feeling uninspired. I think you have to find inspiration in the uninspired in order to not let the writer’s block win.
What are your 2022 projects and goals?
I’m releasing my first album this year. This has been a goal of mine since I first started writing music, and I can’t believe it’s finally here. It’s 16 songs, and I just hope I get the chance to play the album live in 2022. I want to go on tour.
Favorite movie or TV show?
My favorite movie at the moment is Beautiful Boy, but my favorite TV show is hands down the Umbrella Academy.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
My latest release was the last single off the album before it’s release. The song is called “Panic Attack” and it’s a really simple piece compared to a lot of my other music. I wrote it in about 15 minutes in my car after having the worst panic attack of my life. I’ve struggled a lot with my mental health throughout my youth, but it got really bad last year. I was experiencing some of the worst thoughts, things I never thought I’d start to believe about myself and my life. Writing “Panic Attack” was my way of putting it all in perspective, and giving myself the hope that other people see for my life. I hope it helps whoever is listening the same way it helped me.
What is something you would want to change in the music and entertainment industry?
Honestly, I would want to change the impact social media and TikTok have on the entertainment industry. I just don’t think it’s the only way artists should have a chance to break nowadays. It’s definitely a useful tool, but it just doesn’t work for everyone, and I wish the industry wouldn’t place so much focus on the number of followers or views you have. I don’t think those things should determine the impact a song can have.
Can you outline your creative process?
For me, the creative process is different every time, but it often starts with a word or phrase I keep repeating. That’s when I know I have to write it down. I’ve found I sort of wrap the melody around my lyrics, rather than writing lyrics to fit a melody. That’s just my style of writing. The inspiration itself, I am constantly surprised at where it comes from. It’s people, places, a multicolored rug, walls painted a deep blue color, 3pms, Motley Crue, and the Pacific NorthWest to name a few.
Who inspires your style and aesthetics?
I’m really inspired by the tv shows I watch, or the music I’m listening to at the moment. Right now I’m really into the 60’s and 70’s glam rock style. For every area of my life, I like a little bit of grunge, some earthy, natural vibes, and maximalist messiness. I’m pulling a lot of inspo from the TV show Skins, and I also find myself dressing a lot like Greta Van Fleet recently haha. I like everything to be a little dramatic.
What is the achievement or moment in your career you are the most proud of and why?
Hearing my song on the radio for the first time is probably the moment I’m most proud of in my career so far. It was definitely the most surreal. For me, it was the moment I went from making music in my bedroom to having a career as a musician. It was the look on my parents’ faces when my song started playing. It was such a special moment.
What do you think an artist should sing about nowadays?
I think an artist should sing about anything they want to. That’s one thing about music that has never, and I don’t think will ever change. Artists inevitably write what they’re already feeling, and I don’t think there’s use in trying to fight that. I think they should sing about anything that’s important to them, big or small, happy or sad.
Do you have any regrets?
I sometimes regret the way I’ve lived so much of my life planning ahead rather than living in the moment. Sometimes I forget to just be. I think I lost a lot of my childhood to my dreams as a musician. I can’t say I fully regret that, because I don’t, but there are moments where I wish I would’ve just slowed down and taken it all in.
What is some piece of advice you would give to yourself right now?
Right now, I would tell myself to stop taking everything so seriously and to remember that it’s okay to be okay.
