Interview with Caroline Romano

20 year old Nashville-based alt-pop artist Caroline Romano, has just released her debut album 'Oddities & Prodigies', the self-proclaimed “loudest sort of introvert” has already written and performed into the hearts and ears of an anxious generation, racking up millions of streams across her single releases. I caught up with Caroline about 'Oddities & Prodigies', the start of her musical journey and what she hopes listeners will take away from listening to the album.

Hi Caroline, how are you?

Hi! I’m doing well, thank you for asking :)

How would you describe your sound to the readers?

I would describe my sound as alt-pop with some rock and folk influences.

Who would you say are your biggest musical influences?

Some of my biggest musical influences have been Noah Kahan, Taylor Swift, Jon Bellion, YUNGBLUD, Lauv, Chloe Moriondo, and The Lumineers. They all just have such unique sounds, and I think their lyricism and storytelling is just so incredible.

How did your music journey start?

Music has always been one of the biggest aspects of my life, and I truly can’t remember a time when I didn’t dream of pursuing it. I’ve just always known that this is what I wanted to do. I started playing guitar in elementary school, and I wrote my first song at age twelve. I begged my parents to take me to Nashville to play open mic nights around the city for my thirteenth birthday, and that’s when I absolutely fell in love with performing. That first trip to Nashville was when I’d say the fire was truly lit, and it only grew bigger.

Your debut album ‘Oddities & Prodigies’ is out now, congratulations! I have loved listening to it while writing these questions for you. You’ve said this album ‘showcases your witty, introspective and hopeful take on modernity, romanticism and the highs and lows of being young in today’s world’. What was the process of creating this album like for you?

Thank you so much! I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you listening! It seriously means the world. This album just kind of came together in a weird, eclectic way. I’d written some of the songs off ‘Oddities and Prodigies’ back by myself at the end of 2020, but I didn’t decide that I wanted to create an album until the summer of 2021. I’d found that all of the songs I was writing were sort of telling different parts of the same story, so I figured there was a big story there to be told. I wrote the majority of the album this past summer in Nashville, and we recorded throughout the fall and winter. Overall, it was a little bit over a six month process from beginning to end. I truly had the time of my life creating this album, and I am so proud of how it turned out. It’s been one of the greatest experiences of my life.

If you only had one sentence to describe the album, how would you describe it?

It’s a story of growing up, with youth painted in all its loud and soft, vibrant and colorless, joyful and tragic, sad and beautiful ways.

What’s the song you are most excited for people to hear from ‘Oddities & Prodigies’?

I honestly think I’m most excited for people to hear “Leaving Wednesday” because it’s my favorite song off the album. I think it just encapsulates the entire message of the project, and it’s probably the song I’ve been the most proud to write. It’s simple, but I love it.

I loved the song ‘Panic Attack’, what was the main inspiration being the lyrics for that song?

"Panic Attack" is really just a synopsis of several events that took place during some of the worst panic attacks/anxiety-ridden moments of my life. I wanted it to feel almost like a dry fairytale in the way it’s explained though. Panic attacks often feel like an out of body experience for me, and I wanted the lyrical style to relay that feeling in a simple but pretty way.

Do you have a favourite lyric or line you wrote for the album?

I’d have to say my favorite lyric from the album is from “Leaving Wednesday.” It’s the lyric, “I hope there’s more to what I am than just my plans.”

Do you have a favourite memory from recording this album?

I think my favorite memory was just hearing some of the songs back for the first time in the studio. My producer and my two friends and co-writers were there, and it was just so cool to feel the excited energy in the room. It was one of those moments where we all thought, “okay, this is really cool.”

What’s something you want listeners to take away from listening to ‘Oddities & Prodigies’?

I just hope anyone listening to the album takes away a sense of feeling understood in their loneliness, their depression, their oddities, or their dreams. I hope it makes anyone listening feel something deeply. I just want it to make you feel something, and hopefully that something is good. It’s all I could really ask for.

What’s next for you?

I’m already working on the next round of music and I’m super hopeful that I’ll get to play some of the album on the road this year. There’s going to be lots more music.

And lastly, what have you been listening to recently? Is there anything you want to recommend to us?

I’ve really been into the ‘Go Farther In Lightness’ album by Gang of Youths. Their songwriting is absolutely insane, and the song structures in that album are unhinged in the best way. I’m always listening to Noah Kahan as well. I think his ‘I Was/I Am’ album will go down as one of my all time favorite albums.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer these questions for us, it’s really appreciated!

Thank you for having me and for listening to the album! Means the world!

You can listen to 'Oddities & Prodigies' here.

You can follow Caroline Romano on Instagram here.

All After Midnight links here.

Music submissions and enquires to aftermidnightblog1@gmail.com