Nashville-based singer-songwriter Caroline Romano brings heartfelt lyrical storytelling & articulating vocals to listeners through an array of compositions that have found their way into many hearts since the release of the debut album “Oddities and Prodigies“.
Not long ago, Caroline unveiled the brand-new EP “A Brief Epic”, which features a variety of epic singles, including “Mississippi Air” & “Guts,” along with the new release, “This House.”
Caroline has kindly taken the time to speak with Fierce & Fabulous Revolution regarding the creative journey behind “A Brief Epic” & the evolution of her music since the release of “Oddities and Prodigies”. You can find the full interview below.
Hey Caroline, thank you for this interview. Can you start by introducing yourself to someone who might be unfamiliar with your music?
Caroline: Thank you for having me! My name is Caroline, and I live in Nashville, Tennessee. I’m 21, and I write music about people I used to know and the person I used to be, and who I want to know and who I want to be someday. Some of my biggest musical inspirations are Phoebe Bridgers, Noah Kahan, Taylor Swift, Holly Humberstone, Lorde, and Twenty One Pilots.
When did you first discover your passion for music?
Caroline: Music has always been a core part of my life. I can’t really remember a time when it wasn’t one of my greatest loves. I remember making up songs and performing them for my parents in front of our fireplace when I was a really little kid. It’s just always been the thing that makes me feel like myself.
Have you always wanted to pursue a career within the music industry?
Caroline: I always knew music was what I wanted to do with my life. I asked my parents to take me to Nashville for the first time for my thirteenth birthday to play open mic nights around the city with the songs that I’d written. From that first trip, I knew it’s what I’d want to do forever. It’s one of the only certainties I’ve ever had in life.
How would you currently describe your musical style?
Caroline: I’d say it’s indie pop, with folk lyrics and 80’s drums. It’s very word-heavy, but I’m very inspired by 80’s bands and instrumentation that made those great pop and rock records so unforgettable.
You just released the brand new EP ‘A Brief Epic.’ How did the idea to create this EP come together?
Caroline: When I started writing these songs, it wasn’t really for the purpose of putting out a project. I was just writing because it’s all I knew to do following a heartbreak I experienced last summer. It’s the way I coped with it all. I wrote so many songs over the course of last summer into early fall. It wasn’t until I wrote the last song “Then I Woke Up,” that I realized I’d told a cohesive story with the six particular songs that ended up being ‘A Brief Epic.’
What are some of the things that helped to inspire the creative process of the EP?
Caroline: I was really inspired by Greek mythology/poetry during the time I was writing these songs. There was this book, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller that inspired so much of it. The guy I was seeing last year, who inspired much of this project, gave me that book when we first started talking. That’s where the idea of the “epic” came from.
What are some of your favourite songs to feature on the EP?
Caroline: I’d have to say that “St. George” and “This House” are probably my favourite songs from the EP because they’re the most raw and personal. They both capture feelings I wouldn’t know how to display any other way besides in those songs. They’re hyper-specific to that relationship while still being applicable to any relationship. I really love those songs.
If listeners could take anything away from the EP, what would you like it to be?
Caroline: I just hope anyone who listens to the EP finds parts in this story that they can relate to their own. If it’s a feeling, a lyric that strikes them as something they feel like they’ve lived before, something they can scream in their car out of frustration or sadness or pure joy. I just hope they feel that emotion they’re looking to feel in that moment.
What does this EP personally mean to you?
Caroline: This EP means so much to me for so many reasons. It’s basically a diary of my first heartbreak. It’s really the first time I’ve written about romantics or the lack thereof. Writing this project was my way of grieving and coping and moving on. It’s brand new emotions and ones I’ve known my whole life in 6 songs. It’s a chapter in my life that holds a lot of significance, though it was brief.
How do you feel your musical creativity has evolved since the release of your 2022 debut album “Oddities and Prodigies”?
Caroline: I think I’m a lot more experimental, both songwriting and production-wise today than I was in my last album. I’ve learned to just let a song be what it wants to be, and I think some of the best songs have come from that mindset.
What advice would you offer to someone looking to pursue a career within the music industry?
Caroline: I would say the biggest thing is to know yourself. I think having a solid grip and understanding of who you are as a person is critical in any aspect of the music industry. I think it’s necessary really.
Finally, is there a message that you would like to share with the readers of Fierce & Fabulous Revolution?
Caroline: There are two things I’ve learned in the last year or so that have really stuck with me. I’ve learned that heartbreak doesn’t last forever, no matter how eternal it may feel in the moment. I’ve also realized over the course of time that oddities and prodigies go hand in hand, and you can never really have one without the other. Those are some of my favourite things to cling to.
You can check out “A Brief Epic” on Spotify below or on more platforms here.
Caroline Romano: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / TikTok.
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