Following the release of her 2023 album “Wisconsin,” alt-pop artist Carlie Hanson was unexpectedly dropped from her record label. Unmoored, Hanson felt defeated and lost. LA no longer had the same allure, and the Midwest didn’t feel like home. Yet, despite the uncertainty, her love for music refused to let her walk away.
Undaunted and inspired by the empowering words of her peers, the multi-talented artist continued to pour herself into her diary-like songs. The tracks were a reflection of her own catharsis and new creative freedom. Carlie’s exploration as an independent artist eventually led her to Fearless Records. There, the label embraced her and recognized the resonance of her raw storytelling and genre-bending production.
On February 7, Carlie triumphantly unleashed her EP “too late to cry” under the label. The 7-track project, entirely written and produced by Hanson, delves into themes of loss, self-empowerment, and resilience.
On the latest episode of ECHO – The Podcast, we sat down with Carlie to learn more about the journey to get to this moment, filming the “covering faces” video in Japan, and her advice for other artists.
Excerpt from the podcast:
ECHO: This EP and the song “covering faces” took you to Japan for the music video. What inspired you to go there? Was it your first time in Japan?
Carlie Hanson: It was my first time in Japan. I didn’t really think this is where I was gonna be for the music video. I’ve kind of been all over the place recently with where I live. I was in LA from age 17 to 24, so from 2017 until 2024, I was really just in LA, touring here and there, but that was my base. Then, I moved to Wisconsin, spent some time in New York, and now I’m thinking of going back there to write more. But anyway, I’ve been in this kind of nomadic mindset, not really knowing where I am, and LA isn’t necessarily where I feel most myself. I was talking to a friend about it and bouncing around ideas, and he said, “You spent so much time in Wisconsin with your last album and really got into that world. Why not literally just go somewhere else? That’s how you feel right now—you don’t feel grounded, so why not explore that?”
I spoke with this director, Eric Royas, who ended up shooting the video. He’s a friend of a friend, and he said, “Have you ever been to Japan? I’ve been going there for the last 10 years, and Tokyo is the most magical place.” We started talking, and I was like, “What if we shot there?” We ended up talking about the idea of “covering faces” and the message behind it, about how things change and how I’m doing these crazy, wild things. It all just clicked with where I was emotionally at the time, and I thought, why not go to Japan to experience another part of the world?
My girlfriend came with me, which made it even more special. It was this really organic thing that just happened, and it felt right. Now, watching the video back, it really fits the mood of the song, and it’s special how it all came together. It was really special how it happened and bizarre.
Listen to the full interview here.
Featured Photo Credit: Stefan Kohli