Singer/songwriter Caroline Polachek sat down with KROQ in Los Angeles' Megan Holiday to discuss how her career has developed toward her album release for Desire, I Want to Turn Into You.
LISTEN NOW: Caroline Polachek talks with Megan Holiday
Though referred to by Pitchfork as “Alt-Pop’s reigning heady diva,” Polachek revealed that she comes from much humbler beginnings. “Oh my gosh, I used to be so shy,” she tells Holiday, “I was so scared to write in front of people. ‘Cause singing is one thing, but actually writing, coming up with new ideas and lyrics in front of people is really terrifying. So, for any songwriters listening in today, I feel like we’ve probably been through a similar odyssey.”
To overcome this shyness, Polachek highly promoted the use of rehearsals to create what she called a “kind of safe space” to grow confidence. It’s in this exact same space that she produced “No Angel” for Beyoncé, which gave the thirty-seven-year-old her first GRAMMY nomination. “I made that beat and did all the synths on my bed, in my underwear, in a hotel room in London at like 5AM,” she laughingly told Holiday. “That was actually an extremely private space. But I think often a lot of my best writing comes from being able to make these little quiet places.”
Her songwriting tactics are clearly working, as, in addition to writing all the songs on Desire, she was able to pick up two major collaborations on one song. Grimes and Dido, according to Polachek, agreed to sing on “Fly to You” purely out of love for the piece itself.
“Grimes and I had been speaking for ages about wanting to do something together, and just never having the right chance” she said. “I sent her an early version and she loved it. And then we kind of got greedy with it, to add another voice to it, like ‘why stop here?’ So I wrote Dido a letter, asking if she would be on the song with us, kind of expecting not to hear back. And then a couple days later she FaceTimes me saying she loves the song.”
Polachek’s 2023 The Spiraling Tour for the album kicks off in Philadelphia this week, with the U.S. leg ending in New York on May 20. Grab your tickets right HERE. She then heads toward Europe for shows in London, Paris, Madrid, Budapest, and more. It’s clear -- Caroline Polachek is on a roll!
Don't miss Megan Holiday's full interview with Caroline above, and stay tuned for even more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.
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