Charlotte Cardin on the emotional power of live music—and why writing a genuinely happy song is easier said than done.

PHOTOGRAPHY Chris Cavaliere
STYLED BY Fernando Echeverría

Charlotte Cardin arrives on set in Milan between stops on her summer festival circuit, already looking ahead to her new album, out this October. Born and raised in Montreal, the 31-year-old singer-songwriter has spent the past decade establishing herself as one of contemporary pop’s most distinctive voices. Velvety, sensual, and tinged with a quiet melancholy, her music moves effortlessly between pop, R&amp;B, jazz, and electronica; she sings in both French and English—a reflection, perhaps, of the diverse musical influences that shaped her upbringing.
“From a very young age I listened to female pop artists with unmistakable voices like Céline Dion, Britney Spears, the Spice Girls, Beyoncé, and Pink,” says Cardin. “At the same time, I grew up in a household where rock ’n’ roll was always playing. My father is a huge fan, and through him I discovered the Red Hot Chili Peppers, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, and Jimi Hendrix. My mother, on the other hand, mostly listened to French-language singer-songwriters from both Quebec and France, including Daniel Bélanger, a central figure in Quebec’s music scene. As a teenager, I discovered jazz, and started exploring that world too.”
As a teen, in addition to studying piano, Cardin took part in musical productions and local competitions; she also occasionally worked as a model. At 18, she came to national attention as a finalist on La Voix, the Canadian version of The Voice. But it was the path she forged afterward—built around songwriting and an already remarkably well-defined artistic vision—that set her on a trajectory far beyond the confines of a television talent show, ultimately earning her 14 Juno Award nominations and six wins, including Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, and Pop Album of the Year.
Her first two EPs—Big Boy (2016) and Main Girl (2017)—were created via a largely self-taught, solitary process. But for her 2021 album, Phoenix, and its 2023 follow-up, 99 Nights, she began working more closely with other musicians and producers, introducing new “shades and textures” to her sound. “With my earlier work, the creative process was quite isolating,” she says. “When you collaborate, you come into contact with life experiences, musical tastes, and cultural references that are different from your own. It’s inspiring to expand my creative universe with people I trust.
The stage is where Cardin’s songs fully come alive—though her refined stage presence doesn’t rely on spectacle to command attention. “Music reaches its truest meaning in live performance because it’s shared,” says Cardin. “Now, whenever I write a song, I think about how it will feel onstage, and what it might create in that exchange with the audience.” She’s performed everywhere from intimate venues to major festivals, and earlier this year chose Portopalo di Capo Passero, at the southernmost tip of Sicily, as the setting for her “Take Me Back” music video shoot. “I love Italy, but I’d never been to Sicily,” she says. “It was late February, it was cold, and we had to pretend it was summer, but the place was so beautiful that it made everything special. There were no tourists, and there was only one restaurant open, where we ended up having dinner every evening. It felt like being at summer camp with friends.”

Dress JACQUEMUS

Cardin explores themes of romance, vulnerability, identity, and personal growth, approaching human fragility with a clarity that never slips into self-indulgence. “I love the bittersweetness of music,” she says. “Sometimes a song feels joyful, but once you pay attention to the lyrics, you realize it’s actually coming from a different emotional place. I like writing songs that gradually reveal new layers of meaning each time you hear them. I’ve always used music as a way to explore my most vulnerable side and my deepest emotions. That’s why I find it difficult to write songs that are completely happy. It’s funny that the happiest song I’ve ever written, ‘Feel Good,’ ended up opening so many doors in my career when it became a hit on French radio last year, almost two years after it was released. I think people needed lightness and joy—maybe they weren’t ready for that energy at first, but it reached them when they were.”
Fashion sparks a similar sense of joy for Cardin, who, despite the shared surname, is unrelated to legendary designer Pierre Cardin. “I’ve always loved using fashion as a way to express myself and to push storytelling a little further,” she says, citing Saint Laurent as one of her favorite houses. “I think Anthony Vaccarello’s work is sophisticated and timeless. And then when I’m investing in a truly high-quality piece, I turn to The Row. On my own scale, I try to limit my purchases of fast fashion.”
In her day-to-day life, however, her style is centered on well-worn pieces that carry sentimental value: “Levi’s jeans, T-shirts stolen from my dad’s closet, and vintage clothing,” she says. “I don’t think you need to wear haute couture to feel good.”
From fashion to music, her tastes remain wide-ranging. “Over the past few months I’ve been listening to a lot of Mac Miller,” says Cardin. “Circles, the album released shortly after his passing, is such a delicate, intimate, and extraordinarily elegant record. And then there’s Taylor Swift, and Bossa Nova, which is the soundtrack to my everyday life. There’s a Spotify playlist called ‘Brazilian Classics’ that’s probably one of my all-time favorites.”
Her dream collaborators? Cigarettes After Sex, Kacey Musgraves, and, at the very top of her list, Frank Ocean. “He hasn’t released any music since 2020, but I’m still hoping to hear something new from him,” she says. Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait as long for Cardin’s own next album. “I can’t wait to share it with the world.”

How Charlotte Cardin Found Harmony

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