About CARAMEL:
Pop, indie, & alternative R&B artist CARAMEL began his musical journey studying classical piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music for 10 years. Along with being a skilled audio engineer, songwriter, and producer, CARAMEL is also co-founder of a multi-dimensional artist collective L.L.K! (Little Little Kids). In 2021, CARAMEL released his debut album Traveler and has since performed in the famed Bop Stop live event “Poetic Lines,” curated by Temple of Passions, along with countless other venues in his home city Cleveland, Ohio. CARAMEL believes we are all travelers and writes his music as a way to guide himself, and others, to their final destination.
About 'Roadtrip':
CARAMEL stated that the inspiration behind the creation of this EP is that he has always been obsessed with travelling & that "Something about moving around, and constantly learning new ways to go about life has intrigued me. Even though I have never been out of the country, I consider myself a traveler.", and he kind of illustrates his life as if he were on a road-trip across a metaphorical map, adding on to that, he stated that "The more I drive forward, the more I grow as a person, and I think that "growth" is what inspired this EP."
Through each of the songs on the EP, he expresses insecurities, struggles, and depressive thoughts in a positive way. "I wanted to create honest music that shows self-understanding and self-transformation are possible to achieve. I know I haven't become fully the person I dream of becoming, the road continues to get there."
Interview (With CARAMEL):
K: What made you want to get into music?
C: I started playing the piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music when I was 3 years old, and since then, I never stopped my involvement in anything artistic! I got my first drum set around 7 or 8, and all of that transformed into my own songwriting, where I would bang on the side of the car doors and sing a melody that came to me. All of the production and engineering came in my sophomore year in high school, with my brother Weatherspoon and the collective we founded called L.L.K! (Little Little Kids).
K: Favourite Musical Memory?
C: I would say my favorite musical memory is sitting on the bus to high school every morning with my best friend, who I now call my brother, Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon is another one of my biggest inspirations and motivators for my artistry. We're like rivals; always pushing each other to be better, while making opportunities and supporting each other in the meantime. On the bus, this bond started when we would sing random songs we liked out loud. It might have been annoying for the other kids just waking up, but we did it anyway.
K: How do you find inspiration to write your songs?
C: Most recently, I get inspiration from rhythms I hear in songs. It could be something I heard a week ago, and its drum pattern resurfaces and I create based on the foundation. My songs could come from a certain word or sentence someone says, an event in my life, or something that's been internally bothering me.
K: Do you Have any future projects that you can hint about?
C: Yes...a few actually!!! I'm beginning to work on Roadtrip 2, but this time a different genre than the first one. I already have one song written and I'm very excited. Also in the works, is a large-scale performance called "Living In Color", showing a variety of different black geniuses in the music and art scene in February of 2024. Who knows, there might be a big show this fall too!!
K: Who would your ideal collaboration be and why?
C: Jon Bellion for sure, Tyler, the Creator, Robert Glasper and Masego are just a few others who have revolutionary perspectives on music production. You can just hear that in their music; there is something different about the way they approach music in general. I want to be able to surround myself with those types of people and learn from them. Not to mention their music is just crazy good.
K: If you could describe yourself in 3 words what would they be and why?
C: I would describe myself as:
1. Creative because I constantly make music, curate events, learning from the people
around me to then create better music and curate better events to bring more people
together.
2. Energy, I bring passion to whatever I do, and I always try to be purposeful with the way
I move about and interact with people. More than being an energetic person, that
passion transfers to the people around me.
3. Forgetful, purely because I lose everything in my possession at least once every day
because I never remember where I put them!
K: If you could describe your music in 3 words, what would they be and why?
C: Smooth, Raw, Vulnerable
My goal when making music is to tell a story, my story. A lot of times, this story is a rough one, sometimes including the lowest moments in my life. So my music making is a way to smoothen out that feeling with warm instrumentals, and melodic vocals so that I can cope with those stories, and hopefully, someone else feeling these things can cope too.
K: What is your favourite song at the moment?
C: Never Felt So Alone - Labrinth (ft. Billie Eilish). This has been playing often in the rotation.
You can check out CARAMEL's Socials and Discography Here!