Despite only starting her current musical project last year, the San Bernadino and Los Angeles-based musician Chloe Star has proved to be a heliacal rising star, having accrued over 72K monthly listeners on Spotify, over 22K followers on Instagram, and over 74K followers on TikTok.

Today – just about fourteen months since she released her debut single, “Element,” in January 2023 – Chloe releases her latest single, “Wasted Youth,” which is her most personal and strident song to date.

Chloe was kind enough to take some time out of her day to talk with Post-Burnout about “Wasted Youth,” how the song was therapeutic for her to create, her background as a creative, her career, her upcoming EP, her future plans, and much more.

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Hey, Chloe. How’s it going?

Hi! It’s going good. How are you, Aaron?

I’m good. It’s nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you!

The first thing I wanted to ask, quite simply, was a bit about your background and how you got into music. I understand you were a poet as a kid, and then, later, picked up guitar and piano, if I’m correct?

Yeah. So, how I got started is, when I was younger, I didn’t quite know how to express emotion, you know? So, I started journaling, and I started writing down all of my feelings, and with that, it kind of naturally turned into poetry, you know? Just wanting to write poetry and all that, and that turned into lyrics, and that just went into songwriting, and then it was a trickle effect, wanting to learn to play an instrument, like piano and guitar. So, then I put the two together and fell in love, really.

Yeah. Actually, something I wanted to ask based on that. With journaling there’s a kind of free-flowing aspect to it, but, obviously, when you’re writing poems or you’re writing lyrics, there’s a bit of a structure that’s required. I was wondering how you found that transition, from writing what was on your mind to actually having to kind of structure it into verses and stuff like that.

Yeah. So, for sure, journaling is just free writing and just letting the thoughts flow. I was taking my journals, the things that I was writing, and just transitioning them into rhymes, you know? It kind of seemed like a rap, really. Because I listened to so much music as a kid, I kind of understood the structure of what was needed in a song. Also, at the age of twelve or whatever, I was definitely on Google, googling “How to write a song,” you know? Like, “How do you do it all?” So, I really just played around, and it was the rhymes that really put all of that into place, which also kind of fell into the poetry, as well. And…yeah. I don’t know if that makes sense, but yeah.

Totally! Yeah, and then when it came to the instrumentation – when it came to learning piano and learning guitar – were you learning other people’s songs or were you just messing around with chords and trying to create your own thing?

I was messing around with chords, trying to create my own…You know, write my own songs and just get comfortable with, like, playing, you know? Like playing the piano. But then, as time went on, I watched a lot of videos – I watched a lot of YouTube videos – on, like, just how to play the piano, and I would look up songs, like, “How to play this song on the piano,” “How to play this…,” you know? I was just trying to teach myself that way, just to get more of a grip of, like, how that instrument worked, you know? But I would say that it just started out with me just messing around, trying to figure out how to play it, truly.

Yeah. And then from learning how to songwrite and learning how to play an instrument, what was the timeframe from that and actually starting the musical project, the trajectory you’re on now?

Eh…so, like, six years?

OK.

Six years ago? Six, seven years, maybe. Could even be longer, because I was eleven, twelve when I started falling in love with music, and it took some time. It took some time because I was definitely just a little child that was also going through a lot of shit at the time. But, yeah, I would say that it took some time to figure out how to get to this place, now.

And when you started, did you start by releasing music online? Did you start by performing live? How did you first expose the world to your music, I guess?

Yeah. How did it first start? I had a lot of music friends growing up – or musically-inclined friends that played music as well – and I just really tapped myself into that with them. And the high school that I went to was very arts-driven, so there was a lot of creative kids. It was just a school of creative kids, really. And, after school, I would go over to a friend’s house, and we would just jam, you know? We were supposed to be doing homework, but we were just jamming! And then, when I was like fourteen, I did this talent show, and I sang “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse. After having that experience, I was like, “Damn. I freakin’ love this, and I want to continue doing this. I don’t know how, but I want to figure it out.” And around like seventeen, eighteen, I started meeting songwriters and producers, and getting myself into that world, and started a proj…Like, I had done other projects, and, you know, just creatively made music, put it out there, but never truly felt like it was as authentic or as real as this project, so I feel like I’m fully, fully in my artistry right now, that’s just aligned with me. But, yeah, I did a lot of random stuff, honestly, and just really had fun with it.

I think that’s really cool, that your first experience of playing live was an immediate…I don’t know. Like, some people, their first time playing live can be kind of daunting or intimidating, and, for you, that wasn’t the case it seems, and I think that’s really cool. So, it was kind of, from the get-go, affirming of what you wanted to do?

Yeah. Yeah, it was just fun. I didn’t think, like…I don’t know. I didn’t really think, like, “Oh, I’m so scared to do this” or, like, “Oh, how nerve-wracking;” I was just like, “Oh, this is going to be fun!” and enjoyed it.

Yeah. And then when it came to meeting producers and stuff, obviously you hit the ground running once you started getting your music out. You kind of talked about how the music you’re making is really what you want to make, and I really get a sense of that; it doesn’t feel like “music by committee,” [Laughs] […] it definitely feels like an auteur’s voice. I think your music is varied, both in terms of musicality – obviously, you’re known for going from hip-hop to rock to punk, with pop elements, too – but I think lyrically too, your songs evoke different emotions – some very strong, some very pointed and direct – like on your new song, for example, “Wasted Youth.” This is, of your songs so far, the most raucous and punky, but it also has the clapping section and it’s very anthemic. It inspires people to want to sing along, but, at the same time, the lyrics themselves are really brutal. I think it’s something that a lot of people go through, where you’re kind of reflecting on certain aspects of your life with regret. I was wondering if maybe you could sort of talk about “Wasted Youth” and how it differs from your discography thus far.

Yeah. So, “Wasted Youth,” I feel is the definition of my sound; I feel like it’s pretty spot on. And it’s a storytelling song, so I’m telling a story about something that I went through, a personal experience. It’s about…I was sent to a wilderness treatment programme when I was sixteen, and I was there for three months, and it’s about bringing attention to some adolescent treatment programmes and wilderness programmes, and, you know, the things that went on there, but also bringing light to the situation, to the experience. If I didn’t get sent there, then I would not be alive. So, there’s pros and cons to that experience that I had, and I want, through this song, to get that across. I’m not just being like, “Oh, fuck all these programmes!” I’m like, “No, there’s some things that are wrong with these programmes, but if I didn’t go, then I’d be dead.”

Right.

You know? And then with it being called “Wasted Youth,” it’s like, “Yo, I feel like I wasted my youth, you know? But I do feel like I’m making it up for myself, now.” Sonically, I feel it’s a song that’s very heavy. We have live drums in the song, I’ve got live guitar in the song. It’s very anthem-y. I want this song to be the summer song, you know? It’s just a big song, and I hope people get the message, and they take what I take from it.

Yeah. Actually, I think this is – as I said – of your lyrics so far, the most vulnerable. And I was wondering, from your perspective, did you find writing this song to be challenging in that sense? Because I know you’ve referred to music as your therapy before, but the thing about therapy is that it is meant to extract traumatic events or just stuff you don’t really want to think about or deal with. So, when you were writing “Wasted Youth,” did it have a kind of emotional resonance with you? Was there stuff that was difficult to write about, or did it all just kind of flow very naturally for you and was it very cathartic to get out?

Yeah, I think it was both, you know? I think, for sure, putting myself, mentally, in that place in a room with other people and getting vulnerable was a little difficult, but it’s also so healing, and I feel like this song and this moment that I’m having with that experience is extremely healing for me, and it’s allowing me to have some closure with that period of my life, and I’m just…It’s just allowed me to reflect, as well, and I’ve done a lot of reflection recently over this experience, especially when talking about it a lot and promoting the song, and it really reminds me of where I was at a point in my life and where I’m at now.  So, I think it’s all real great with what’s been going on with this song.

Perfect. I guess one final thing I’ll ask is, it’s been about a year of steady releases, so far. I mean, this is your second single of the year […] and I was just wondering, there’s so many avenues that you can go down now, and I think this song really is an accumulation of everything that you’ve released thus far; it really feels like it’s been building up to this, in a way. I was wondering, how do you [think] future releases for the year [will sound] and future progress [will be]? And, just in general, I was wondering if you could look back at how much success you’ve had in such a quick amount of time. I mean, how do you kind of [Laughs] deal with that, really?

Yeah, I mean, I have had…In comparing [sic] to where I was a year ago, things have definitely changed, you know? And things have grown, and I’ve also just grown as a human, aside from just…Well, I’ve grown as a human, but I’ve also grown as a creative, I would say, and it’s been a learning process, you know? Right now, I’m really practising balance and I’m practising focus, you know? Like, just staying focused. And all I want to be doing right now is truly just creating, and inspiring, and living in the energy of creativity. A year ago is when I started this project, really, and everything’s just evolved, and I’ve found my sound, I’ve found where I fit in in the world, I guess. Well, I don’t truly think that I fit in in the world. I guess, musically, I feel like I’ve found out where I fit in. But it’s been a lot of fun; it’s been a fun journey and it’s been a fun moment, and I’m just excited to see where everything else goes and what’s next, you know?

Yeah, one final thing I wanted to ask – because I remember reading that, last year, the singles that were being released were meant to come to an EP – at the moment, that EP hasn’t come out. Is that still the plan – the EP – or is the idea, now, to go for a full album?

Yeah, so I did a three-song trilogy, and it was also a three-song music video trilogy thing, and my final video for that trilogy actually comes out on Monday [Editor’s Note: Meaning the next Monday when this interview was conducted, which was March 18^th, the last Monday at the time of publication. Meaning it’s out now], so I did that as a project, and my EP will be coming out in May, I believe. Yeah, in May. So, I’ll be dropping an EP, and this song, “Wasted Youth,” is basically the introduction of the EP.

OK. That’s perfect. Thank you very much for your time, Chloe, and I wish you all the best with everything you have coming. Is there anything you’d like to add before we wrap up, or…?

Just, my single “Wasted Youth” comes out on the 22^nd of March. My music video for “Happy Place” drops on the 18^th of March. You know, follow me on Instagram, and TikTok, and all that good stuff. And Spotify. My Instagram is @frenchtoastkiller, and so is my TikTok. And, yeah, EP is coming out soon. I’ve got some shows coming up. I’m just excited, and thank you so much for you to take the time to do this with me.

Oh, absolutely! I was really glad to! And, seriously, I hope everything blows up more than it has!

Yo, thank you so much. Thank you.

Chloe Star’s latest single, “Wasted Youth,” is available on all streaming platforms from today. You can keep up with Chloe’s music, social media accounts, live dates, and more here.

Aaron Kavanagh

Aaron Kavanagh is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Post-Burnout. His writing can also be found in the Irish Daily Star, Buzz.ie, Totally Dublin, The GOO, Headstuff, New Noise Magazine, XS Noize, DSCVRD and more.