Young, female, queer, brilliant: Meet Charlotte Day Wilson
The Toronto artist is everything the music industry needs
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MUSIC Toronto
You may have heard Charlotte Day Wilson’s silken, melancholic voice on Daniel Caesar’s track ‘Transform,’ or BadBadNotGood’s single ‘In Your Eyes,’ but soon you’ll know her by name.
The singer recently tweeted,“I'm proud of myself,” explaining that through her hard work she’s been able to completely take charge of her own art and success—something few female artists have been able to do.
I'm proud of myself. Two years ago I was working as a janitor in a church. I got an internship at an indie record label and met some key ppl. I've stayed independent & I've reinvested all earnings back into my project. I own the rights to my music & I have 100% creative control.
— Charlotte Day Wilson (@cdaydreamz) April 11, 2018
Wilson is a multi-instrumentalist who grew up in Toronto and spent some time at university in Halifax before dropping out to pursue music full-time. At 25, she’s still young, but she’s grabbed at every opportunity—from joining an R&B quintet in Halifax, to starting an internship at Arts & Craft, a music label co-founded by Broken Social Scene’s Kevin Drew.
Her style of classic R&B fused with contemporary minimalistic production has driven her forward in an industry and society unprepared to support queer and female artists. The song ‘Work’ from her first solo project, titled ‘CDW,’ quickly became an unofficial anthem of the Women’s March.
Wilson has worked with many Canadian artists including Daniel Caesar, BadBadNotGood, River Tiber, and she’s opened for artists like Local Natives and Haim, but she always keeps her humble roots in mind. She tweeted, “This is just the beginning but I’m proud of the woman I’m becoming.”
This is a ground-up operation. No one has handed me anything. I just opened my first incorporated company and I'm in the process of starting a second. I've had good business guidance & I'm rly grateful for that. This is just the beginning but I'm proud of the woman I'm becoming.
— Charlotte Day Wilson (@cdaydreamz) April 11, 2018
Catch her at the CBC Music Fest on Saturday, May 26 at Toronto’s Echo Beach.
(Photo: Flickr)