Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to get a sneak peek of Carδamo’s genre-bending and incredibly eclectic new album ‘ANDROGENISE’. Based in the UK, Carδamo is the musical project of Cardamon Rozzi, an independent artist who plays around with many different genres, styles, concepts, and ideas. The album is truly brilliant from start to finish and was officially released just a few hours ago!
Wanting to get to know the musician a bit better, I was delighted when they agreed to an interview! Chatting with us about the build-up to the album’s release, their thoughts on the current state of the music industry, and which 3 albums they’d take with them to a deserted island, please give a big welcome to our new friend Carδamo!
Hello and welcome Carδamo! It’s awesome to be able to introduce you to our audience today! Let’s kick things off with an easy one…Who is Carδamo and when did your love affair with music start?
Music for me has always been a big part of my life. I remember long car journeys when I was as young as 2 years old with an mp4 player or a CD player to hand. But in terms of my journey, I guess it was when I picked up the violin at age 7! My soon-to-be violin teacher performed ‘Hedwig’s Theme’ in a school assembly and that day I came home and told my parents “I want to learn to play the violin” and they were like, “Yeah alright”! The violin is still a massive part of who I am and I incorporate it within my Carδamo project whenever I can. In terms of who I am though, I would say that Carδamo is a concentrated form of the person I am now. Music is linked to an artist’s personal growth, and for me, at the moment, that is an expression of my sexuality, gender and community. If you wanted an elevator pitch, I would say that Carδamo is a gender/genre-bending artist who plays with the idea of what is “acceptable” in popular music, while engaging with the, now, post-PC Music underground scene in London.
Towards the end of next month, you’ll be unleashing your debut full-length album entitled ‘ANDROGENISE’. What sort of emotions are you feeling in the build-up to its release?
Absolute terror! Truly, for something so personal to be coming out, it feels as if I’m throwing myself into a lion’s den. Waiting for everyone to see me in my rawest form. Not necessarily in terms of me oversharing my trauma (I have no problem doing that) but more that, music is so integral to someone’s character, and I’m really struggling with the idea that I might just not be anyone’s cup of tea! I’m confident, considering I have a good support group around me and a lot of people seem to already be at least somewhat interested in what my music has to say, but there’s always that doubt in the back of my mind. I love my music, but I can only really hope others do as well!
You’ve mentioned legends like SOPHIE, A.G Cook, and Count Baldor as being inspirations for your sound. Is there anybody else that you would credit, or give a shout-out to, for helping shape your overall musical soundscape?
Dorian Electra for sure. Alice Longyu Gao, Lil Texas, Umru, Planet 1999. Pretty much the entirety of PC Music, as well as anyone who did something avant-garde in the Eurovision Song Contest while I was sentient. I love the Eurovision, I will perform in it one day, it is just a question of when. Performance-wise, I think there’s nothing like it in terms of maximalism, which is a concept I play around with a lot.
What are your thoughts on the music industry as a whole? What changes would you make?
The music industry sucks, but it is what it is. It’s so hard for anyone to break out because of the democratization of music and music-making in general, as there is just so much to compete with. That being said, it is this exact reason that we have access to even more inspiring music, and that has been the equivalent of a “Cambrian explosion” in the last few decades. I think the music industry in general needs to embrace the changing times. Having worked with labels, a lot of them seem to be stuck in the 90s, where they think music can just be manufactured – which it most certainly can be – but that doesn’t guarantee it will overshadow some more organic success, such as the likes of people like Lil Nas X, who truly just adapted to the new way music and media is shared around and made it work for them. If I could change one thing though, I definitely think the way music is taught should be modernized. I think this would slowly ensure that the professionals in the industry are not limited to the methodology of those before them. Not in the “reject tradition” kind of way, it’s definitely crucial to learn from those who have already succeeded, but I do think there is a bit too much leaning on them at the moment, within the major record labels. Also sampling, oh my god can we just sort that out? Like…make it easier to license samples. Clearly pop tunes on the radio nowadays are just recycling older riffs and melodies from old number ones, which is great, and totally fine by me (so long as it’s transformative and not just slapped in for the sake of it) but make it available to those of us without lawyers or 100 grand in the bank.
What, to you, is music’s role in society?
I think music enjoyers, music creators, performers etc. all exist in their own sub-societies. I don’t necessarily think that music has a role in our society in terms of the way money, food, housing, etc. does. Ultimately music is a luxury as all art is. Would life be worth living without art? Not really. Art is what sustains us as humans looking for beauty, where it is so seldom found – in the harsh realities of modern life.
But a more interesting thing that music provides us is exactly that, an escape from this society. We aren’t confined by rules and regulations in the same way we are day to day when it comes to music. We can go to another country and listen to their music with the same joy and wonderment as they do. We can communicate through music in a way that language fails. We can create, where there was previously nothing. It’s kind of prophetic and “oOOooOOo” but I think that everything that makes life worth living, and thus improves society as a whole, is generally found outside of the physical confines of the society itself. I don’t know though, maybe I’m chatting absolute crud.
Is there a show or concert that you attended (or perhaps even played at) that just stands out from all of the rest? If so, please do tell.
Primavera 2023 ‘tous’ stage. No question. Shygirl then Pabllo Vittar, Amaarae then 100 Gecs, Priya Ragu then Dorian Electra…this festival was the most eclectic thing ever! And oh my god it was just the best atmosphere and the best music. I have never experienced anything like it, and I don’t think I will again. But here’s to hoping haha.
OK, Carδamo – desert island time! You’re allowed to grab 3 albums before being stranded on an island. Which do you choose?
This is an evil question. I don’t know whether you want a smart answer, my favourite 3 albums of all time or like songs I couldn’t bear not ever hearing again. I want to just give the stupid answer to offset the musicological hostage situation you have put me in. But I’ll just answer with the first 3 albums that come to my head when I think “Oh yeah that bangs”:
- ‘Crash (Deluxe)’ – Charli XCX – best pop album ever potentially. I will not be acknowledging any negative responses to this answer.
- ‘Motomami’ – Rosalía – anyone who doesn’t love this album is probably a really bad person. I don’t make the rules.
- ‘L’ère du Verseau’ – Yelle – people sleep on Yelle, and for what? They miss potentially the most fun and interesting music on the planet. Wake up!
Thanks a lot for chatting with us Carδamo! Once your album is out in the world, what do you plan on getting up to next?
Making another album I guess. Making more music in general. Collaborating with literally as many people as possible. Trying to mooch my way into the music industry, world domination, eating the rich, inciting violence against the conservative government, avoiding being the victim of hate crime, going to raves. Probably performing at some point when I can practice singing again – I used to be genuinely like such a sick singer, but now I’m just a bit crap lol. I’ll work on it.
