By Victoria Stavish

Photo credit: 360 Magazine

The 1824 division of Universal Music Group hosted media outlets from across the country over Zoom to promote Nashville-based alt-pop artist Chaz Cardigan’s newest EP, Hologram, which released on October 22nd. Cardigan’s music typically concentrates on themes of relationships, self-esteem, sexuality, nostalgia, and changing perspectives.

“I like to make music that makes me feel young. I want to make the music that reminds me of these light, hooky, pop songs that sound all swimmy with a little bit of nasty guitar sometimes. That’s really what I was going for with Hologram.”

Cardigan gained traction in February of 2020 from his song “As I’ll Ever Be”, which was used in the hit Netflix film “To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You”. He’s released many songs since then, and believes his sound has remained consistent.

“I want people to know that I mean it. That’s what’s most important. I don't have the patience for artifice at this point. And sometimes that's a struggle too, because maybe adding on some layers of metaphor or sexiness or trying to find some hipper sounds that will get my songs some better Spotify playlist ratings. Those are tempting things. But I have to die at some point, and I would way rather die knowing that I didn't try to do anything that I wasn’t doing authentically.”

Cardigan has owned his authenticity most recently on TikTok, where a short video of him singing an original song called, “America Is A Fascist Police State” blew up and earned him nearly 95,000 followers. Cardigan makes it clear that he is not one to shy away from tough issues or vulnerability, but he warns that if you ask him about current politics he will, “lead you down a totally different wormhole. I would just urge everyone to vote. My confidence is as strong as the voting lines are long.”

Even though the world does feel a little scary right now, Cardigan looks forward to how current situations may influence the music industry for the better.

“There's nothing bigger for me than playing live to as many people as possible. It's the sharing of a moment. I miss that, but I hope that maybe we find a more humane and holistic way to approach touring..." Cardigan said, "It's easier than ever for people to discover music, it's easier than ever for people to consume music, and to see live performances and maybe what COVID will do is pivot us to a place where live streaming is more accessible. Maybe artists don't have to lose 10 years off of their body being on the road all the time.”

While Cardigan prefers to look on the positive side of things, he wants to remind us that if there is a zombie apocalypse, he believes that his song “Change Your Mind” off of his newest EP may be able to grant immunity if you listen to it.

“I was thinking about this exact topic when writing that song.” Cardigan explains, “It is both the most fun, and has the most amount of tension and release...Something about it just screams like, yeah, ironically, this is a good zombie apocalypse song.”

Chaz Cardigan’s new EP, Hologram, is now streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. Go give it a listen. We can’t guarantee that it will protect you from whatever else 2020 throws our way, but it’s better to be safe than sorry!