Have You Met Charles? The Singer-Songwriter Defying Expectations & Transforming London’s Music Scene
What can you expect from a night with singer-songwriter Charles? Well, as he so perfectly puts it: “Think about if Prince had a love child with Barry White.” From a childhood spent listening to his parents’ favourite artists, such as Pink Floyd, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, Charles’ sound is a creative concoction of these influences. His smooth baritone voice transports you back to a time when funk and soul reigned supreme. Combined with his personal style and overall production, it evolves into something that even today’s music industry isn’t quite ready for.
I can safely say that Charles’ most recent headline show at The Lower Third in London’s Soho in April earlier this year was the best night of live music I’ve experienced in a long time. As anticipation built before his entrance onstage, the audience couldn’t contain their excitement. The energy in the room was already electric and the gig hadn’t even begun. Then, there he was: arms stretched out to full wingspan, dressed in a tuxedo suit jacket tucked into a knee-length pleated skirt, his curls perfectly gelled back, framing his face. Charles stands at a commanding 6ft 7in and has more than enough charisma to match. He and his band – equally well-dressed in suits and oversized sunglasses – walked out to a self-made soundtrack, acting as if they were in a waiting room before everything kicked off. And it really did kick off.
I’ve followed Charles’s music career since 2020, when we both worked together in West London members’ club and party venue, Laylow. I was introduced to him as Charlie. He was maître d’ (while also pursuing music); I was a cocktail waitress. There’s little difference between Charles and Charlie, he says, but “[Charles is] just a heightened version of myself. Charles is probably more the person that I wish I was when I was younger. And I feel like that’s what I channel more of. When you’re a kid, you don’t really care what people think.”
Fast forward four years, and his style is the same, his captivating energy is the same, the only difference is that his singing voice is a couple of octaves deeper than you may expect. While serving tables, I’d often see Charlie glide around Laylow, usually wearing an amazing large hat, being the life and soul of the party. So, it made sense to see him bring this infectious energy onto the stage, just turned up to a whole new level.
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Since first moving to London from Hertfordshire in 2010, Charles has been working hard on perfecting his identity as an artist. He released his first single, Red, Green, Gold, in 2017 and his first EP, On Trend, Hungry & Broke, in 2020 – which led to his first headline show in 2022; a defining moment in his career. “I’ve always believed in myself and it’s just a case of trying to convince everyone else to do the same, I guess,” he says.
He’s now a treasure for any new audience to uncover, and slowly, slowly, he’s seeing the momentum build. “For ages, the music industry was really struggling to fit me into a box, but now I’m seeing them start to get it more and that’s really rewarding for me,” he says. “The way the music industry works is very old-school still. I think you need to walk in there and say, ‘I’m going to be the next Billie Eilish.’ [But] the reality is, I’m not going to be the next anything. I am just Charles.”
A force to be reckoned with, he owns every aspect of his music career with unwavering confidence, built over the years of fighting to be accepted by those who hold the power to his success. He oozes cool, from his polished choreography onstage and in music videos to his outrageously good style. But it’s the pure magic of his music that truly sets Charles apart. “I tend to write exactly how I feel, as I’m feeling it,” he says of his creative process. “So if I’m on the tube, I’ll write almost in a monologue format; I will be typing whatever it is, but just saying it. Then when I get in the studio with Mathias Boman (my guitarist, who’s been my ride or die for this whole journey), that’s when we build the song.”
Go Backstage With: Charles...
Charles’ songs are packed with emotion, and when you see him live, he captivates the audience completely. You’ll feel every emotion he pours into his music: one moment you’re in tears, the next you’re dancing and singing at the top of your lungs. One of the former moments was when he sang Dirty Little Secret – a song he wrote when his fiancé, the actor Jimmy Essex, landed a dream role in a TV show, but was asked by the production company to keep his relationship with Charles a secret as he was playing a straight character. “They wanted [him] to take everything down off Instagram and online,” Charles says. “So, this song is a musical ‘f**k you’ to those companies.” The crowd was in awe of Charles as he sang, erupting into applause once he finished the final note.
Charles is now busy working on his new EP, Gorgeous, Sick & Tired, set to be released mid-October, with the first single, Man, dropping 19 June. He’s also already announced his next headline show in London this September at Oslo in Hackney. Charles is a prime example of the strength that comes from being your own biggest supporter. I’m convinced we’ve only touched the surface of his true potential, and it’s only a matter of time before he mesmerises the world with his talent.
Tickets for Charles’ next show can be purchased here.
Pia Brynteson is Content Editor at Service95
