REVIEW: Charlotte Lawrence, Chloe Lilac @ Great Scott 11/13
By Allie Antonevich
A wave of female empowerment and pop synths hit Great Scott, where both Chloe Lilac and Charlotte Lawrence took the stage on Nov. 13.
Chloe Lilac, a 17-year-old Brooklyn native, opened for Lawrence. She donned all-black attire, her silver hair hugging her face. As she introduced herself, she held a bit of child-like wonder and excitement. She explained to the audience that a lot of her songs come from personal experience, and that she is a DIY artist whose songs are found on SoundCloud. Before she started her set, she told audience members that she wants everyone to enjoy themselves, but also to be respectful to those around them.
“We’re all about that consent wave,” Lilac says with a knowing glance and a small laugh.
Lilac launched into one of her more popular songs, “Stolen Liquor,” with help of a small iPad that played the background synths. Lilac’s vocal range is still something she is figuring out; she hit the higher notes well, but the lower tones caused her voice to waver and sound out of tune.
Lilac interacted with the audience and invited them to dance with her. She is okay with being vulnerable, which is an admirable quality to hold, as she told the audience about the boys who broke her heart, her frustration with hookup culture and being labeled, and her disgust with society’s objectification of women.
Lilac shared that she started writing and producing her music at age 14. It is clear that she is following the footsteps of other notable bedroom pop artists, such as recently-discovered Clairo.
Charlotte Lawrence then took the stage. Lawrence is a 17-year-old Los Angeles native, already commanding the music scene despite being a newcomer. She released her first EP, Young, in 2018, and has generated close to 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Lawrence didn’t say anything to the audience when she ran on stage; instead, rather, she removed her baggy sweatshirt to reveal a sports bra and silver chain and immediately launched into her most popular song, “Sleep Talking.” The heavy bass didn’t take away from her well-defined vocal range. She sang to the audience through a serious demeanor and limited movement.
Lawrence waited a few songs before introducing herself to the audience. It was a bit shocking to watch, as her personality nearly flipped as she stopped to talk. She resembled more of a 17-year-old than a confident pop icon, and shyly smiled at the crowd as she talked a bit about herself and why she creates music.
A lot of Lawrence’s songs talk about frustration with boys, and the pressures women face to conform to men’s standards. Her honesty is refreshing, and doesn’t come across as accusatory.
Surprisingly, Lawrence was at her best when she sat on a barstool and sang “Everybody Loves You.” She wrote the lyrics to this song in 10 minutes, and said it was her favorite song to perform. Her passion for emotion came through, with a heavy voice and no flashing lights. She didn’t look at the audience, and kept tucking her hair behind her ears. This song, it seems, she was performing for nobody but herself.
It seems as if Lawrence is caught in this paradox of who she wants to be–either a flashy, sexy pop singer or a shy, acoustic performer. Her EP holds a balance of both of these songs, and she is early on in her career enough to still find herself and figure out how she wants to share her talent with the world.