Q&A: Carlie Hanson Takes Her Power Back with “Take My L”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY SHEVON GREENE ☆
Photo by Dylan Overhouse
AT 25, CARLIE HANSON HAS ALREADY LIVED MULTIPLE ARTISTIC LIVES—breakout teenage success, major-label pressure, sudden industry upheaval and the behind-the-scenes rebuilding that followed. Her music has always been a mix of vulnerability and defiantly cool alt-pop, and her new single “Take My L” captures that perfectly. The track covers the heavy stillness of depression with lyricism that feels both exhausted and brutally honest. “Fell asleep, checked out,” she sings, the words hitting like a shrug and confession at the same time.
Written during one of the most chaotic periods of her early twenties—being dropped by her label, navigating unhealthy habits, questioning her purpose in Los Angeles—the track leans into an even deeper self-reflection. Instead of a surrender, it’s an unfiltered confession of where she really was in life. The track arrives as Hanson enters a new era with Fearless Records, and she’s re-centered, steadier and more self-aware than ever.
We sat down with Hanson to talk about the story behind “Take My L,” her creative reset, and the honesty leading towards her next chapter. Keep reading for more.
LUNA: I love the lyrics “Fell asleep checked out / Sunk into the couch.” It already tells such a vivid story. What moment in your life were you trying to capture with that image?
HANSON: This song, believe it or not, is almost three years old. I’ve been sitting on it for a while. When I wrote it, I was in a weird spot—I’d just been dropped from Warner [Music Group] for the first time in my career. I was in this transitional stage, drinking a lot, hanging with not the best group of people, and wrapping myself up in uncertainty. Anxiety was at an all-time high. I remember listening to a lot of Lil Peep because it’s nostalgic for me—and probably not a great sign if I’m listening to him constantly—but that’s where I was. I was struggling, probably 22 or 23, which is already a struggle-bus age. I was in LA, not happy with where I was at, just trying to figure out what the hell I was doing. So those depressing lyrics came from that.
LUNA: That makes sense, and it’s super vulnerable in a way listeners can really connect to. The chorus has this push-and-pull between knowing you might need help but not wanting to save yourself. When you listen back now, does that version of you feel far away, or does it still feel close?
HANSON: If I’m being totally transparent, I think I’ll always struggle with these feelings. As I get older, I sit with myself longer and learn more about what actually helps. I’ve always leaned on drinking or smoking or music to cope, but now I know the healthier choices—working out, meditating, whatever. Still, I think I’ll always deal with depression or anxiety. I definitely don’t feel as FML as I did when I wrote it, but I still feel those feelings in my day-to-day because everyone does. That’s just life.
LUNA: You mentioned people assuming the “L” stood for “life,” but you meant it as loss or accepting defeat. What made that phrase feel like the anchor for the song?
HANSON: It came out naturally. We started with that main guitar line, and I started rapping a bit—probably because I was listening to Lil Peep—and “L” kept popping up. “Take my L” just felt cool. The saying is “take the L,” so I twisted it. I remember asking my co-writer if people would think it meant “life,” but they didn’t. Then I played it for my girlfriend’s mom, and she was like, “Take your life?” and was so worried about me. I was like, “no, it’s slang, I swear” (laughs). It also fits that sarcastic humor-as-coping thing I tend to do. I was a little worried about older listeners, but everyone’s caught on.
LUNA: The visualizer of you on the couch in front of the moving train feels like dissociation in motion; stillness against chaos. Is that what you wanted it to communicate?
HANSON Definitely. I wanted it to be metaphorical; being stuck in one place while the world moves around you. Me and my buddy Dylan [Overhouse], who I do a lot of visuals with, thought the couch was perfect since the song starts there and it’s the artwork. And the red ties back to my previous project. It just all clicked. But yeah, dissociation, the world spinning, me not moving—that’s exactly it.
LUNA: Touching more on visuals, how involved are you in direction? Are you hands-on or more collaborative?
HANSON: I’ve always been hands-on. Nowadays, reels and TikToks are everything—annoying but also kind of fun. I live in Wisconsin now, and I have so much world to pull from here. It aligns with my music way more than when I was in LA. It's so fun and feels like me. I am curious what it’d be like to have a creative director come in, like how Addison Rae’s album had that vibe. I’d love to see what someone else would bring to my world, but for now it’s mostly my brain doing the directing.
LUNA: You’ve always blended alt-pop with raw emotion and a bit of indie. Where does “Take My L” sit in your sonic evolution?
HANSON: I’ve wondered that too. I’m curious how fans who’ve been listening since day one hear it. To me, because I’m inside it, it feels evolved but still connected. “Take My L” sits in a sweet spot—familiar but fresh. But the new stuff coming next? Nothing like what people have heard from me. I love this song, but it’s also me reminding people I’m still that b*tch. It goes hard.
LUNA: The line “I don’t want to change, oh well” feels defiant but also tired, like resignation. Was it a release or something else?
HANSON: It goes back to sarcasm and humor as an escape. Total transparency: I was high on Adderall when I wrote it. I wasn’t sitting with myself; I was struggling but also making fun of it. That’s where the lyrics come from—that “so what?” energy. I’m not saying I’m a role model; I’m just being honest about where I was emotionally.
Photo by Dylan Overhouse
LUNA: You’ve been open about questioning whether you were on the right track. Do you feel more clarity now, or does uncertainty still fuel your writing?
HANSON: I’m finally in a good place. Leaving LA and coming back to my roots had a lot to do with it. I lived there for seven years—important, messy years. I was a teenager who’d never left Wisconsin, then I was suddenly in LA, then COVID hit, and I shaved my head, like, “who am I?” Learning to produce on my own, remembering what I actually like creatively—all of that grounded me. I’m more confident and mature now, and I want to be more honest than ever. I’m tired of the endless scroll and the baloney. I want the real vulnerability, the Charli XCX, Dominic Fike type of honesty.
LUNA: Your last project too late to cry was built piece by piece in your LA apartment. How did rebuilding and reorganizing your team shape the music you’re making now?
HANSON: My new management and signing to Fearless [Records] changed everything. It feels less pressured and more supportive. My A&R asks me questions no one ever asked before—like, what do you want people to feel when they hear this? Specific feelings, not vague ones. He pushes me to dig deeper, write about what sets me apart, my actual experiences growing up in the Midwest, what shaped me. They’re teaching me to self-reflect instead of chasing a hook. I can make a good pop song anytime, but people want the meat, the honesty. And I want to challenge myself more.
LUNA: You had your breakthrough at 17 and now you’re starting this new era with Fearless Records. How does it feel to begin again, but from a wiser place?
HANSON: It feels really good. Having a strong team makes all the difference. An indie label feels less suffocating—not less ambitious, just more breathable. Growing up helps too. I handle situations better instead of freaking out and shaving my head (laughs). I’m in a good spot now; I just have to get the music right.
LUNA: What do you hope listeners feel the first time they play “Take My L”?
HANSON: I want people to believe what I’m saying. The same way I listen to Lil Peep when I’m not doing well—even if he’s talking about dark stuff—it makes me feel less alone. That’s what I want. I want people to feel understood, to sit with the emotion, and walk away feeling a little better.
LUNA: Was there a lyric in this song that scared you to say out loud?
HANSON: Maybe I was a little apprehensive about “take my L” at first, but when I’m writing in real time, I don’t care. I just say what I need to say. Later I might wonder, “Should I have said that?” but I never change it because that’s the real stuff people want. The second verse, “I just took the drugs because she gave me some”, maybe my mom won’t love that one, but I’m still gonna say it (laughs).
LUNA: Totally fair. Any final words or upcoming plans you want readers to know?
HANSON: I’m working on something that’s not going to be what anybody’s heard from me before. I’m ready to get even more honest—really vulnerable.
