Q&A: Charlotte Sands Knows No Bounds With Fiery New Single “neckdeep”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY ZARMEEN AKHUND ☆
Photos By Dillon Jordan
ALT-POP IT GIRL CHARLOTTE SANDS IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH. Her latest single, “neckdeep,” holds nothing back. An ode to raw emotion, the track reclaims guttural feelings deemed too loud, too soft, too radical. It roams somewhere between pain and power—dwelling on that gut-wrenching feeling when the person you love no longer sees you in the relationship.
Channeling early 2000s alt pop-rock and a myriad of iconic musical influences, Sands has thoughtfully crafted her own breathtaking sound and visuals. She merges sonic components and timelines; past, present and future, shapeshifting through experience. Ever-evolving, Sands continues to be fearless, dedicated, and committed to her artistry in every way.
Luna had the opportunity to speak with Charlotte about her ongoing success, both as an independent musician and multi-talented creative. We spoke about emotional experience, lyrical influence and the imperfection of being human. Read our full conversation below.
LUNA: Your music is a fierce blend of past and future. With groundbreaking influences like Alanis Morissette, Bonnie Raitt, Hayley Williams, and Gwen Stefani, there’s such an empowering thread of connection all throughout your artistry. Mix in early 2000s pop-punk bands, and you’re tying together many different aspects of sound, both old and new. How do you feel your music has changed or evolved in the past couple of years?
SANDS: I think my music is constantly changing and evolving based on what I'm experiencing in my career and in my personal life. The emotions I feel in my everyday life influences what I listen to, which ends up influencing my own music and what I'm pulling inspiration from. I love the idea of my music changing alongside my own life. I also feel lucky to exist in an era where fitting into one specific genre is becoming less relevant and necessary. I think it's so important to try and experiment with new sounds and new ways of telling stories. I hope that curiosity never goes away.
LUNA: Congratulations on the new single! “neckdeep” is both brazen and vulnerable. What was it like bringing this story to life?
SANDS: Thank you so much! This song was so fun to make because it felt like an actual reflection of my anxiety and personality in a lot of ways. The jump from being defensive or chaotic into the confusion of not being wanted, always somewhere in the middle of being overly confident and feeling unbearably vulnerable. I really love the production on this song and the contrast between the verses and the chorus, which I think perfectly represent the difference of those two feelings and how drastically each phase of this specific experience can affect someone.
LUNA: The chorus goes, “Why would you tell me that you’re neck deep when you’re really one foot out?” I love the way you touch on body-feeling connections in your music. There’s a viscerality to both your sound and lyricism. One of my favorites, your song “teeth,” brings out this same aspect. How does your connection to mind/body influence your songwriting?
SANDS: I have always loved finding ways to connect the mind and the body in my lyrics and I feel like sometimes it can help people relate to certain emotions or feelings more than just using big words to express something very human. I think it sometimes simplifies these complex moments into something smaller and more digestible, giving you the ability to say a lot more in a smaller amount of time. I could've written something like "our relationship was this massive body of water that I thought you were fully immersed in and you wanted to be a part of but little did I know you're barely even standing in it, you're actually actively trying to escape it," but instead we wrote "why would you tell me that you're neck deep when you're really one foot out," which to me says the same thing while also giving the listener room to create their own visual and connect it to their own experience. I've always been somebody who experiences emotions with my entire body and at 100mph, so I think I naturally write things in a way that reflects that feeling of being entirely engulfed, mind, body and soul, in each moment and each emotional experience.
LUNA: "neckdeep" oscillates between helplessness and idealization—a very relatable and polarising experience. How did you feel after completing the track?
SANDS: Writing this song was very cathartic for me because I was able to express every phase of emotion I was feeling at that time instead of just focusing on one singular moment. I was able to be angry and vengeful and hide behind the walls I built to protect myself while simultaneously accessing the grief and helplessness of being forgotten. It feels very accurate to how I would've talked to my friends about the situation, being angry and defensive, then the realization of my pain and feeling desperate, and then the embarrassment of feeling any of it in the first place. It feels very imperfect and very human and very me.
LUNA: As a multifaceted and dedicated creative, you’re constantly coming up with your own creative visuals and makeup looks, as well as designing merch and jewelry. Is there one aspect of your artistry that feels particularly energising right now?
SANDS: I think after spending the last few years with so much of the focus being making things solely to exist online, I've recently really enjoyed creating anything that will have a physical life. Vinyls, merch, posters, visuals for an LED wall that the audience will get to experience in person...anything that feels real and tangible. I’ve always struggled to believe something exists unless I can hold it in my hands or see it in person (like online audiences or views), so I hold extra tight to the moments where I can physically meet the people that are supporting my career or hold the actual CD with my songs on it or see someone wearing a t-shirt that I helped design. That's when it all feels real and it feels very special.
LUNA: What’s life on tour been like this time around? Any moments that stand out so far?
SANDS: I have officially been back home for one day and I already miss tour so much! This tour was so special because of how many bands and people were a part of it and all traveling together for five weeks. We spent everyday together, seven bands, seven separate crews, and so many different types of music and fan bases combined in this one very strange and beautiful ecosystem. It was one of my favorite experiences of my career and I am eternally grateful for the friendships it gave me and the unforgettable memories that I get to keep for the rest of my life.
LUNA: Any exciting plans or collaborations we can expect in 2026?
SANDS: I can definitely guarantee a lot more music (as always) and would love to do some fun collaborations. I have so much music that I've written over the last year that I can't wait to put out in the world. And I will forever be playing as many shows and doing as many tours as humanly possible!
