Sage Charmaine
Sage Charmaine is a singer/songwriter based in Los Angeles.
Her debut EP don’t leave me was released in May. The 7-track project includes songs with lil aaron and Rocky.
Charmaine is now revealing the visuals for her song “around”. Produced by Nick Lee, the song is about one of her experiences in the music industry.
“I’ve grown up in the industry, and I’ve faced so much backlash from older people since as long as I can remember. People always connect age with experience and talent, which isn’t always the case. I wrote this song to basically laugh at all these people who stay underestimating the kids in this business,” says Charmaine.
The music video showcases Charmaine and some of her closest friends having fun times.
You can now stream Charmaine’s debut EP don’t leave me on major streaming platforms.
Photo credit: Katy Pritchett
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I’m originally from the top of the panhandle in Texas from a town called Amarillo. I moved to Cali about 8 years ago and started pursuing my dreams. After a lot of trial and error & growing up in the industry, it took a while to find myself and develop my artistry into what it is today! And nowadays, I basically just get to create music alllll the time, and I can experiment however and whenever I want which has been super amazing.
How would you define Sage Charmaine, the artist?
I’d say Sage Charmaine is very bratty and sassy, but she’s not all bitchy; she’s definitely got a sensitive side where she can get hella emo. and I think she’s also extremely confident, definitely more confident than the part of me that isn’t an artist, and when I become “Sage Charmaine” i just start enveloping this insane confidence and I love it. Sage Charmaine also loves to be as extra as possible, wearing maddd sparkles and neon colors all of the time.
You released your debut EP don't leave me in May. What do you like most about this project?
I liked that the cluster of songs weren’t all created at the same time. Some were 2 years old by the release of the EP, and some were only a few months old. Because of this, I felt like the ep was a representation of my growth over the past 2 years and my diversity as an artist since I got to experiment a lot with different genres and styles.
Who helped you create this project?
A lot of different people ! I had different writers and producers come on for the project throughout the making.
What made you want to name your EP don't leave me?
The way I arranged the songs in the track list was to tell a story. The EP is basically the many emotions you can feel from loving somebody, whether that be a boyfriend/girlfriend, friend, family member, or anyone. So as you go through each song, the way I’m feeling towards said someone in a sense slowly but surely changed, until we get to the last two, and by that point I’m obviously feeling indifferent towards this bitch and I’m just feeling like look, we’ve been through so much together and after all this i just want you all to myself, which is what the song “don’t leave me” in and of itself is about ! Also was my favorite on the EP so I had to name it after it (;
How did things change for you since the release of the EP?
The EP has definitely shown a side of my artistry I hadn't yet to the public so I’m very grateful for all the feedback I've gotten from it! I’ve been performing the EP since the summer which has also been amazing.
"Around" is your new music video. What's the story behind this song?
I’ve grown up in the industry, and I’ve faced so much backlash from older people since as long as I can remember. People always connect age with experience and talent, which isn’t always the case. I wrote this song to basically laugh at all these people who stay underestimating the kids in this business, who are FUCKING KILLING IT. Bitch, I BEEN around tyvm.
What can you tell us about the music video? What was the inspiration behind it?
I wanted the video to feel as authentic as possible so the whole cast is actually a group of my real friends and my boyfriend! Since the whole idea of the video is having fun and doing random shit with your homies, I thought it was only fitting to film us actually doing that hahaha. My inspiration for the video was definitely Lisa Frank, Takashi Murakami, and overgrownchild11 on the gram (aka baddie winkle’s baddie ass granddaughter that I'm obsessed with).
What vision do you have for your art?
I have never ending visions for my artistry, there’s so much I want to accomplish it’s crazy. But currently, I’m really trying to clearly brand myself so I can release shit with a clear vision consistently every time. As far as music goes, I have some projects I’m about to start and I want to work so hard on them like I never have before to make sure they’re absolutely damn perfect for all of you guys when it’s out. I guess my vision for 2019-2020 is really focusing on making my mfn mark as an artist in this industry, leaving a fat ass foot print like “hey bitch sage is here” lmao.
As an artist, what do you want to accomplish?
I always consider myself as a singer, songwriter, and performer - those are my 3 realest passions. I feel like you never stop getting to know yourself and I’m big on self development (lmfao) so I’d say one of the things I want to accomplish most is to develop all of my passions to my greatest ability until I can't anymore. Other than that, I’d also like to have a few companies under my belt as well, such as releasing different types of merch down the line & getting into the makeup industry once I’ve established my music career.
What’s the hardest part about being an artist? And what's the best part?
I think the hardest part is staying true to yourself. In this industry, it’s so easy for people to try and control your creativity. Honestly, it can be hard even for you to stay true to yourself when there’s so many different people out there doing the same thing you are. I think the best part though, is all the cool people you come across. There’s so many different types of people in the industry who are all creative af in their own unique way. Everyone’s creative style is different too, so when you get to be surrounded by people who love music & creating it just as much as you do, it feels like you’re really just where you’re supposed to be or something.
What are you most proud of?
I’m proud of everything I’ve done leading me up to now. I’ve been creating music since age 7 and ever since then I’ve written and sang whatever and however the fuck I’ve wanted to. Even my terrible, childish songs written before I was 11 were some real shit to me that helped me through a lot of different things in my life. I’m just proud that I can look back on everything I’ve done and laugh while I keep further developing myself to be the best I can be in the now.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place?
I think the world would be better if we didn’t have so many outside factors influencing our society to be biased about certain things. There’s no need for all this bullshit that divides everyone up and puts people against one another. In my mind, the perfect world would be anyone and everyone being able to live in harmony and peace without any “social hierarchies” or judgment. Humans are humans, and we all deserve equal chances, love, and quality of life no matter what you want to believe.
What biggest life lessons have you learned so far?
I’d say getting to know yourself and becoming comfortable with that person is extremely important. As I've gotten older, (though I'm still young af) I've come to realize the only person I'll truly have forever is ME. Being in tune with yourself is very important in my opinion, you can’t run away from your true self and getting to know that person inside and out, and once I actually started doing it, it wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. In fact, it’s definitely helped me in every aspect of my life.
Connect with Sage: