Dark Optimism: An Interview with singer-songwriter, Cplus.

Cplus is a St. Louis based artist known for her work as a solo artist and with associated acts such as Bounce House, O’Ivy. She offers a uniquely dark yet sunny perspective on patience, perseverance, and resilient candor of the human spirit.

Cplus1 — **“Music has been really integral to my journey of self-acceptance.”**

SH: How are you?

CP: I am doing okay all things considered. Working with people I love, pushing myself creatively, just getting by and trying to stay focused on what feels right, safe, and motivating.

SH: When and why did you start making music?

CP: I have been singing in choirs since I can remember so I have always had that vocal outlet that put me on the path. I started playing bass when I was 13- am 30 now for context-- and I guess I feel pretty lucky to have grown up where I did-- there were always kids around me that were forming bands and playing shows. There were battle of the bands' and dingey venues that my parents would only let me go to with an escort or in big groups of teenagers. I was always surrounded by people that loved to perform, sing, dance, mosh, really just experience live music together and that really drew me in as a young kid. It felt like a place that no matter how alien you felt, you could belong and be loved for who you chose to be and what you could do. It wasn't long before I was drawn to, where I met some people who would become my first real bandmates and songwriting partners. I have played in several different projects and have been lovingly chasing inspiration ever since.

SH: After playing in many bands over the years, what has called you to pursue solo creation? What is the Cplus origin story?

CP: Music is such a huge source of experimentation and self-examination for me. It operates as a kind of safe playground for me to push myself and learn, whether that lesson is a new instrument, technique, or a new avenue to express my feelings. Because of this, I have always written songs for myself on the side that didn't quite fit into whatever band I was playing with just for the love of songwriting. Somewhere in the last year or so it sort of dawned on me that I had a huge backlog of songs that I wanted to see through and it really lit a fire in me. I started digging through them to find the absolute gold while learning to record and produce myself along the way. In doing so I started finding more to say and a new voice to say it in. Cplus is my outlet to hone and develop the skills to produce the best songs I can and express myself at every step in that process.

SH: You've released two singles this year, 'Deeper Tides' and 'Not Today'. Both deal with the balance of dark and light, joy and pain, and the waves of life. You seem to be very conscious of this and deliberate in finding a path of self-acceptance through your music. Do you have an album planned and if so, can we expect more on this theme?

Music has been really INTEGRAL TO MY JOURNEY OF SELf-ACCEPTANCE.

Music is my best tool to navigate and name all the barriers and fluctuations that get in the way of self-acceptance. It’s important because self-acceptance is the only way forward no matter where you are at- song, skill, or moments in life. The next couple singles I have set to release are thematically similar but differ just so in mood and musicality. That's part of the beauty of music to me. The exact same lyrics could fit differently in each song and hit emotions differently in any chord progression. It makes it possible so that as an artist, each song you write is an opportunity to express yourself more truly or to delve into a singular aspect or shade of whatever emotion resonates with you the most when you're writing it. My working release plan starts early next year with a single drop and a small ep in spring/summer. Not trying to put specific dates on all of those yet but I am excited about what I have in the works. Looking forward to showing more sides of myself than I have had the opportunity to so far.

Photo by Miranda Munguia

SH: Your music is darkly positive. Is that what you are going for? If so, you nailed it.

CP: I guess I nailed it. haha Writing these songs definitely kept me going and brought me to focus through dark times and I am deliberately an optimist.

SH: Lightning round. A few questions about the artists you listen to. (These could be anyone in music or art, band or solo artist alike.)

Current obsession: The Voidz - back on the Julian Casablancas train

Biggest inspiration: Tessa Violet as of late! I just adore her as a human and she really connects with people

Recent discovery: I really enjoyed Rina Sawayama's album this year. It has such a cool diversity of style to each track and combines so many elements I love like heavy guitar riffs and big dense clouds of vocals.

Dream collaboration: probably St. Vincent or Damon Albarn

Guilty pleasure: I try not to feel guilty about it but I listen to Poppy and Lady Gaga like every day

SH: How does your solo work differ from the music you make with your band, Bounce House?

CP: Bounce House is really a team effort-- we write songs together and each member gets a say in what songs we bring to fruition, what we drop, what we alter, etc. so the biggest fundamental difference is that as a solo artist, I don't have people in my corner quite the same way. There are some real pros and cons to that and either way, I have been enjoying having a space that I can really present and explore my own voice musically. There are a number of topics and moods that I feel I can write more freely about by myself than I do with the band, like deep love, extreme lust and sadness. Not that Bounce House couldn't handle writing songs with those topics, but if we did write one as the band, it would become bigger than me- it would be our statement together and that would be unique to us as a whole.

SH: Have you missed playing shows? When restrictions start lifting, where's the first Cplus show going to be?

CP: First stop, Heavy Anchor!! I miss playing shows immensely! I did a virtual show through St. Louis Public Radio and that was a cool experience. I definitely got the jitters which I was a little surprised by but I was just so excited. It felt amazing to perform and have something to practice and look forward to. I'm definitely yearning for a time when it feels safe enough to sing, scream, and dance with each other again in person.

SH: What impact do you hope to make in this world? What do you want to leave people with?

cory+11.jpg — I HOPE TO STRENGTHEN SPACES THAT FEEL SAFE AND ENCOURAGING FOr PEOPLE TO BE THEMSELVES.

That's part of what makes me miss shows so much, the collective excitement and that palpable joy of a room, the magic of seeing someone perform and drop completely into the zone, or seeing a crowd collectively start to sway in time. I would also like to leave people with a sense that it’s okay to grow and change and learn and be bad at things and that tomorrow is another chance to negotiate what that looks like for yourself.

SH: Are you optimistic about the future?

CP: of course-- darkly positive, remember? ha. its easy to feel overwhelmed but its important to stay above your worst expectations. There is so much time left for us to get it right. We just have to keep getting louder, bolder, and more fiercely compassionate. I think we can do it. I think we have come a long way even just since I've been alive. Especially when it comes to realistically addressing the problems that lie underneath the problems that people write off like racism, and different human elements like our collective attention span and capacity /willingness to change. Overwhelmingly, I feel like my peers choose empathy and compassion and that is incredibly encouraging.

SH: Thanks for sharing. Lastly, could you leave the people with some wisdom or advice?

CP: Keep listening, keep talking, breathing, creating, and find things or people to enjoy your time with. Lose yourself in what you love and get lots of rest <3