Artist Interview: Charlie Wilde

From the deeply personal, anxiety-fueled roots of his songwriting to the expansive, collaborative horizons of his future work, Charlie Wilde is an artist defined by sincerity and emotional accessibility. Known for his "Romantic" folk sound and inspired by icons like Bon Iver and Keaton Henson, Wilde's music is an intentional layering of personal emotion and universal feeling. He recently released the debut EP Allihies and the powerful instrumental companion piece 'Lie, in Iron.,' which musically captures the mix of "hope, anxiety, euphoria and fear" before walking onto a stage.

In this  interview, Charlie Wilde delves into his creative process, the importance of external validation in an independent career, and his exciting, boundary-pushing collaborations that are set to define his sound in 2025.

Tori: Can you walk us through the creative process for a song—from initial idea to final mix—and how you ensure those qualities shine through?

Charlie: Actually I've never really had an exact process! Some pieces begin with a musical idea or lyrical theme, some take a long while, with many iterations whilst others can fall out and be mostly complete in a few minutes.

Something specific to me though is I'm very deliberate in both my lyrics and instrumentation, everything has its place, I write my lyrics to be deeply personal but with an equally accessible emotion, something for me that I don't share, and something for you to feel that matches. I find this has helped keep my sincerity when performing, letting me re-experience the reason why I wrote the song.

Mixing-wise, I place a lot of trust in the ears around me. After my ep I started recording and mixing myself (with some exceptions), and I'm extremely lucky to have some great people giving me a bunch of feedback as I shape the sound.

Tori: Your influences range from Bon Iver to Keaton Henson and Patrick Watson. What specific elements from these artists do you consciously or subconsciously bring into your work?

Charlie: I think any creative can and should say that creatively they stand on the shoulders of those before them, and even though these guys are my big 3 Ive pulled from some pretty unexpected places!

Keaton is a huge one for me, and I happily share that his authenticity is what inspired me to create Charlie specifically as opposed to my other work. Patrick creates these huge cinematic scores that musically exactly match his lyrical themes, and it's tough to say something about Bon Iver that hasn't been said, but his fluid approach to fidelity to me shows an extra layer of songwriting not often seen by artists, he is particular about everything.

Tori: The single 'Lie, in Iron.' is an instrumental companion piece to 'Disquietude'. What inspired you to create an instrumental track, and why did you feel it specifically needed to be paired with 'Disquietude'?

Charlie: A big thing for me this year has been creating instrumental versions of pivotal moments of my discography, simply because the instrumental arrangements are where I get the most enjoyment out of songwriting!

This is actually my second attempt after my small faith series being based on my debut Low Fidelity, with each having only a thread connecting them. I can get pretty obsessed with connecting my pieces, and chaining them together. Small, Faith. and Lie, in Iron. Are both musically linked to important motifs from their parent songs, whilst also continuing the narrative.

Small, Faith explores reduction, starting with a full chamber group and simmered down to a solo for three violins across three singles, each mixed differently. To me, this reduction allows for the most important parts of the song to be exposed, something which I had previously buried with Low Fidelity.

Similarly, Disquietude details the intense anxiety I felt leading up to my debut launch, and Lie, in Iron deepens that by musically detailing the literal moments before I began to play.

Tori: 'Lie, in Iron.' is described as capturing the "moment of trepidation before walking on stage". Can you share a specific story from a tour or show that embodies the mix of "hope, anxiety, euphoria and fear" mentioned in the track's description?

Charlie: Probably there's too many to detail! Charlie Wilde was created to turn my anxiety into a form of strength, which would even allow me to play at all. I've managed to get a lid on it and channel the energy into my performance but even now there's an entirely irrational beast that can take hold before I play. It's lead to some great personal moments of triumph for sure but it's a fine line, I remember during my tour I really fell apart during my Geelong show, the gig was a complete bust but I had no way of knowing until I tried. Lie, in Iron tries to captures both ends of the spectrum, because every time I play, I don't know what the outcome will be.

Tori: Your debut single was 'Low Fidelity', and you've been called a "Romantic, with a capital R". How do you feel your sound has evolved from 'Low Fidelity' to your more recent releases?

Charlie: As a writer I don't think my approach has changed too much other than I'm a fair bit less precious than I used to be. I used to really limit my sound, sometimes for absolutely absurd reasons. For example, a big them of Disquietude is about not living up to potential, so sonically the piece was limited to only instruments I could play. Even now I hear a good song there buried under a bad idea, but at least with Lie, in Iron. I could create what the original probably should have sounded like in the first place.

Tori: Releasing your debut EP, 'Allihies,' for your Pa must have been a deeply personal experience. What kind of emotional journey did you go on while creating that collection of songs?

Charlie: I do really put myself through the wringer when I create, but to be more positive creating a long form body of work is a deeply rewarding experience! To be able to think on the journey I could go on across multiple tracks was a process I loved and would love to do again properly.

The ep starts with me asking my pa if he'll see what I'll become, and ends with me answering that question, and creating a spaghetti Western to honour him with Buckley's Rd is something I'm immensely proud of.

Cacophony pretty astutely captures my emotional state in creating the record, it's honestly such a weird song, but I love it.

Tori: 'Antithesis' and 'Disquietude' both charted high on the Triple J Unearthed overall charts and received Triple J airplay. What do these successes on the Australian music scene mean to you as an up-and-coming artist?

Charlie: Antithesis is still a song I'm really proud of, and getting the email stating it was going to get the coveted play was a huge moment for me as much as I'd like to deny it, but equally so I was devastated when the plays stopped. I've been really lucky to eek out some small wins in the Australian scene, but I also know how it feels when it goes away.

Every success is important to me, it's a lifelong goal to build something sustainable with my art, and I know Triple J bears way too much on its shoulders in championing Aussie music, and it can’t possibly do it alone. To be a little bleak, gatekeeping is almost an inevitability in the creative arts, but we need more gates!

Tori: You've received an ACF grant for your work on 'Buckleys Rd' and have been a Semi-Finalist for the ISC and a Finalist for The Songwriting Prize. How important is external validation and support like this for an independent folk artist?

Charlie: I can't deny it's importance, my desire to create comes entirely from myself but there are very few of us that aren't charged in some way by external validation. I seek to move people with art, nominations are great, but a room full of people believing and feeling what you're feeling is even better!

Tori: You expanded sonically through collaborations with Peak Park and Benjamin Trillado, leading to new horizons in 2025. How did working with these collaborators challenge or change your typical songwriting process?

Charlie: I love these collabs and can't speak highly enough of both artists. I love creating with and for others as really it just let's me enjoy the creative process far more, and you get to do it with great people. All of those songs lead to new processes. With Peak, we created two songs, one that was a bit more me, and the other a bit more them but both with equal input, leading to sounds I would never have thought of, and I'm still working with Tom on new work. Playing with those guys is the most fun I've had recording and we gelled well, we took ages to write those songs really because we were just having such a good time.

Ben is just such a wildly talented artist. I first met him from a recommendation from a friend that he should join me as main support on my tour, and it wasn't until about the 6th show that it clicked that id already been listening to him on Spotify as a fan for years prior!

As the Peak Park stuff was wrapping up I approached Ben to write together and was so chuffed he said yes. Before even picking up an instrument we had lunch together to just talk about how life was going, to find common ground.

We were both really struggling with motivation at that point and even operating as functioning people, so set out to create the most banal song possible, with big emotional depth. Mundane song is probably the most ‘simple’ thing I've been a part of, but we made a song about doing the dishes and making the bed, and we made it big!

As an aside, I will happily say the best parts of all of those songs are parts I had very little to do with, and it's just nice hearing those guys create.

Tori: What is the most memorable piece of feedback or quote you’ve received about your music so far?

Charlie: Ah I've had some pretty impressive people say really nice stuff to much, but honestly the best writing I receive is from complete strangers telling me my work helped them through a tough time, it's a really cool thing to experience, and gives me way more perspective than reviews.

Tori: Is creating music a cathartic process for you, or is it more of a disciplined craft?

Charlie: Definitely catharsis, you'll never heard anyone describe me as anything close to disciplined.

Tori: what message or feeling do you hope a first-time listener takes away after hearing a Charlie Wilde song?

Charlie: I just hope it lets them feel what they need to, everyone is bottling up now and with good reason steeling themselves for what's to come. Happy people need sad music, so I think when music like mine gains success, it's a pretty good sign.

Tori: How do you balance the deeply personal nature of your message with making it "somehow accessible" to a wider audience?

Charlie: I get pretty obsessed with keeping the core meaning of my songs to myself, but layering multiple meanings through the lyrics. The main thing for me is I want us to feel the same thing. It doesn't really help me if you think of me while I play, I want my music to speak to your own challenges.

Tori: Now that you've released your debut EP and completed a national tour, what is the ultimate goal or vision you have for your music in the next few years?

Charlie: It might sound low-key, but after seeing how precarious gigging can be, my big goal is sustainability. I want my music to find a reliable home. I don't know what form that might take, but I've expanded into visual art and installation, finding that really fulfilling.

Tori: What are the 'new horizons' you mentioned for 2025, and what can fans expect next from Charlie Wilde?

Charlie: I want to exist in places where art is considered, and work with more and more people that I love. To speak more on collaboration and validation, I find it extremely inspiring when someone I respect so much wants to work with me.

I don't think that needs to just be musicians, but any creative and every medium!

Follow Charlie Wilde Here!