“The purest form of recognition is a stranger relating to me just through my words and melody,” says English self-taught pianist/guitarist/singer/songwriter and Earl Grey addict Charlie Corrie. Pointing at his mug full of white wine (“All my wine glasses are broken”), the 29-year-old says: “My music is honest and pure. This is the first drop of alcohol I have had in three months. Under the influence, you will write about feelings that are not real.”
Inspired by the classical music his adopted parents played during dinner parties, Charlie’s music career kicked off at the age of four. “I taught myself to play the piano alongside the classical melodies of composers like Chopin, Brahms, Tchaikovsky.” At the age of 10, he picked up and played his neighbour’s guitar for the first time. From there, he taught himself by ear. “I started writing music when I was 16. After years of playing in different bands and co-writing with other artists, my recent work is totally my own, from the beginning to the end.”
While his PR photos may have something of the ‘boy band’ about them (“Those pictures were taken years ago, when I was at a ‘pop’ phase in my career”), his new discography leans towards indie artists Ed Sheeran, Bon Iver and Ben Howard. “I take certain styles from these artists and make it my own. I don’t think anyone can truly be original; everything has to come from somewhere, but my voice makes the difference. That’s really my own sound.”
The results can be heard on his debut EP, due out by the end of this year. “In reality I am a closed book, but I express my feelings and thoughts through music. Writing music is therapeutic: it’s my way of channeling my emotions.” Predictably, his lyrics fixate on relationships. “I ruin relationships and they ruin me. I believe this is caused by my upbringing as an adopted child. I have no idea where I came from. In the first years of my life I lived in foster homes. Most people ran as fast into my life as they ran out of it, so I don’t let people in that easily, which some might confuse as arrogance.”
As an aside, Charlie does all of his composing in his kitchen “because of the acoustics and the tea pot being in reach”. Tea? That’s not rock ‘n’ roll! “Back in London I did the whole rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle: drugs, alcohol; I was even homeless for a while. After that roaring period, I really needed to get out of there. Phnom Penh gives me space to breathe and collect my thoughts.”
WHO: Charlie Corrie
WHAT: Pianist/guitarist/singer/songwriter and Earl Grey addict
WHERE: Doors, Street 84 & 47
WHEN: 9:30pm October 31
WHY: “My music is honest and pure” – Charlie Corrie