CARAMEL kicks the year off with his dream-like new single “Gone By The Morning”. This single follows the 2021 release of his debut EP, Traveler. This single gears up listeners through strong vocals and unique melodies, the beginning of the song bringing listeners a dream-like tone throughout the song and then the beautiful sound of piano bringing us to an ending with an upbeat tone.

Tell us a little bit about yourself!

CARAMEL: My name is CARAMEL,  I am a singer-songwriter-producer. I started making and playing music really young, probably when I  was 4 years-old at the Cleveland Institute of Music, so I studied that until 15 when I started high school and started getting really busy. Those practices were really intense, so I started making my own music on the piano I had at home. I started singing a lot more with influences like Jon Bellion, Michael Jackson, Otis Redding, and a lot of soulful and even rock like Led Zeppelin and Frank Ocean. I started specifically getting into production with  GarageBand. I know a lot of kids who like music start on their iPad, that's exactly where I started, putting in loops there, putting them all together, and slowly started progressing and making more sophisticated things. I fell in love with the idea of audio engineering production and sound. It's something I'm extremely passionate about. It’s led me to a couple of albums I will release and have released.

Your next EP is coming out in February?

CARAMEL: EP is coming out February 24th.

What were some of the inspirations behind this upcoming EP? How would you compare it to Traveler, your last EP?

CARAMEL: The first EP I released in 2021 is Traveler. I'm obsessed with this feeling of being a wanderer and everyone kind of finding their way through different things they are passionate about. Life is a crazy place, so we are just kind of trying to figure out who we are. So that theme of a traveler, a road trip, that's the name of the EP that's coming in February, is kind of what I based this off of. These are songs I felt gave a really good synopsis of my journey through college and high school, and a lot of underlying stories in each of these songs that mean a lot to me.

What has been inspiring you to make music lately? The single “Gone By The Morning” and the overall new EP?

CARAMEL: For “Gone By The Morning” there's no specific situation that inspired the song, but the idea of wanting to get up and leave anything toxic behind and not looking back at that, only looking back to see how far I’ve come. The idea of “Gone by the Morning” was just finding my circle, people I love, people who love me, creating a positive environment for myself. 

Roadtrip - a big inspiration for that is Weatherspoon, my brother from another mother, a poet/activist. He has three published books and they're incredible. We’ve definitely gone through a lot together, especially through high school, that’s where we met. That growth is a big part of my creation.

How do you see your sound evolving from what you’re about to put out versus where you are going - or how do you see your creativity as a whole?

CARAMEL: I like to describe my musicianship or artistry as unconfined to any genre. I want to be able to explore everything from rock, hip-hop, dance, and pop. I feel confident in my music theory, that I could make anything that comes to my mind. I think that being able to work with a bunch of artists from a bunch of different genres is something I really want to do. Those collaborations, as well as [having] a bunch of performances, is where I see myself over the next couple of years.

What was the process behind you making Roadtrip?

CARAMEL: Each song was different, very different. So for example, in "Gone By The Morning" I started sitting on my upright piano in my living room. I started with my piano chord progression. Then from that, I came up with a melody and lyrics. It took me a while. I gave it some air so I could have some inspiration in making the production. A week or two later I got in front of my midi keyboard which I have set up in my dorm - I love it. I set that up and it just kind of flowed right off. It took maybe an hour to finish the beat itself. The writing and filling in the rest of it came in within a couple of days. For the rest of the songs, again I usually start with piano chords and from there I am able to experiment with different instruments, synth chords, and drum sets, listening to people like Jon Bellion and Labrinth. This is more of an electronic soulful pop album. Those two people along with Calvin Harris and Pharrell - there's a bunch of different things and inspirations that go into it.

What is your favorite artist or band that you’ve been listening to a lot lately?

CARAMEL: I’ve been listening to a lot of Omar Apollo lately. He's an alternative R&B singer. I'm obsessed with that sound. His song “Useless” is incredible. Definitely him. I have Jon Bellion in my rotation. I've mentioned him multiple times, he's definitely one of my biggest inspirations. Honestly, a lot of jazz, old-school jazz lately. Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, Louis Armstrong, and Dizzy Gillespie. Big names.

Do you have any advice for anyone trying to learn how to make their own music or make their way into this industry?

CARAMEL: Just do it. Go for it. If you have an idea, write it down and try to make a plan to go through that step by step. It's a process to even make a singular song, make that plan if it's something you're passionate about. I use Youtube a lot to be able to see different effects, the structure of a song in general in terms of the music industry, just connecting with people, that's one of my biggest things. Reaching out, connecting, and expanding your network.

Roadtrip will be available on all streaming platforms February 24th.