Sandra YimProfile: Charlie Lim
With the release of his latest double EP, Time/Space, a string of performances leading up to his London tour in June, and his upcoming gig at the Brisbane Festival, the independent music artist Charlie Lim is on a roll.
With beautifully overlapping melodies and heartfelt lyrics, Charlie’s music and live performances often tug at his listeners’ heartstrings. His long awaited double EP is no exception in showcasing his exquisitely crafted works.
The Concept Behind Time/Space
His double EP draws a clear division between two distinct styles. Time reflects his folk-rock songwriting sensibilities and Space reveals his personal approach to experimental pop production.
He elaborates, “I wanted to frame Time/Space as two distinct identities based on their production aesthetic.”
A self-proclaimed slow writer, Charlie admits to spending many sleepless nights on his computer trying to make things sound coherent. The song that has the most meaning to Charlie on the EP is “I Only Tell the Truth” and he even calls it “the strongest one I’ve written”.
“It’s not a catchy radio-friendly hit […] What makes a good song for me is how all the elements of melody, harmony, lyrical themes, arrangement and production meticulously come together and live in a mutual space without having one element overshadowing another,” he explains.
Transcending National Boundaries
Returning to Melbourne, where he first ventured to further his studies at the age of 14, Charlie went back to the place he calls “his second home” for the production of Time/Space.
“Not everything I wanted to pull off could be done in my bedroom. Melbourne was the only option that had the luxury of space and dedicated sound mixing engineers,” he says.
Apart from writing and producing music, Charlie’s career involves touring and making a name for himself overseas. He boasts an impressive 7-city tour across Asia under his belt and makes appearances at key festivals such as Urbanscapes and Mosaic Music Festival.
The Truth About Life As A Musician
However, it’s not all glamorous. Although some of his tours have been subsidized by grants and investors, he’s had to foot the bill for plenty of the trips.
“Money aside, I don’t think people realize how difficult it is to live for your art, and they assume that being a musician is a glamorous thing. It’s actually a terribly lonely journey that requires a lot of sacrifice and dedication to your craft.”
Now that we know where Charlie was and what he was up to, the question is, where’s Charlie now? You can actually look forward to seeing more of him on his social media.
He says: “Honestly, I’m not even that active on social media and YouTube and whatnot, although at this stage I realize I have to get more on top of it.”
3 Things You Didn’t Know About Charlie
- The Neat Freak
There’s definitely more than meets the eye with this introverted young lad. Think you know everything about Charlie, here’s one fact that you probably didn’t know about the homegrown talent — he’s extremely neat and meticulous.
Charlie confesses that, “I love being organized to the point where I get incredibly obsessive-compulsive over colour coordination and things being symmetrical and properly arranged.”
- “There is No Spoon”: Mystery Solved
Also, if you’ve been wrecking your brains wondering what the story behind Charlie’s abstract Facebook and Instagram description “There is No Spoon” is, Charlie candidly reveals that “it’s just a silly quote from The Matrix that has stuck with me since I was a teenager.”
- The Inspiration Behind “Bitter”
The bane of every songwriter’s existence is experiencing a writer’s block and the hit single, “Bitter”, was the result of a 3-year struggle to string the right words together. It was only after a breakup that inspiration struck Charlie and the words began to flow.
[socialpoll id=”2286961″]
Photos Courtesy of Charlie Lim