In Conversation With Charlotte Plank

Unstoppable powerhouse vocalist and producer Charlotte Plank is currently seeing her latest vision ClubLiminal come to life, infusing classic jungle, experimental indie pop and dance, carving out a sound that’s not only authentic but deeply relatable. From reworking her high energy tracks into lush stripped back acoustic gems to recording new mashups, Charlotte couldn’t be busier ahead of her country wide ClubLiminal tour. 

Perpetually on the brink of something big and new, we caught up with Ms Plank to chat about everything from her songwriting process to the evolution of her sound since those early collaborations with Rudimental and Notion, and what it’s like navigating what’s shaping up to be a truly unforgettable summer of 2025.

What have you been getting up to today?

I just got back from recording some stripped back versions of a few of the tracks from the EP— ‘chemical fashion’ and a few others.

That’s exciting! We just heard your stripped back version of Notion on TikTok—it was stunning...

Yeah, I just wanted to do a little mashup. I did one earlier this year, like a Kid LAROI/Everlong mashup—just combining songs you wouldn’t expect to go together. Obviously, that NOTION  track is blowing up right now, and I’m a big fan of his. I work with him quite a lot, and he’s just a great guy.

Clams Casino and Imogen Heap have been big influences, so I wanted to blend something classic with something new. I also recorded a stripped-back version of chemical fashion and a stripped-down version of Temporary Friends. That one was actually just a song I originally wrote to piano, and then he took it, chopped it up, and turned it into this bass-heavy track.

I think it’ll be cool for people to hear the original version of that, along with Little Miss Sunshine, which is coming on the EP. I’m really excited for everyone to hear these!

The chemical fashion stripped back version should be fun…

I’m excited to have that out. That release, in general, has been a good step for the rest of the project. It’s got all my classic sounds, but with something new—some fresh bits in there as well, foreshadowing what’s coming next in the first year.

Love that track. It makes you feel nostalgic, but for the present moment…

Exactly, that’s really my sound. It’s nostalgic, which comes from my influences, but there’s also this feeling of nostalgia in the melodies and sounds I use. At the same time, it has a fresh, unique twist.

Could you share more about the classic sample in “Nightshift”? It really captures that perfect jungle vibe.

I’ve always been unsure about using samples, as I feel like it’s done so much in dance music and, in a way, that doesn’t always represent the original well. However, I think it’s important to pay homage to rave classics that inspired me and that I grew up listening to—and if done in a tasteful way, it’s great to serve a classic up to new generations who may have never heard the original!

This tune has always been a favorite of mine growing up. It’s from the album Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub), which basically sums up my teens. It’s such a sick, seamless blend of genres, mixing house with dancehall/reggae, dub, bassline… which Groove Armada do so well. Similarly to how I like to fuse contrasting genres in my own music. I’ve always wanted to sample the iconic bassline and really hone in on it, so doing a D&B flip on it only seemed to make sense.

It was just for fun at first, but as soon as we started laying in my new verse, it felt special. We’d taken all the iconic elements of the original but served them up with all my Plankisms, while also leaning into some of MC M.A.D’s familiar melody. Having him redo his original rap on the tune and shout me out as well honestly sounded so surreal. No one else had done a D&B flip of the tune before, so we had to keep it tightly under wraps for months while I was dying to play it out in my sets. Very few artists get the approval of someone as big and iconic as Groove Armada, so I feel honored they trusted me to bring their classic back around in a new way for new generations!

Classic jungle holds a special place for you—who are some of the key influences that shaped your sound in this genre?

Classic jungle has heavily inspired my music from the start. I think initially because, when I was young, I sang a lot of soul, RnB, indie music—many different genres—and jungle has always sampled and lent itself so well to blending with other genres so seamlessly. I’ve been inspired by the likes of LTJ Bukem, especially the way he blends ambient jazz, strings, and breaks so beautifully. His Producer 01 album has heavily influenced tracks like stargirl and ellen. The likes of Goldie and Shy FX have also heavily influenced elements of my sound. Along with Calibre, who mixes ambient, jazz, soul, breaks, and dub so well, his work really influenced little miss sunshine.

Can you walk us through your songwriting process? Do you usually start with the lyrics or the melodies? How does it typically go?

It really varies. I’ve got this sort of Bible on my phone—it’s just my notes app, but you wouldn’t want to read it. It’s basically a stream of consciousness where I jot down random thoughts at any time of day—song inspirations, lyrics, or even just single words. There’s all sorts in there, from song titles to fragmented ideas.

Usually, I either go in thinking, I need to talk about this, I need to write about this, or I’ll scroll through my little songwriting Bible for inspiration. But I’m generally more of a melody-first person as well.

So either I’ll lay down a chord structure or record random melodies as voice notes. I use my voice notes kind of like my notes app—I’ll just record ideas whenever they come to me. It always seems to happen when I’m in the car, when I can’t actually use my phone, and I’m like, I’ve got this idea! I’ve got this idea! I try to capture it in the moment, but then later, I go back and think, Wait, what was that idea I was trying to find?

I feel like most writers are the same—there’s no strict process. Usually, the most chaotic situations lead to the best stuff.

I love that. So I’d say your lyrics definitely come from a personal place?

Yeah, 100%. I love writing for others, and I really enjoy that process, but I find it hard to write about purely hypothetical situations. I feel like that happens a lot in dance music—like, imagine you’re going out and feeling this or that. Each to their own, but for me, it’s difficult to write about things that haven’t happened or aren’t happening around me. My lyrics usually come from personal stories, things my friends are going through, or just observations about the world around me.

I was saying the other day that I like to imagine my music as a soundtrack to my life—almost like romanticizing everything, as if I’m in some kind of modern-day fairy tale. That’s how I try to shape my sound—something cinematic, coming-of-age. A lot of people can relate to it because it’s about growing up, finding yourself, and navigating the weird and wonderful parts of that journey.

Yeah, it definitely comes across in both the music and the videos…

Thank you! I’m excited to explore visuals even more and really dive into that world because it’s such a big part of my overall vision. For me, the music and visuals go hand in hand, and it’s a great way to showcase more of my personality.

I think visuals add so much more character to a song. It’s easy to just drop a track and be like, Here it is, but being able to tell a story through the visuals as well makes it so much more impactful.

“ellen” carries a lot of emotional depth—was it inspired by a particular person? The rolling breaks give it such an uplifting, hopeful energy.

“‘ellen’ is written about a time in my life when I had lost faith in music (with it being such a heavenly but hellish place at times) and myself. I was working two jobs, trying to figure out a way to make music work while being on a bit of a path of self-destruction and feeling lost about who I was. ‘ellen’ is my middle name, signifying the girl in between—’she’s caught in the in-between of who she is and who she wants to be’ (lyrics). She’s the girl behind the Charlotte Plank that all my friends, family, and fans knew. I had so much bubbling under the surface and more to give than my jobs in customer service, but I was scared to try. I thought, at the age of 20 when I wrote this, if I could just hold on, battle the demons, and ‘make it’ by 27, like some of my idols—Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain—who sadly had their careers and lives cut short at that age, I’d be okay. Hence the lyrics, ‘ellen, if you can make it past 27, this moment won’t last forever.’ So everything I do and have done is for ellen, the girl in between who I was and who I want to be.

Do you have any dream collaborations—whether with producers or vocalists—you’d love to work with?

Ooh, yeah, so many! Obviously, the classics—Clams Casino, Frank Ocean, Aphex Twin—they’re my absolute favorites. I’d love to work with them in some capacity, even if it’s just adding a little harmony to something.

Beyond that, I just love the whole process of collaborating. Working with other writers, experimenting with different electronic producers—I think that’s really exciting. I produce all my own stuff, but collaborating with others and bringing in new perspectives is always fun.

What can we expect for the rest of the year?

Yeah, so the next EP is dropping soon, which I’m super excited about! There’s more music on the way—this year is really all about getting more music out. Plus, more live shows and hopefully some touring. Just continuing to build and grow.

I wanted to ask you, ClubLiminal is going to be a huge tour for you, but so far, what has been your most memorable performance? If you could pick just one…

Just one? Oh, sorry. Well, the last tour was amazing. It was great to go from doing shows with my DJ, which I love, but I’ve always dreamed of performing with a band. The last show of my headline tour in London with the band was probably one of my favourites ever. It just brought all the songs to life in a way I’d imagined when I was younger. I’d seen bands like The Prodigy and Pendulum perform live, and seeing that kind of dance music played live with a band—it was just something I’d always been inspired by. I remember watching videos of Goldie performing live, jumping around the stage with two drummers, looking like he was having the best time.

That show in London was definitely a highlight. Alongside that, playing Glastonbury this summer was also incredible. It felt like a full-circle moment for me—being able to go back there after attending as a kid and now performing on those stages. It was quite surreal. Yeah, I was dying.

I’m sure you’re facing a lot of attention right now. I’d love to hear your thoughts on being Brit-nominated, the pressure that might come with that, and how you’re managing with all the spotlight?

Yeah, again, that was a really surreal moment. I’ve only been doing music full-time for the last two years, so to be Brit-nominated that soon was like, wow. I remember watching the Brits during lockdown and telling myself, Okay, I’ll give myself five years. I’ll be there in five years. I’m going to make it happen. So to be nominated that quickly was a huge moment—very surreal.

There is definitely pressure, like wanting to keep up the momentum and thinking, Okay, I want to come back next year as Best New Artist or have one of my solo songs nominated. But I think it’s healthy pressure. It pushes me to keep moving forward. I work best under pressure—if I don’t have a goal to work toward, I don’t function as well. It’s about having a deadline and a target to hit. I guess it’s just how I’ve always worked and how I got out of the supermarket and into music full-time.

It’s important to set goals, and yeah, I’m hoping to come back next year and, who knows, win Best New Artist or have one of my own tracks nominated. I find it inspiring to see other females stepping up, like Charli XCX and Lola Young —big inspirations. It’s great to see all the amazing women in music this year.

Speaking of things happening naturally, do you have any pre-show rituals? Anything you do to bring good vibes or positive energy before you go on stage?

I might drink a glass of wine, though that can go one way or the other. Sometimes I feel like I need it—it puts me in a good space for the show and helps me enjoy it. Other times, it makes me even more nervous. White wine definitely makes me more anxious, and I tend to go over my setlist one last time. I always make last-minute changes, even though my boyfriend and my DJ always ask, Why are you changing it five minutes before the set? I don’t know, I just feel like I need to. Maybe it’s a mental thing, like I think the set won’t be better than the others unless I tweak it slightly, making it a bit different.

I think it’s my way of convincing myself that this set will be different and better than any other, which makes it feel special. It’s a little subconscious thing, but I always do it. I don’t know if that counts as a ritual, but it’s definitely part of my pre-show process. I also end up mulling over the same three items of clothing, trying to decide what to wear!

That’s good, though, to feel it out and make adjustments. I think you’re doing the right thing as an artist, following your intuition.

Yeah, I think as artists, you don’t get bored, but you can get tired of doing the same songs. Your biggest fear is that the crowd might find it boring, even though they’ve never heard it before. You just want to make it extra special for everyone, or play new stuff that no one’s heard yet. I’m always bad at that. I’ll make something in the studio, and the next day I’m like, I want to play this! I need to get it out! My attention span is just crazy short. But I think it’s healthy because I love testing stuff out early and getting feedback on it.

For example, with my song Rage, I hadn’t even shown my team yet, but I played it at a gig in Sheffield. It was a late slot, so I knew I had to go heavier than usual. I threw it in the set—it wasn’t even mixed yet—and it went off. People were recording videos, and my team messaged me like, What was that song? Why haven’t we heard it yet? And that ended up being my next release. So yeah, I guess that’s part of the process—making last-minute changes to the set.

Where do you want to see it go from here? 

Yeah, I mean, to the public, it might look like I’m evolving, but to me, it just feels like a natural progression. I’ve always been open about drawing inspiration from so many different genres—dance, indie, alt-pop. Even with my first song, Hate Me, I think I described it as if Nirvana, Aphex Twin, and PinkPantheress had a baby. It was a whole mix of influences, and I think that’s just continued to grow and evolve as I’ve become a better writer and been exposed to even more inspiration.

Right now, I feel like the music I’m making is the most exciting and the most true to me. It was really nice to hear the other day on the radio—when chemical fashion was played, one of the DJs said, It really feels like Charlotte has been on a journey over the past couple of years, experimenting with sounds, and this feels like the most ‘Charlotte Plank’ song we’ve had yet. That meant a lot because there’s so much more where that came from.

I actually feel like I’m a year ahead of my own project. I’ve already written a lot of music for the next year, and I’m kind of already in that next headspace. As I said, I wouldn’t call it impatience, but my attention span is short—I’m always onto the next thing. But I think that’s a good thing, to always be ahead, evolving, and growing. I’d hate to be stuck in one place or pigeonholed. One thing about me is that I’ve always been experimental—I want to be a pioneer of something new. I don’t want my music to just sound like something else. I want people to say, That sounds like Charlotte Plank.

That’s what excites me—working with producers and hearing them say, I’ve never made anything like this before. That’s exactly what I want. So I’m just really excited for the world to hear more and make their own minds up about it. I think it’s some of the most exciting stuff I’ve made yet.

If I had to put it into words, I’d say it’s indie-tinged dance music—somewhere between intimacy and chaos. It’s relatable, raw, and forward storytelling over a mix of indie, atmospheric, and chaotic dance sounds. Over the next few months, I’ll be exploring different tempos and sonic worlds, and I’m excited for people to step into my melantronic world.

Yeah, it’s so good to be acknowledged for your sound like that. I heard the radio clip too, and that was a really special moment.

Yeah, it was just, I don’t know—it felt like I had been working toward something for so long, and to finally be recognized for it, to see that people are witnessing the journey and taking it in, was really special. It was like, oh, okay, they see it.

I think everyone is on their own little solo mission. We share so much with the world these days, but sometimes it feels like you’re constantly putting things out without knowing if people truly understand it. So when you get that kind of recognition, it’s like, oh, you get it. People are starting to get it.

Because, yeah, I don’t want to be pigeonholed into one box—I think I would implode.

Well we don’t want that!!

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