As native Californian singer-songwriter [Pearl Charles](https://www.instagram.com/stories/pearlcharles/) logged onto Zoom for the interview, there was a lot of commotion in the background. Out in her new digs in the desert landscape of Joshua Tree, her band was setting up to pre-record their performance for the virtual benefit LA Gives Back. These virtual recordings are now par for the course amid the Covid-19 pandemic that has ravaged the live entertainment industry for the past year.
Charles new sophomore album, [_Magic Mirror_](https://www.kaninerecords.com/product/pearl-charles-magic-mirror/), is released today via Kanine Records roughly a year after it was completed. She had been working on the follow-up ever since her 2018 debut LP, _Sleepless Dreamer._ Originally due out in May of 2020, Charles admits the timing just didn’t feel right for an album with such an upbeat vibe.
But now in a new year with promises of better horizons, Charles hopes her fans are ready to embrace her fusion of disco, country and pop on _Magic Mirror_.
**_Magic Mirror_ is your second full-length album on Kanine Records. How did you first connect with the label?**
Kanine actually found me from my first release which was just—I mean I don’t know how much we should talk about it, but it was on Burger Records. But they found that, and it was just a tape released. There wasn’t going to be a vinyl. It actually ended up doing pretty well. So they were like, “We really love this. We want to give it a Record Store Day vinyl release.” That was just an EP, so when it was time for my first record, I was like, “Kanine’s been there for me and supported me in the past so I wanted to continue developing that relationship. I also loved the fact that they are based in New York because I’m based in L.A. Even though we obviously have the internet, things are actually very regional. I feel like they exposed me to an audience in New York that I didn’t have before.
**How has your music matured or changed from _Sleepless Dreamer_ to _Magic Mirror_?**
I feel like there are a lot of the same intentions but I think I’ve improved just from spending more time on the road and spending more time writing.
One of the things that was different about this album was that I used my band from the road on the recordings. In the past, I’ve used a lot of session players, who were also great. But I got to spend so much time with these guys over the years workshopping these same songs and figuring out what works and what didn’t work. They really know me and my taste. And we’ve spent hours together in a van with me playing them music. And they just know my vibe. So I think that’s something really special and unique about this album compared to some of my past music.
**Do you think writing songs during the pandemic is a different vibe because of the bleak situation and emotions?**
In the pandemic, I’ve written a lot of stuff… I do think perhaps my next album will be slightly more mellow. Even though in some ways, there are things about _Magic Mirror_ that were weirdly prophetic like the last song about the end of the world basically. But I mean the thing is the world has been hanging in the balance for a long time.
**Your music is rooted in country—sometimes described as “cosmic country” and “country disco” with 60s and 70s references. How do you draw from your influences and transform them into your own sound?**
It’s funny because sometimes I feel like with my albums, they are hard to quantify because there is such a mix of genres. They’re not totally foreign from each other but I think that’s kind of how I take it and make it something new. I like this, this and this, but how can I put those three things into one song. So it’s not just country, but it’s also disco at the same time. I mean I definitely didn’t invent that approach by any means, but I think that’s kind of how we’ve been able to keep it interesting and keep it modern. My music is reflective of my current experiences, so I’d like the music and the recordings to reflect that as well so that they can live in the now but also live beside the classics that I love.
**Do you think that growing up in California also had an influence to the vibe of your music?**
Whether I know it or not, it seems to have influenced me because I grew up in Laurel Canyon. I mean I love music from all over the place, but people from all over the place came to Laurel Canyon to make the kind of music that I’ve gravitated towards making. So I can’t help but think like, “Wow, I live just a few blocks away from there.” It somehow got into me whether it was cosmically or just—yeah, I guess it’s nature versus nurture. Was it always in me, or did I pick it up from being around there? I think it’s a little bit of both.
**Is it easier to channel songwriting from lightness or darkness?**
A publication in the UK said it’s an album for Saturday nights and Sundays. You could go out and dance and listen to it or drive through the night. Or wake up in the morning, put on your coffee and sit by the fire. Listen to all the lyrics and get really emotional and deep in it. That’s kind of the best of both worlds. Life has that duality.
**Is it harder to find creative inspiration when times are tough or does it get you through the tough times?**
I think it gets you through the tough time. I hate to say that being emotionally fraught creates better music. But there’s definitely a lot of inspiration when you’re feeling down. I mean that’s how it is for me, and I think that’s true for a lot of people. It’s just a different kind of inspiration when you’re feeling happy. I don’t think it’s a tradeoff that you have to be unhappy to make good art or good music. But I think when you are feeling down, music is therapeutic whether it’s listening to it or making it and talking about how you feel—getting it off your chest. Creating something beautiful with something that has caused you pain is a way to take control and have that power over that and not let it have the power over you.
**You also released a cover song with singer-songwriter Michael Rault of The Band’s “Christmas Must Be Tonight.” Are there other collaborations in the works for the future?**
Well, I think Michael and I are actually going to start a band. So that is something that I can jump into with him. It’ll be Wings-inspired just in the sense of a Paul and Linda McCartney type of thing. But at the same time, I think we are going to explore a little more of the down-home roots thing that I was talking about before. My album touches on it, but it’s very polished. I think we’re going to try and do something more DIY, a little more rough-and-ready stuff, which will be really fun. It’s definitely a change for me. I know that Michael has a new album that will be coming out sometime this year. His album is also very studio-polished with big string sections and horns and all of that stuff which we love. We love maxing it out and going big. In the pandemic now, we’re kind of getting back to our roots and a more rustic lifestyle. I think that will be reflected in the music that’s made. I think we’re gonna call it _Wild Life_… named after the first Wings album.
**What do you hope to see in the crystal ball for Pearl Charles in 2021?**
I really hope that we can get on the road because the band is really good live. I think that people are going to want to see it. I’m excited to show it to people, but if it’s just through livestreams, that’s what we’ll do. As I said, the most important thing to me is keeping everyone safe and healthy and getting through the pandemic. I know we’re going to be making new music. Having this new place in Joshua Tree, we have a studio here, and we’re actually going to be able to record ourselves. That’s going to make such a huge difference. I love making records in big fancy studios and all that, but there’s something to be said about being able to wake up in your own space and create.
**Is there anything else about the album Magic Mirror that you wanted to talk about? A funny story perhaps?**
I’m glad you brought it up actually. The title came to me in a dream. I went to sleep, and I asked the universe to bring me a song in my dream tonight. I woke up, and I didn’t have a song. But I knew the album was going to be called _Magic Mirror_. Maybe it’s just my own subconscious, but it feels very cosmic. It feels very “beyond you” when these things sort of happen. I guess maybe I could have come up with it in the back of my mind somewhere, but it was beamed in. I asked for it, and it appeared. Whether it comes from me or some greater source, it’s still very magical.
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All photos by Cherokee Presley
