Australian actress and musician Charlotte MacInnes is no stranger to the spotlight. After appearing in the Australian Netflix series North Shore and onstage as Daisy Buchanan in Florence Welch’s Gatsby: An American Myth, she’s ready to embark on an exciting new chapter with her own original music.
Today, she released her anthemic debut single, “Struck,” a haunting alt-pop track about recognizing your own struggles while making a conscious decision never to let them drag you down. It’s dark and dramatic yet thrillingly triumphant as she makes her choice to move forward with confidence and embraces the kind of victory that only comes with overcoming hardships. It’s just a taste of more things to come from the rising star, and we got the chance to learn more about Charlotte and her debut song in the interview below.
Sweety High: Can you introduce yourself to our readers? What’s your musical background, and why was now the right time to step into the world of music following your work as an actress?
Charlotte MacInnes: My name is Charlotte MacInnes and I am an Australian singer-songwriter and actress. Performing has always been a part of my life but it feels incredible to finally step into music wholeheartedly.
To be honest, I started acting because I thought it might be a way into the industry and I fell in love with it on the way, but music feels like what I’m meant to be doing.
SH: What does “Struck” mean to you? What was the inspiration behind the track, and what do you hope it will mean to your listeners?
CM: I wrote “Struck” when my life was very weird and difficult, so it’s inspired by the desire to not let any of that take hold of me. Getting through something awful gives life a new exciting meaning and that was the feeling I wanted to capture. It’s a battle cry for that feeling. I would love for “Struck” to feel like an empowering type of escapism. And also a reminder to never harden your heart.
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SH: Why did the song feel like the perfect debut single? What aspects of your signature sound do you feel are present on the track?
CM: There’s something very all-or-nothing about this song, which I love. The sound is folk and pop and theatre all at once which rings true for the rest of the EP. Musically, I was very inspired by Kate Bush. I love the depth and darkness behind her songs but they are still somehow so uplifting.
(‘Struck’ via Atlantic Records)
SH: What’s your favorite lyric from the song? Why?
CM: “And I stand at the mouth of it all.”
There is a poem called Second Coming by Kate Baer that I am completely in love with. It was a huge inspiration behind the song and the first line is. “I stand at the mouth of my second coming,’ which is exactly how I felt at the time.”
“I stand at the mouth of my second coming
All the time I’d spent worried over what was ending, too blind by grief and fear to see this new horizon: bright and blue and beautiful.
I take off my clothes, dive into the clear water.
I know I was meant for living.
I know it’s not too late.”-Kate Baer
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SH: Where does “Struck” fit into the wider context of your upcoming EP? What more can you tell us about your music coming this year and the project?
CM: “Struck” kinda feels like the big sister. Some of the other tracks have a much deeper yearning and longing whereas struck is sure of herself. The EP talks a lot about the cycle of losing yourself and then the divine joy of finding yourself again. There’s a feeling called the sublime which is this type of euphoria you feel when you remember how small you are in the context of everything. I write about that a lot.
(Photo credit: Genevieve Reeves)
SH: Is there anything else we should know about you or the track?
CM: There are lots of Celtic elements in the music. My dad is from Orkney in Scotland and I love Scottish music and I think that’s clear in the EP. I do this kind of Celtic yell at the beginning of the chorus of Struck. My dad would do it all the time and when the chorus was being written I thought it needed something to hype you up and it just felt like the perfect thing to do. I remember thinking my dad’s gonna love this song.
To hear even more from the artists we love on their new music, click HERE to read our interview with Devon Gabriella on the new single “Old Time’s Sake.”
