As we get ready for the 67th Annual Grammy awards on Sunday, Feb. 2, rolling out had the chance to hear from recording artist, Charity the Artist on her journey, her influences and her picks for Grammy best new artist.
Everybody, this is Charity, the artist.
Thank you so much for having me. What’s up, everybody?
All righty. I know you’ve been out here for a minute, but this particular song, “Cruel,” how does it feel to have launched this song?
I’m right now in a place of deep, deep gratitude. It’s the top of the year, so I’ve had a little bit of time to just pause and reflect and kind of organize the physical spaces in my life, and what I have landed on is just gratitude, so much gratitude that, like yesterday, it brought me to my knees, to tears just how grateful I am for how well received “Cruel” was, particularly by the city of Detroit, but not just Detroit. You know, it went far, and it created some really life-changing moments for me in 2024. And so, my heart is full, and my mind is blown.
How do you describe your music?
Man, Charity is Motown. From how they wrote lyrics to the songs and the musical integrity of how they approached the live arrangements, the joy in the songs, the vulnerability, the simplicity, yet the universal nature of how it could touch so many people, how it transcended race and age and genre even. Charity is Motown. I create from the legacy of Motown, and I’m trying to make Smokey Robinson and Berry Gordy proud.
I’ve been kind of wrestling with Charity the Artist, Charity the Poet, Charity the Songwriter, Charity the Performer, Charity the Songstress, Charity the Singer. Okay. Which one of those do you gravitate more towards?
I love that you said Charity the Poet because I say a lot like, yes, I’m a songwriter, but I’m really a poet
Okay. So, you mentioned Smokey Robinson and Motown. So, what music or what songs that you hear when you were cleaning up on Saturday morning? What was playing in the house?
It was Motown for us. My dad is older. I love my dad. I’m glad we listened to The Temptations a lot. David Ruffin, I would say he’s my No. 1 male vocalist of all time. We listened to a lot of Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers. And my parents are both very devout people, and so we listened to a lot of gospel.
Cool. All right. So, who did you sneak and listen to?
Tweet was my guilty pleasure. I loved Tweet. When Tweet came out, I saw something in her that I also felt like I had too. I loved the raspy timbre of her voice. I loved the straightforward delivery of the lyrics.
All right. So, who you got on your playlist now?
I love Frank Ocean in and out of season; I am so impressed with everything Leon Thomas is doing — the musicality of it all. Mutt is like my new favorite jam. I am a huge Beyoncé fan. And after the Christmas Day performance, I’m back on Cowboy Carter artists.
I’m really excited to be able to say now that some of the people that I would want to work with, I’m in a position to be working with them. So, for one of my next singles, it was produced by Bink. And then Harold Lilly is a songwriter that I’m working with. Harold is really low-key, but is a multi-Grammy award-winning songwriter.
My dream collaborations are Beyoncé and Pharrell. And I say that allowing myself to dream really big, but I think the music is good enough to reach them eventually.
So tell us about Snoop. How did that collab come about?
And I say it dropped out of the sky. It did. Really fortunate that Heart & Soul, a SiriusXM radio station, was playing “Cruel,” and I was their platinum pick artist. The first thing that I’m aware of though is Snoop Dogg posting a video listening to “Cruel” in his car, smoking and vibing to my song! So, the most surreal day of my life, and it literally all happened within like this 24-hour window. It was magical.
Who do you have for Grammy‘s best new artist?
Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter, and Shaboozey. I want to have a Shaboozey 2025! I’d even take it in 2026.
You want to play a little bit for us?
:Yes. Thank you. What a way to end. Thank you for having me. I look forward to talking again soon.
photo credit: Donte Rionda
