Charlie Hanlon is a 17-year-old songwriter and performer. He is savvy with the big chorus and the unforgettable tune. His 2021 release, ‘Kid’s Today’ was a breakthrough moment, the arrival of a teenage contender. This will doubtless continue in 2022 with the smartly-produced throwdown that is ‘I Lost Myself’.
Charlie has been soaking up live music. He witnessed The Strypes at the Dublin Olympia when he was 11 and since then he has harboured an ambition to play in that same venue when the time is right. He rates the work of Sam Fender and Declan McKenna and understands the sonic attraction of Inhaler.
Most of all, Charlie gets the value of a memorable song. He explains it thus: “I heard Van McCann from Catfish and the Bottlemen say once, ‘if I write a song and wake up the next morning and I can’t remember the song, the whole world’s gonna forget it the next morning’. I’ve gone by that.”
'I Lost Myself’ is about a boy going astray in a digital world, giving away his secrets and disappearing into songs. There’s a nod to Radiohead and ‘Karma Police’ and the new version is enhanced by a sense of fun and the assured arrangement.
He has a follow-up single already prepared and a capacity to play solo, with an optional Loop Station or in a band format. The latter idea now seems more appealing. “I don’t really want to just be the acoustic guitar and singing thing,” Charlie reckons. “When I played the first band show, people were dancing.”
Bio By Stu Bailie
