COVER SHOOT CREDITS

Photography by Veronica Sams, Makeup by Ashley Simmons, Hair by Hailey Wisinger, Styling by Jordan Marx, Earrings by 8 Other Reasons, Jeans by Vintage Calvin Klein

1. I absolutely love your new song “Innerbloom”! Can you tell us more about your inspiration behind this song? What is your process when you’re making music?

So, the inspiration behind Inner Bloom -- I wrote the song a year and a half ago. It was right as I was exiting a relationship and getting into a new relationship and the song is about the fear of letting somebody in again. That’s what Inner Bloom kind of talks about — the inner expression of the fear of “I just thought of killing you” because it’s scary to let someone in again. My friend Zekey-- we were all just hanging out and the song happened very naturally and very organically-- he came in and he helped write the verse for the song while I wrote the chorus and the hook. The verses are really cool because they are contrasting to each other. The girl’s part is very hesitant, very anxious. The guy’s part is very, flirty and sweet and light hearted. I wanted the song to be that kind of back-and-forth representation of a dynamic relationship. Even in the music video, from the scandalous cheating, to the different perspectives, it is supposed to represent the different miscommunications that can happen with love.

2. How would you describe your music style? How did you create this style? Who are some of your favorite musicians?

I would describe my music style as unlabeled at this point, like genreless. I’ve previously released a lot of house tracks and the record I just released was more pop oriented. Everyone does try and kind of put artists in a box with their genres, but I’m going to continue to release different types of music with different types of artists and not put myself in a box. At the moment I would say pop EDM is sort of the direction I’m trying to lean in. My inspirations are ODESZA, Louis the Child, Whethan, and Alison Wonderland. All of them are incredible artists. A dream collab for me would be working with Deadmau5 or Kaskade.

*Event photos courtesy of Charly Jordan*

3. I heard that you are going on tour with Cheat Codes! What has been your favorite part of tour so far?

My favorite part of tour with Cheat Codes was being able to experience bus life for the first time and being able to play ticketed venues. Obviously, as a DJ, there’s sort of a progression in your career. I played a lot of clubs over the past year and a half. Being able to to do hard ticket sales, sell merch, and just getting to know the guys was so much fun. All those boys are incredible. I listened to their music for years before I met them and was attending their concerts. It’s really cool to get to know them personally and see how much work really goes into putting on shows like that

4. How did you get your start in the music industry? When did you realize you wanted to make music? What was it like to open for such huge names in the DJ industry, like Tiesto, Zedd, Calvin Harris, and DJ Snake?

I got my start in the music industry through working with music festivals. I made travel videos for a long time and was paid to help make after movies for festivals like EDC and Coachella. It was when I was filming these DJs at these festivals, when I was like, “wow, this is really incredible.” Video and music already go very hand in hand. I’ve always loved music, but it was when I saw these DJs in their full element that I was like, “wow, this is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever seen in my life and I have to learn how to do this”. I started expressing my interest in learning to everyone I met at these festivals and let everyone know that I wanted to DJ. People saw my hard work and wanted to take chances on me. That’s really a big part of having success in any space, is being humble and being teachable. And there’s so many people who attributed to where I’m at now. I’ll never sit here and say that it was just me. It’s been an amazing journey and my team is incredible, But getting to where I’m at right now was a journey and has been a very unique experience for me. Releasing original music this next year is definitely my goal to transition from DJ into artist as well.

It honestly doesn’t feel real sometimes. It’s so cool that I’m able to call these people who I looked up to for years acquaintances or friends at this point. It’s been a humbling experience. And again, so cool to see all the work and time that really goes into being a DJ. I think that not many people have an understanding of how much work it is and what it takes to be a DJ. Some people think it’s just putting a playlist together and playing it out. Then there’s people like DJ Snake, who are fully spinning on vinyl and can do every type of transition you can possibly think of. There is a vast range of skill and talent and being able to differentiate and see who really puts in that time and work has been really amazing.

5. If you are open to talking about it, how did your upbringing in the Mormon religion affect your career and your current personality? What is some advice you have for someone who might be in a similar situation for the one you were in?

Growing up religious is something that people all over the world, are born into all the time. I believe it’s your choice, at the end of the day, what you choose to believe. But with the religion I was raised in, being Mormon did give me a lot of structure and discipline and set who I am as a person now. I think religion is just people trying to come together and be better people at the end of the day. Not letting your religion define you is something that I was interested in. So, I have my own personal beliefs in relationship with God, but for myself, organized religion was just something I was never interested in. I think the Mormon church is incredible and the people in it — and any religion — but I just choose not to be a part of an organized religion.

6. Many of your fans and followers are familiar with your story and how you had a track scholarship for college, but left it all behind to travel the word and vlog your experience. How did you know this would be the right decision for you? What are some of the most priceless things that you learned in your travels that you couldn’t have learned in school?

I stepped away from everything I was raised with and everything I’d worked for to pursue a completely different lifestyle. It was a gut feeling thing. I just knew. I was doing everything right. I had all the plans laid out. I got a full ride scholarship. I wanted to be a doctor or an attorney, like my both my parents. I had everything set up and I just had this energy, this light about me that was indescribable for even myself. I am a very emotional person and something felt very wrong about the path I was on, for no apparent reason. I mean, there’s nothing inherently wrong about it, but I just knew that that wasn’t what I was supposed to do. I’m a very creative person and being locked into a scholarship and going on this path because my parents told me they couldn’t afford college and that this was something I was supposed to do versus something that I genuinely was passionate about. I was really good at everything I was doing, but I had no passion for it.

Choosing to pursue my passion, obviously that’s risky and scary, but I didn’t really care what it was going to take because when I did shift everything, my life was kind of already at rock bottom. Sometimes it takes hitting rock bottom to make that decision and realize what you need to do. At that point, I was just interested in being happy. I wasn’t interested in making money or having some sort of crazy ulterior motive. I never planned on being known or famous for what I did. I just wanted to do something that made me happy because I was very sad with the situation I was in. Choosing to do that and being happy and then being able to influence other people to be happy and actually make a difference because I was helping myself, was much more important to me. I don’t think you can help people around you unless you help yourself. Choosing myself first, being able to actually helping people around me, and have a career out of it, I just feel so grateful and blessed. I never would have thought that I would be at the point I’m at right now. It’s truly because I love everything that I do with a burning passion. And I’m so thankful for all of it.

I feel like street smarts are very important. There are lot things they don’t teach you in school that are very valuable in real life. I still think that the traditional education system doesn’t teach a lot of important things, from taxes, to finances, how to manage money, how to actually make money, and live in the real world is super important along with having a skill set. From traveling, I learned experience with people. I learned a lot of people skills, how to communicate, how to navigate the real world, and then. Adding all of the school on top of that and artistic growth, I still try to teach myself all the time. The Internet is a crazy tool. I still feel like I’m learning and growing in different ways. But yeah, education in a traditional setting — there’s not a lot of street smarts or real-life skills built into that. So, I definitely would consider myself not book smart, but very street smart.

**INNER BLOOM, INNER EXPRESSION**
In this photo taken by photographer Alec “Fhotos” Celestin, Charly shows off her eye for beauty and fashion, as she acted as her own stylist and make up artist.

7. Can you tell us more about your two companies, Smoke Roses and Beauty in Pain? What inspired you to start these businesses? What are your most exciting milestones with these businesses? Do you have anything exciting planned for them in 2022?

Starting these two businesses and stepping into the entrepreneurial space has been so incredible. I’ve found so much more joy from it than I could have ever imagined creating my original products. Obviously, in my space, a lot of people white label products and I actually had a passion for creating something unique. With Smoke Roses and Beauty in Pain, they both have really strong messages of mental health and self-help and wellness.

For both brands, all the proceeds that are made from purchasing the products, a portion of that goes to charity, which has been such a fulfilling thing for me. I’m just grateful I’m able to give back with some of the experiences that I’ve been able to have and that everyone who’s a part of those communities, everyone who follows Smoke Roses and Beauty in Pain, wears the necklaces and smokes the rose cones. It’s incredible, these communities. That was sort of the whole reason I made these brands — because I found there were other people in the community who were like minded and struggled or dealt with things that were similar to mine, that no one in my real life understood. Being able to connect with other people who’ve been through similar experiences or have similar interests, in times of feeling lonely, can help so much.

These brands were created to build a community, and this year, furthering that community and continuing to grow it getting the rose cones, retail, and expanding the brand, continuing to release more and more products. Beauty in Pain is going to expand drastically with so many more products like Athleisure and more Jewelry. We’re going to be adding different types of cones this year to Smoke Roses as well. It’s not 100% ready, but to tease it, we are hoping for some lavender cones, chocolate cones, things of that nature.

Through doing all these things, from my businesses, to DJing, to my social media career, I am able to buy my first house this year, which is happening right now in LA. Being able to put money back into these businesses and grow them to be multi-million dollar businesses is the goal this year, along with releasing music and continuing to give back to the people who helped me build this whole thing.

8. Beauty in Pain has a mission of creating a community that helps raise awareness for eliminating the stigma and lack of understanding towards mental health. Why is this cause important to you? What are some things that the company has done/is planning to do to forward this mission?

The message of Beauty in Pain is very personal to me because it’s very important that we educate children at a younger age on mental health awareness. When I was 15/16, as you go through changes and your body releases hormones, from mood swings to full blown mental health issues developing such as anxiety, depression, manic bipolar, anything like that. When you start to experience things like that, it can be very confusing and very scary. It feels so real in the moment. It’s important to have someone to talk to you about those things and learn how to deal with that situation besides self harm or things that can actually make it worse.

I personally didn’t cope with those changes in a very positive way. The reason it’s so important to me is because I don’t think anyone should ever hurt themselves or feel that way.

It’s something as simple as implementing mental health programs into having counselors at school so kids can go talk to someone or having meetings or clubs at schools about mental health where people can talk about their anxiety or talk about depression. It’s a very touchy topic that people aren’t super open to speaking about, so I’m trying to normalize the conversation and start that conversation and continue to further that mission this year by attaching charities that do implement programs like that, and educate kids about mental health.

9. Tell us more about your skincare collaboration with Sonya Dakar! What types of products did you create? What separates them for other beauty and skincare products?

So the skincare line that I released with Sonia Dakar is an all organic, no additive, paraben free, cruelty free, vegan skincare line. A lot of people claim to be clean, but if you check the ingredients in these products, this is a drastic difference from what other products use. It’s all natural and it’s still affordable in my opinion. It’s definitely a little bit more luxury. I would put it in the mid price range but, it’s really important to me to create quality products that are affordable.

What separates these skincare products is that they were handcrafted by a woman named Sonya Dakar who is a chemist. She has spent years studying skin, working on people’s skin, and working on so many people in the industry that we all know. I had a personal relationship with her and grew to be very close with Sonia and the whole team because I was getting my skin taken care of by her. The collaboration was organic and natural and it was a process that truly worked. All I want to do is be able to offer that to other people because I think confidence and how you feel about yourself and being able to fix it naturally and not have to do any crazy procedures on yourself to look a type of way and being able to healthily do it was really important to me. I just wanted to give people that option.

10. You seem very busy with your companies, your music career, and your beauty collaborations! What keeps you so motivated to do so much? How do you de-stress and self-care in between working? What are your favorite hobbies and pastimes for when you’re not working?

I love everything I do. Like I said, I would be doing this stuff even if I wasn’t making money from it. A lot of these things are my hobbies which kind of blurs the lines of how much time I spend working. But outside of my work, my hobbies are spending time with my friends, I love connecting with people, going to new restaurants, and going to do things I’ve never done before. Whether that’s traveling, skydiving, or crazy things of that nature, my adventurous side is still very much in touch. I do spend a lot more time working now, so trying to balance the two is something that I’ve recently had to deal with. But, I love massages. They’re the only thing I spend money on and that will be my guilty pleasure until the day that I die.

11. How do you stay empowered? How do you empower other women?

I stay empowered by making sure I surround myself with people who genuinely have my best interests at heart and lift me up. I try to empower others as well because I feel my best when I’m supporting people around me. I’m very much a team player. If everyone’s not doing well in my group, I’m not doing well. I try to stay positive, focus on the positives for myself with good people, and have pure intentions with everything that I do. That’s how I stay empowered, by taking care of myself, so I can be the best version of myself for everyone around me. •