Coleman.X is an exception to the rule of leniency in avant-garde music. His compositions are skillfully weaved and sewn together to create a stunning work of art and melody. Coleman Chambliss is a singer, songwriter, producer, and performer better known by the stage name Coleman.X. Coleman, who was born in Alabama, has always had a fling with music. He began studying electronic music when he was 15 years old, and he hasn’t turned back since.
Coleman stands apart by teasing with a retro pastiche while blooming with a modern aesthetic. He has explored inspirations including Hyperpop, experimental pop, and electronic music, reinventing himself each time while learning something new and improving as a musician. Over the course of his travels, he has gained his fair share of experiences. Anybody who listens to him is in awe of the creativity and wit he displays in his songs.
His most recent single, “all alone,” serves as evidence of his work and musical development. Coleman enters with his breezy vocals as he sings, “I want to go out Say I’m alright Forget all the garbage that keeps me up at night,” as a vocoder plays a succession of chords that sounds like the opening to a Daft Punk song. Layers of instrumentation are gradually added to the song as a strong, easy-going drum rhythm shifts slightly throughout. Electric guitars entered the tune, gliding and enhancing it. Below, there are glossy synths that shine like the ocean at night. One of the most disciplined arrangements, it purposefully releases sounds and spaces to give the song breathing room. The chorus is elevated and made to seem to be floating above the song by the whirling organs and guitars. The song’s climactic conclusion is a spectral guitar solo that appears at the end and has a warped, distorted tone.
Coleman discusses his own personal struggles and convictions regarding his life. Coleman explains the meaning of the song’s lyrics by saying, “I composed ‘all alone’ while facing a challenging moment in my life- depression, substance addiction, heartbreak, and separation from religion. There was nowhere else for me to go as everything collapsed around me. My hymn for the lonely, the music has helped me heal through solitude. In response to the current, Coleman incorporates all of this into his music.
Coleman started playing music at a young age, and at age 16 he started performing and distributing music. He relocated to Nashville, Tennessee in 2020 to pursue a career in the music industry. A year later, he discontinued his studies to concentrate on composing and directing his debut album. The summer 2023 release of “BOY ON YOUR MIND,” which takes its title from his second single, is influenced by hyper pop and features experimental pop songs with openly candid lyrics about loneliness and sadness. He has established a reputation in the Nashville area by appearing at Nashville Pride for two years running as well as places like Mercy Lounge and The Basement. In March 2021, Coleman released his debut song, “cry,” and in February 2022, he released “guy on your mind,” the album’s lead single. On July 13, 2022, he released his most recent single, “secrets,” an electro-melancholy dance track about regret and guilt.
Coleman has developed musical skills and a feeling of emotional callus throughout time. He started out young, which undoubtedly aided in his growth as a musician. With electric guitars, synth layers, and Coleman’s airy vocals, “all alone” is a contemporary electronic pop song that is more down-and-dirty, rough, and aggressive. “All alone” holds up the possibility of being that exhilarating song with sections that each stand out for being equally unexpected. Check out the latest single and the exclusive Interview below:
1. Can you tell us a bit about where you come from and how it all got started?
COLEMAN.X: I was raised in Alabama as the youngest of 5 kids. My dad was a minister at a church and has his own band so I was constantly around music; he would give me five bucks to help him set up and tear down all his shows. I did musical theater and show choir in middle school until I was kicked out at the end of eighth grade for my “attitude problem.” This kinda pushed me to do my own thing, so at 15 I taught myself how to produce and started releasing music, and boom. Here we are!
2. Did you have any formal training or are you self-taught?
COLEMAN.X: I don’t do too well in a classroom- I think listening to pop music 24/7 from such a young age taught me a lot about how to write catchy songs. And Youtube. Lots of Youtube production tutorials.
3. Who were your first and strongest musical influences and why the name ‘COLEMAN.X’?
COLEMAN.X: I used to steal my sisters ‘Teenage Dream’ (Katy Perry) CD and listen on her pink boombox every time she left. My dad took me to see her in Atlanta for my 12th birthday and it changed my life seriously. That concert still inspires me to this day. Discovering Prince and David Bowie also really inspired me to accept my androgyny and that it was rock and roll, not weird.
Coleman.X came about because just Coleman would get confused a lot with the outdoors brand and I just don’t really think that’s my vibe. Threw on the .X to stand out a little bit more ya know.
4. What do you feel are the key elements in your music that should resonate with listeners, and how would you personally describe your sound?
COLEMAN.X: Heartbroken pop from 2040 when crying on the dance floor is socially acceptable. I always want to talk about the real stuff-the depression, trauma, suicidal thoughts- but in a way that isn’t so stigmatized. Sad music doesn’t have to be a slow piano ballad. Pop music doesn’t have to be a love song. I love playing in the middle and seeing what works.
5. For most artists, originality is first preceded by a phase of learning and, often, emulating others. What was this like for you? How would you describe your own development as an artist and music maker, and the transition towards your own style, which is known as POP?
COLEMAN.X:
Covering a lot of music when I was starting out really helped me find where my voice was comfortable going (and where it wasn’t) along with exploring genres, old and new. I released an album called ‘Sixteen’ when I was that age; it was just me exploring what worked and what didn’t. I saw Charli XCX on an opening slot that same year and something clicked in my brain. I became a big fan of A.G. Cook, PC Music, SOPHIE, and all those brilliant artists and their non-traditional take on pop music. Since then I’ve found a sound I feel like I resonate with heavily while having my own little spin on it.
6. What’s your view on the role and function of music as political, cultural, spiritual, and/or social vehicles – and do you try and affront any of these themes in your work, or are you purely interested in music as an expression of technical artistry, personal narrative, and entertainment?
COLEMAN.X:
Music is all of those things at once- we all speak the language of music even when we don’t understand what the lyrics say. A drum pattern can speak to you even better than words can. I definitely see a huge opportunity as an artist, especially in these weird and difficult times, to shine a light on what is deemed taboo and inspire conversations. In ‘all alone’ I sing about my suicidal behavior coming and going, something I have struggled with for years. It’s scary being vulnerable but it has the power to make someone whos struggling too feel seen, represented, and heard. We can all heal together.
7. Do you feel that your music is giving you back just as much fulfillment as the amount of work you are putting into it or are you expecting something more, or different in the future?
COLEMAN.X: I am funding, producing, recording, writing, and creative directing everything that has a name on it, so it is definitely a lot of work- sometimes becomes quite overwhelming. But the hard work is always worth it and as long as I can make one person feel seen, or smile while listening, then I am beyond happy.
8. Could you describe your creative processes? How do usually start, and go about shaping ideas into a completed song? Do you usually start with a tune, a beat, or a narrative in your head? And do you collaborate with others in this process?
COLEMAN.X: I write down lyrics ideas/ concepts throughout the day in my phone, so I’ll usually start with the bare bones of a beat and lay down a verse and chorus from an idea, then go from there. I never truly finish a song, but at some point, I have to say it’s finished so I can send it off to get mixed (shout out Niko). I’m still working on songs from 3 years ago, but that’s just the process.
9. What has been the most difficult thing you’ve had to endure in your life or music career so far?
COLEMAN.X: Keeping a firm grip on my idea of who I am and what I am going to do. Trusting my gut. Staying alive. Music gets me through it and without it I would 1000% not be here.
10. On the contrary, what would you consider a successful, proud or significant point in your life or music career so far?
COLEMAN.X: Performing at Nashville Pride- never felt such joy and celebration than being on that stage.
11. Creative work in a studio or home environment, or interaction with a live audience? Which of these two options excites you most, and why?
COLEMAN.X: When I’m performing I’m in my truest state. It’s the ultimate exchange of energy- I am on stage, giving everything I have to the audience. If being in the most vulnerable state I can be in makes someone smile and distract them from the world outside for a little, and that brings more joy than anything else.
12. Do you think is it important for fans of your music to understand the real story and message driving each of your songs, or do you think everyone should be free to interpret your songs in their own personal way?
COLEMAN.X: Music is subjective and that’s the beautiful thing about it; even though our situations may be completely different you can find meaning to the words in your own way. We both heal.
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