An Interview With New Jersey Singer-Songwriter, BITTER’S KISS About Filming A Video in Ireland, Her Biggest Inspirations and More!

Bitter’s Kiss is the current project of New Jersey-based singer-songwriter Chloe Baker. She first garnered international attention for her emotional delivery of poignant songs that deal with such complex subjects as love, religion, suicide and growing up in today’s world

After launching her music career a year ago, Bitter’s Kiss has already harnessed more than 800k plays on SoundCloud and over 100k likes on Facebook

• Influenced by Carole King, Sixpence None The Richer and Sarah McLachlan, Bitter’s Kiss is a lasting effort with the potential to forge a path alongside the likes of Regina Spektor and Lorde.

Follow Bitter’s Kiss here:

bitterskiss.com

facebook.com/bitterskiss

twitter.com/bitterskiss

https://soundcloud.com/bitters-kiss

Learn more about Bitter’s Kiss in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time today, Chloe! So, how’s 2016 been treating you so far? What were some of the highlights of 2015 for you?

So far, the new year is treating me well. I have been continuing to work on music as well as schoolwork and soccer. I think the main highlight of 2015 was the release of my new album and everything that came along with that. Especially, my trips to Cork, Ireland to shoot a music video and my trip to Los Angeles to do a show at Hotel Cafe.

Growing up, did you always know that you would be a musician? Can you recall your earliest musical memory? Could you see yourself doing anything else today?

I grew up in a musical environment so I have always been exposed to singing and songwriting. I have been writing, singing, and doing musical theater since I was really young. I always dreamed of doing music as a career but the reality of it being a possibility did not come till recently. I think my earliest musical memory was singing “Blackbird” by the Beatles with my dad at a school concert in elementary school.

What’s it like being in a band with your father? What has been the biggest thing that you have disagreed about? Do you think that you work really well together and balance each other out?

Since we know each other very well it is easy to work with one another. We never argue because we are both very open to hearing each other’s ideas and often think similarly. I think we were both able to learn a lot more about each other during the process as well which was very nice.

Why did you decide to go by Bitter’s Kiss and not your own name? How does Bitter’s Kiss sum up you and your music?

After I recorded a couple songs in the studio, I decided to post them on SoundCloud and wanted to choose a name that represented my music well, that’s when I came up with Bitter’s Kiss.  Like my music, it is a name that can represented that there are good things exist within bad ones and vice versa.  Also since I was just started out and wasn’t sure what direction my music would take I wanted to classify myself as a project. Bitter’s Kiss started as a project name that has now stuck as my artist name.

What was the inspiration for your latest single “No One Will”? Can you talk about shooting the video for it in Cork, Ireland? How cool was that?!

Filming the video in Cork was an amazing experience! I am so grateful I got the chance to work with some very creative, intelligent people in such a beautiful place. It was my second time shooting a music video after the one for “The Rope.” I have experience with acting from musical theater so it was very cool to bring that experience into my music career. I had a blast!

Generally, where do you get the inspiration for your songs? Can you remember the very first song that you wrote?

There isn’t one source of inspiration for me. I draw my inspiration from everywhere. Things I hear on the news, thoughts that circulate through my head, and things I see and hear in my daily life. Whenever something interests me or makes me feel something, I write about it. The actual first song I wrote was when I was three years old entitled “Thank God for Cookie Dough.” Growing up I would make up songs and poems all the time either alone or with my older sister. The first song of just mine that I recorded was two summers ago called “Already Gone” and it is on my first album.

What artists have continued to inspire you since you started making music? Who you love to work with in the future?

Growing up I listened to a huge melting pot of music from Biggie and Tupac to Carole King and the Beatles. I don’t have one particular artist I hope to be like, but artists like the Beatles and Carole King have continued to inspire me because of the authenticity and depth of their lyrics. In the future I would like to work with a wide range of artists from Kendrick Lamar to Lorde to Skrillex.

Where do you think you are happiest- performing on stage, recording new material in the studio or elsewhere? Where do you find that you are most comfortable?

I am most comfortable recording in the studio but I am happiest on stage. Performing gives me the best feeling that I can’t get anywhere else. To me, there is nothing like performing on stage for people. But it is very fulfilling to take the first listen to a newly recorded song. Recording is also a form of expression to me. It is a way to let out emotion. An artist needs to portray emotion in a recording booth in order for the song to sound authentic.

How do you think being from New Jersey has influenced your music and you as an artist?

I have actually lived right across the river from New York City my whole life and I go to the city quite often. There is so much culture and diversity I live. I think it has made me very open minded allowing me to see things from many different point of views. I enjoy that experience as a bit of an outsider from New York.  This plays a big role in who I am as a person and also the music I write. It has helped me to write about a large variety of topics from many different perspective.

What do you hope listeners take away from your music? Do you think there is a message to take away from some of your songs?

I hope that listeners see that although a lot of struggle and evil exist in our world’ we can still be happy and rise above it. By talking about sad things I’m not trying to make people sad but rather show them that other people feel the same way. Sorrow and conflict can’t be fixed before they are acknowledged. My goal is to make people acknowledge problems so that then action can be taken to solve them.