In Conversation With: Cherry Blonde

Photo Credits: @drpictures24

Cherry Blonde is more than just a simple artist – He is able to hype up his crowd and then catch them in a vulnerable moment the next. His music reflects that at the same time; A single genre or style is not enough to portray him. From fusing indie, folk, and R&B to a nostalgic 2000s pop with an edge, he gives his everything for his music. 

“Cherry Blonde is an extension of me, just a little more fantastical.” 

Many artists choose a certain persona when they share their music. With Cherry Blonde it isn’t that easy – You can’t put him in a simple box. While the musician Ari Eisenberg describes himself as a “pretty chill guy” in his daily life, Cherry Blonde adds something else to him. It offers him a way to explore more characteristics. In his own words: “Put me on stage in my checkered suit and something takes over that I can't control: a suave, dance crazy crooner.” He elaborates about Cherry Blonde as an extension of himself: “He's inspired by legends like Frank Sinatra, Prince, and David Bowie, with a lot of indie in his blood from bands like Still Woozy, The 1975, and Remi Wolf.” 

Cherry Blonde is all about being personal and you can discover this in his stage name already. It was born from waking up in cold sweat from a fever dream. “I was a towhead growing up and was weirdly proud of being the only blonde in my family,” he tells us, “Then at summer camp in middle school, a bunch of kids decided I was a ginger. I didn’t believe them at first but looking back, between the freckles and strawberry blonde hair, they kind of had a point.” But the memories stuck with him and one thing was pretty clear: “I didn’t choose this name, it chose me.”

Photo Credits: @axj.jpg

From the very beginning, Cherry Blonde grew up making music in groups. Playing the violin in youth symphonies, he loved that it's about music and not one person’s face. As a solo artist, he experiences new flexibilities and a drive to write more personal lyrics and “really care about every word.” Still, his process of creating music isn’t forced to be completely solo, collaborating with other artists and musicians is still a dear part to him. He explains: “I still tend to collaborate with a lot of musicians and artists, and since I'm not locked into a band, I have the freedom to experiment. I still make a point to keep building with the people who've been there from day one, because that's what keeps it real.”Exactly that is at the heart of Cherry Blonde. He is raw, honest and wants his listeners to feel and experience that as well.

When asked what he wants his audience to understand after listening to his music his answer is clear: “I want listeners to understand that being present and in touch with your emotions is such a beautiful thing and we shouldn’t hide from our inner wild child.” Showing your emotions and chasing your dreams is important to him. At his core, he wants people to be able to forget their problems and insecurities for a moment, to find an escape from a crazy world and feel safe for a second. The singer knows it’s a fine line to walk on but something he wants to offer, nonetheless: “I hope my music can make people feel like it’s not too late to explore their dreams and have fun even if they have a kid at home or other obligations.” 

Photo Credits: @drpictures24

“I wrote this after a year of being single and craving a connection I could fall head over heels for.” 

Cherry Blonde reveals to us what makes him sit down and channel his thoughts into a new song. “Love and heartbreak are my biggest inspirations, especially how messy relationships get in the age of technology,” he clarifies to us. This human and raw longing isn’t hard to miss in his music. He released the art of being subtle earlier this year after some time being single and craving a connection that makes you fall head over heels for someone. When you listen to the song, it might sound sweet and lovely but buried beneath is, in his words, “real growth.” “At its core it's a promise to keep classic romance alive forever. I could honestly hear it at a wedding,” he adds to his explanation, and it shows in his track. A slow and groovy tune, which makes you want to sway with someone you love to it. 

“I've been dancing since I was a little kid, and I want that to be a bigger part of the Cherry Blonde world.”  

The music video pays an homage to the idea of imagining it as a dance with your lover. Cherry Blonde asked his community to send in videos of an already choreographed partner dance. “One of my biggest goals is building a community where people feel safe to express themselves, and this was a way to make my fans part of the art,” he explains his decision to involve everyone who wanted to. What started as DIY homage to early 2000s aesthetics and a massive green screen turned into a big assemble of love and admiration in a video. The goal in his own words was to “capture young love by blowing up those butterflies into something ridiculous and fun.” With a 15 by 15-foot green screen and his roommate Noah, who edited the entire video, they succeeded to capture exactly that.  

Sound wise Cherry Blonde has a clear direction he wants to take his music to. “For a while I was torn between alt/rock/emo and indie/soul/R&B, and I've finally committed to the retro, theatrical pop side of myself. I'll still make rock music, but for Cherry Blonde I'm all in on crooner funk and soul with indie flavor, so the sound feels consistent,” he tells us and teases a new “bossa nova” track coming up in November. When it comes to differences in his upcoming music, he remarks his production saying, “I'm also stripping my production back, so it sounds less like a full band and puts the lyrics and emotion front and centre.” When it comes to the lyrical part of his music, he is opening himself up to go beyond writing about romance, he continues saying, “I've been writing songs that aren't about romance at all, songs meant to empower people and dig into other feelings I relate to.” 

“Nothing lasts forever and it’s difficult to let go of a moment.” 

With a new chapter approaching Cherry Blonde is ready to show a new personal side of himself. A chapter about the exploration of existentialism – Growing up, personal and romantic issues. He is ready to show it all. If you want to explore more of his music, you should check out his latest single The Art of Being Subtle and let the music enchant you as well. 

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