Chlothegod’s story begins like that of so many rebels: escaping the boredom of having nothing to do but hang out in the Walmart parking lot. Born and raised in a tight knit military community in Fayetteville, North Carolina, the singer-songwriter liberated herself from teenage malaise through collaborating on music with friends and performing at open mics.
Chlo’s path toward music was laid out before she even really started making her own as a sophomore in high school. She was embedded in performance as a dancer and in theater, finding her way toward creative kinship after reading a poem at an open mic. From there, she began working with her neighbor, Rush Kelly, a rapper with a bedroom studio paying Chlo $50 a pop for hooks. But Chlo’s expressive spirit called for more control and, within a year, she was leading her own tracks and finding viral fame on SoundCloud with a song called “Wave of Light.” Its openness about an ex resonated in high school hallways, finding the then-cheerleader recognition from both the home and away teams.
Smash-cut to nearly a decade later and Chlo is still stunning with her fearless vulnerability—now on the main stage. In 2020, after some pathfinding in and out of school, Chlo moved to Los Angeles and signed to EQT becoming a full-time singer the following year. The pleasure of getting to do what she loves has evolved her music toward a new take on heartbreak—that signature sensitivity is still present but now she sings it like a guide, taking the mantle of someone who’s been through it and wants you to know you’re not alone.
But it’s no wonder she’s unafraid to be open. The music she grew up hearing set her up for raw expression: Chlo’s father had a penchant for blasting punk and alternative on early morning rides to school while her mother was belting along in the car to neo-soul singers like Erykah Badu and Jill Scott. And the confluence of these genres is palpable in her own work, which ranges from pop-punk anthems soaked in reverb and distortion to lustrous R&B with dank percussion. In an era where genre is rendered increasingly fuzzy, the way Chlo weaves her disparate influences together is about taking the listener on an adventure toward something brand new that still invites nostalgia. The throughline is Chlo’s voice: both its profusion of textures and the lyrics it wields, whether it’s a slick kissoff like “Bless Your Heart” or the clever wordplay on her track “Camille.” Although her lyrics have emotional density, she’s not afraid to be silly on her Instagram, cementing her as that big sister you didn’t know you needed in your headphones.
