Caggie Dunlop is a name you might be more familiar with from the world of TV, but this is all set to change with the release of new single I Wish You Knew. Last year Caggie Dunlop began her journey into the music spotlight with the likes of singles including Here We Are Again, introducing fans to her soulful sound which leaves you hanging on every word she says. I Wish You Knew is a dreamy-pop track and we caught up with Caggie to discuss the track and her venture from the world of TV to music.
Hi Caggie, Can you describe yourself in five words?
Empathetic, courageous, sometimes shy, inquisitive, paradoxical.
You’ve just released your new single I Wish You Knew, can you tell us more about the track?
It’s a track I wrote with a friend and incredible producer, Phil Cook. It’s about the moments of madness you go through when you are seeing someone who just doesn’t seem that into you and you sort of lose your mind a little bit. They are all you can think about, but you wonder whether they think about you at all.
When you released your first track Here We Are Again you went over to the US to work on your music career, now you’re over in the UK when can fans expect to see you taking to the stage here?
Absolutely, I love performing but I get very nervous about doing it beforehand. I think a tour would do wonders for my self-esteem as there is nothing quite as magical as the connection you get with people when you perform. It’s electrifying.
What’s it like in the studio with Caggie Dunlop?
It’s much like a therapy session….a bit of a rollercoaster. With some emotional, confusing moments – lots of frustrations, but sparks of hope when you stumble across something that just hits the spot. The studio has always been my happy place. I think even before I was doing music I was writing songs, just in the form of poetry. It’s how I communicate myself and my truth to the world. You can give your most intimate details, but the veil of melody and songwriting allows enough mystery for it to become someone else’s truth also. I think that’s a beautiful thing.
Who or what inspired you to go into music?
There’s something quite innate that draws me to music. I think it resonates on a soul level.
So far you’ve music style has remained poppy but are there any other styles you’d love to experiment with?
I want to release a ballad soon. I’ve written something that has literally taken years to finesse. And eventually, I’ll write for films (musicals) that would be the dream.
Who would you love to collaborate with on a track?
Mark Ronson.
Recently you posted a poem you wrote called Begin on Instagram surrounding mental health and your own experiences with it. Do you feel it is important to speak out when you have a platform? Has it been challenging sharing such a personal part of your life with the world?
It is but I think it’s also important for everyone who feels that way, to know they aren’t alone. I have dark moments, sure. They can feel inescapable, but they always pass. And although my lows my be a little low than the average persons or someone who doesn’t suffer from depression. My highs are probably a little higher too. I have learnt to accept that about myself. I heard an interview with Stephen Fry recently, and he quoted Rainer Maria Rilke; saying “Don’t take my devils away, because my angels may flee too.”; which I found very apt for myself.
Where do you gain the lyric inspiration for your tracks?
My personal experiences, Anything really. I sometimes can see a street sign and I think; that’s a song! Or hear a phrase whilst in a conversation. It doesn’t have to be a personal turmoil or feeling. Inspiration strikes wherever and whenever it likes and is everywhere if you are looking.
Aside from music what else is going on in your world? Is film still an important part of your life?
Yes, but I think film will have its moment at the right time. You just have to be strategic about these things. But I would love to do a film that I wrote the music for…that is my end goal. I wrote something and have a few film/tv projects that one day will have there moment. I hope anyway.
Let’s talk music bucket lists, what’s on it? We’d love to look back in five years and see you’ve completed some of these!
I would love to tour America. Have written a song with Julia Micheals, collaborated with Mark Ronson and done a duet with Lauv.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to take a risk and try a new career direction?
Just do it. There’s never a perfect moment, but if you have a niggling feeling like you aren’t on your path and something greater is calling you. listen to that. And look for the signs. trusting yourself and trusting the universe is about stepping into the unknown and knowing it will work out, without anything concrete, its about trusting a feeling. So many of us quite before our moment, because we worry about how it will work out. that’s not to say our moment wasn’t going to happen. We just give up too soon. Don’t give up and if you only have this one life, live it well. And live it how you please for you and no one else.
What’s next on the cards for 2019?
I’m going to finish off my EP this summer. Hopefully, release my next single before the summer is out, and finish of a script I have been working on.