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Grab your tell-all journal and some tissues bc it's time to get in your tortured poet era. This time, though, we're listening to another vulnerable/relatable/"her songs could literally be about my life" singer-songwriter: 17-year-old Cloe Wilder. 

I Spent My Summer on the Road, Cloe's latest EP, dropped Apr. 19 (stream it now!) and we've got it on repeat. With echoes of TK and TK, Cloe's underground indie sound is going to get you deep in your emotions—from the bittersweet disappointment in the album's first single "Afterglow" to the hopeful, yet haunting nostalgia of "Take It In." 

Cloe's inspo for the album came, as the title suggests, from her summer (well, technically spring) spent performing across the country. "Touring was always my dream and I was so grateful to be out there," Cloe says, taking a moment amid her jam-packed schedule (this March and April, she took the stage once again, opening for artist Charlotte Sands on the "can we start over" tour) to chat with Girls' Life. "There's no other way to experience that connection with the music." 

Psst: Cloe's star power didn't come out of nowhere. Back in 2019, she took the stage at the GL Fashion Bash concert—and immediately captivated us with her moody lyrics in "Overthinking." (At the time, she told us about how her own journey with anxiety inspired the track: "I hope 'Overthinking' allows people to feel more comfortable being open about their mental health.") 

So where does the intensely personal lyrical journey begin? For Cloe, her music (which she usually writes outside in her backyard) has sort of become a diary: "I write a lot about myself...how I react to an experience," she explains. "It can really come from the smallest thing, like a conversation that I feel connected to, or I can get pretty existential. Sort of depends on the day." ("Take It In" came to Cloe after reminiscing on her epic childhood birthday parties—"They were a big deal at my little school!" she laughs.) 

Mic check! Despite her music's melancholy energy—think folklore (slightly unhinged version)—Cloe's go-to song before she hits the stage is actually "Dancing Queen" by ABBA...yes, a certified bop. (She listens to a ton of genres and artists, but a few current faves = Florence & The Machine, Bon Iver, Matt Maeson and The Lumineers.) An artist she'd love to open for? "Lana Del Rey would be the dream," Cloe confesses. (Speaking of confessions, Cloe's tour GRWM can be summed up in three words: lots. of. glitter.) 

Have no fear, fan club: Even if Cloe becomes the Next Big Thing, her music will stay as raw and honest as ever. When asked what she'd tell her 13-year-old self in the kind of time travel situation she might imagine in one of her sentimental songs, it's clear that rn Cloe is more found than lost. "You're going to be a happy, healthy person," she says to 2019 Cloe. "And your songs won't suffer because of it." 

Discover more music with GL's exclusive artist interviews...
🪩 Kylie Cantrall is just trusting the universe 
🎵 Kacey Fifield has a whole new sound in Nostalgia Haunts Me
🪩 Devan talks heartbreaks, mixtapes and Noah Kahan

Images: Jesse DeFlorio

by Katherine Hammer and Haley Kramer | 4/22/2024