Interview
Interview
Chloe Slater: “I think Chloe and Chloe Slater are slowly morphing into the same person”
The rising indie star on taking on influencer culture, changing lanes and why she's already ditching her own alter-ego
Chloe Slater’s music is a smirking mix of fury, frustration and belligerent hope. Breakout track ’24 Hours’ is a pointed takedown of online excess at a time where most people are struggling, while other tracks from her boisterous debut EP You Can’t Put A Price On Fun call out dodgy landlords, inequality and how crushing life can feel coming of age in 2025. There’s a touch of euphoria to all the angst though.
Last summer, she took those generational guitar anthems to Glastonbury Festival (“surreal, overwhelming and a reminder that I’m not really a fan of camping”) and supported Kings Of Leon at the 20,000 capacity Lanxess Arena in Cologne. After dropping second ep ‘Love Me Please’ earlier this year, she’s now gearing up for her first ever UK headline tour ahead of another busy festival season. In-between rehearsals and writing sessions, Chloe Slater talked to us about the importance of community, the cathartic power of a great chorus and what comes next…
A lot of people were introduced to you by way of ’24 Hours’ – did you know that song was going to hit differently when you write it?
I had a good feeling about it because it seemed like there was a lot of discourse about influencer culture in a cost of living crisis at the time. But honestly, I just wrote about how I was feeling at the time. I was spending a lot of time on social media so there’s definitely some jealousy in that song but there’s a lot of anger as well. It just doesn’t sit right with me that influencers are promoting fast fashion when really, they’re the ones who can afford ethically made clothes. It was the first time I was really outspoken in a song and a lot of people resonated with it. I found it really fun and cathartic so kept going and here we are, about to tour the UK.
Who were the bands that inspired you to get into music?
I first learned to play acoustic guitar because I really liked Taylor Swift but then I started getting into indie and grunge. I loved bands like Nirvana and Arctic Monkeys so I got an electric guitar and that inspired me to start writing my own music. I’ve been doing that since I was 13, so there are hundreds of Chloe Slater songs that will never see the light of day. As I got older, I looked up to artists like Declan McKenna and Sam Fender and my new EP is also inspired by Bloc Party while songs like ‘Fig Tree’ are influenced by Wolf Alice. All the indie legends, basically.
Considering how many people ended up hearing your debut EP You Can’t Put A Price On Fun, did it feel like you had anything to prove with Love Me Please?
I did, but I think that’s natural. You get a little bit of attention, you find yourself in the spotlight and you start asking yourself ‘how can I keep this going’? Luckily I’d already written a lot of the songs for Love Me Please before the first EP was released, so it all felt like they belonged to the same world. My next project is going to be different from those two EPs though…
Next project? What can you tell us about that…
I’m always writing. I’ve been working on it for a few months now but in terms of what I want to give away… just a giggle.
Lyrically, what did you want to talk about with ‘Love Me Please?’
All of the songs are about how everyone deserved to be loved and accepted, but perhaps they’re not. A lot of the songs are a plea for that. ‘Fig Tree’ is about wanting to be accepted as a woman and be free of the constraints of beauty standards while ‘Tiny Screen’s is about how people are so desperate for their five seconds of online fame so they can feel like they mean something. It’s nice trying to make something sort of beautiful out of something that makes me feel horrible.
You’ve described Chloe Slater as a kind of alter ego, right?
When I started out, my music was a way for me to express the things that I didn’t feel comfortable sharing in my real life. It felt like a safe space to vent, because I always saw myself as timid, agreeable and sweet. I think Chloe and Chloe Slater are slowly morphing into the same person though. Love Me Please has a song that’s softer and far more personal than anything I’ve released so far (the dreamy ‘Imposter’) and I’m definitely becoming more confident in speaking out about things in my daily life. It’s hard though, because sometimes you feel stupid if you don’t quite express things how you wanted. You get older people constantly telling you that you don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m trying to break down those barriers in my mind and just speak my truth.
Do you consider yourself a political artist?
That’s quite a broad term, but yeah, I think I am. I know I’m not saying anything groundbreaking with my music, I’m just saying I think everyone deserved to be loved and have equal rights. Apparently that’s controversial but any backlash or negative comments just feeds my algorithm. When I sit down to write, it’s always just about what I’m feeling. It’s always about being true to yourself and not worrying about how many people might call you a loser online.
And you’ve even been accused of being a nepo baby, so you must be doing something right.
Yeah, it’s got to the point where people are just lying about me. There was this one person who claimed my parents were prominent music producers in the UK. The reality is I was brought up by a single mum, who works in marketing.
’24 Hours’ obviously had that viral moment but it does feel like people are really invested in you as an artist. Why do you think your music is resonating like it is?
It’s reassuring to know we all feel the same way and want to make a change in the world. I’ve got a cute little WhatsApp group with some fans and from the shows I’ve played so far, it does feel like a really accepting, safe space. I think a lot of them are angry and passionate about the same things that I am, so there’s that common ground. I always say my music is really made for a certain type of person with a certain set of morals.
You’ve got your first headline tour kicking off this month. How are you feeling about it?
I’m a bit nervous, but I am excited. I think it’s going to be the coolest experience ever. Maybe I’ll crowd surf…actually no, I’m scared of heights so maybe not. I’ve been rehearsing all this week and it feels like it’s at the point where they’re going to turn from ‘gigs’ into ‘a show’.
There is a euphoric feeling in my songs and the choruses are made for those big, live moments. If people have had a shit day at work, they’re sick of school or they hate living at home, hopefully they can come to a Chloe Slater show and let it all out.
That feels an important thing to be offering people in 2025.
Community is a very important thing because, especially after Covid, we’ve all become a bit more individual. Clubbing culture is dying, and people aren’t really going out anymore, so I think it’s important to create spaces for people to make friends and have a good time, because otherwise life is quite sad.
How cathartic have the live shows been so far?
They’ve been amazing. Seeing people sing my songs back to me just makes me laugh though. I’m trying to keep singing, but it just makes me giggle because I still can’t believe that people actually know my songs. It’s just silly… it can’t be real.
Broadly speaking, what do you want Chloe Slater to represent to people?
I want to represent being switched on but not necessarily getting bogged down by the state of the world. It’s important to be aware though. Knowledge is power and I hope I can inspire people to learn a little more about what’s going on around them and the ways they can make things a little better. I don’t think I’m the next Bob Dylan or anything, but I hope that I can make music that is important to people and that inspires them to live their lives the way that they want, while also caring about the world around them.
