42 Facts About Caroline Polachek

Caroline Elizabeth Polachek was born on June 20,1985 and is an American singer, producer, and songwriter.

Chairlift disbanded in 2017, and Caroline Polachek embarked on a career under her own name.

In 2023, Caroline Polachek released Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, which became her first album to enter the charts in multiple territories.

Caroline Polachek has worked extensively with other artists, collaborating with Blood Orange, Fischerspooner, Charli XCX, Oneohtrix Point Never and Flume, as well as writing material for Beyonce.

Caroline Polachek was born in Manhattan, New York City, on June 20,1985, to James Montel Caroline Polachek, a scholar in Chinese history and trained classical musician, and Elizabeth Allan.

Caroline Polachek's father is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent, while her mother has Scottish and English ancestry.

Caroline Polachek's family relocated to Tokyo, Japan, where she lived between the ages of one and six, and later settled in Greenwich, Connecticut, where Polachek started singing choir in the third grade.

Caroline Polachek was a synthesizer player from a young age as her father gave her a Yamaha keyboard to dissuade her from being disruptive on the piano.

Caroline Polachek describes herself as "a very hyperactive kid" and said that they would play Enya at their respective houses to calm her senses.

Caroline Polachek played in a couple of bands in high school and college.

Caroline Polachek founded the band Chairlift with Aaron Pfenning after the pair met during her sophomore year at the University of Colorado.

Caroline Polachek began performing sets under the moniker Ramona Lisa in 2013.

The name originates from a former pseudonym Caroline Polachek used on Facebook.

Caroline Polachek announced her debut self-produced studio album as Ramona Lisa, entitled Arcadia, in February 2014.

Caroline Polachek began writing the album during an artistic residency at the Villa Medici in Rome, Italy.

Caroline Polachek sang vocals directly into her computer's built in microphone, making use of hotel closets, quiet airport gates, and spare dressing rooms during Chairlift's world tour.

In early 2014, Caroline Polachek composed and produced instrumental scores for designers Proenza Schouler and Tess Giberson to be featured on runways and promotional videos.

In January 2017, Caroline Polachek released her second solo studio album, Drawing the Target Around the Arrow, under her initials, CEP.

Caroline Polachek was scheduled to perform at Moogfest 2018, but pulled out in December 2017 when the festival advertised a list of female artists performing that year, despite the festival line-up being predominantly male.

In June 2019, Caroline Polachek released her debut single under her full name titled "Door".

In promotion, Caroline Polachek released five of the album's remixes as singles, as well as a cover of the Corrs' "Breathless".

In September 2021, Caroline Polachek was announced as one of the opening acts on Dua Lipa's US Leg of her Future Nostalgia Tour.

On July 14,2021, Caroline Polachek released the single "Bunny Is a Rider", another collaboration with Harle; she told Crack magazine that the song was part of a future project.

Caroline Polachek recorded a cover version of "Bang Bang " for the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack album, released on July 1,2022.

On December 5,2022, Caroline Polachek released the single "Welcome to My Island" and announced her second studio album under her full name, Desire, I Want to Turn Into You, for release on February 14,2023.

On May 2,2024, Caroline Polachek released the single "Starburned and Unkissed" as part of the soundtrack for the A24 film I Saw the TV Glow.

Caroline Polachek's influences have been described as "eclectic" by music critics.

Caroline Polachek named Mishio Ogawa in particular as "one of [her] biggest influences".

Caroline Polachek credits riding horses as a child with helping her "[learn] a lot about rhythm and about voice".

Caroline Polachek says that she "grew up kneeling at the altar of alternative music" and that Bjork, Kate Bush, and Fiona Apple were her "absolute heroes" when she was a teenager.

Caroline Polachek's alter ego Ramona Lisa was inspired by "artists whose looks were inseparable from their music", such as Nirvana, Marilyn Manson, and David Bowie.

Caroline Polachek named those artists, along with Bjork and Busta Rhymes, as influences for her visual identity.

Caroline Polachek called Paddy McAloon of Prefab Sprout her "favorite lyricist" and stated that she is "very inspired by contemporary artists like Rosalia or Doja Cat, who play with sounds".

Caroline Polachek finds inspiration in "more abstract" domains beyond music, such as landscapes; in a 2024 interview with Out, she named swallows as her musical soulmates.

Caroline Polachek named Kittie as one of her influences for her "straight-up grunge" song, "Starburned and Unkissed".

In 2008, Caroline Polachek formed Girl Crisis choir with twelve other female singers, including members of Au Revoir Simone and Class Actress.

Caroline Polachek later shot and directed the music video for the band's song "It Couldn't Be Perceived" in 2011.

In 2012, Caroline Polachek featured on the song "Everything Is Spoilt by Use" by Ice Choir, a solo project by Kurt Feldman of the Pains of Being Pure at Heart; she directed and edited the song's music video.

Caroline Polachek collaborated with Blood Orange on the tracks "Chamakay" in 2013 and "Holy Will" in 2018.

Caroline Polachek featured on Danny L Harle's single "Ashes of Love" in 2016.

In 2020, Caroline Polachek featured on "La vita nuova" by Christine and the Queens and made a guest appearance in the short film around the EP of the same name.

In October 2023, Caroline Polachek co-signed a publicized open Artists4Ceasefire letter to President Joe Biden, urging him to call for a ceasefire in the Gaza war.