Caro Emerald talks ahead of Birmingham show
She’s as polished and classy as it gets.
Caro Emerald seems to exist in a different dimension with songs and concerts that lift the spirits and are effortlessly cool.
Following five-star reviews and sold-out shows across the board, the gorgeous and stylish Caro Emerald is back with a new live UK tour for 2018.
Since the release of the 2010 multi-platinum debut album Deleted Scenes From The Cutting Room Floor, Caro and producers Grandmono have fashioned their own niche, blending retro jazz with sampling and modern pop, starring Caro’s exceptional vocals. The result is a truly unique signature sound.
Her second album The Shocking Miss Emerald entered the official uk album chart at number one in May 2013, remaining in the chart for an entire year. With more than 2.5 million record sales, a host of awards (including an Echo, Goldene Kamera, Edison Award, EBBA & MTV Music Award), and a string of sold out tours and performances at festivals throughout Europe including Glastonbury and Isle of Wight, Caro has made her mark.
The vocalist is an original pop star with the look of a Hollywood icon of yesteryear and a voice that oozes warmth and vitality. Her live performance is not to be missed – as The Daily Telegraph noted ‘Caro Emerald had everyone in the palm of her hand’ and her ‘infectious sense of fun and vintage charm can be relied on to lift the spirits’. Her new tour follows her acclaimed Emerald Island tour in 2017. She headlines Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on Tuesday.
Caro is thrilled to be on the road. “This tour is the best thing ever.
“I’m thrilled to be coming back to Birmingham’s Symphony Hall. I’ve been there lots of times so I know the surroundings and the neighbourhood. Places like the Symphony Hall and the Royal Albert Hall, which I’m playing for the third time, are out of the ordinary. They are very special.
“The Symphony Hall is a fantastic venue with so much atmosphere and when you play you can feel how special it is. Being there helps to lift my performance. I’m very lucky to have such a fantastic team with me. It’s a big circle and everywhere you look, there’s somebody there. It has a very intimate vibe even though it’s so big.”
Caro still can’t put her finger on why she became so successful. After all, you’d imagine the queue for people wanting to be internationally famous Dutch pop and jazz singers isn’t the longest ever.
“I’ve been asked that question so many times and I would love to ask you why you love the music so much too? I don’t know. I just make music. It’s been popular all over the world. This is the fifth or sixth big tour I’m doing in the UK and there’s no other country in the world where I can tour this much, not even Holland. I’m much more of a celebrity in Holland than in the UK but I’m always a bit surprised at how much people love the music in the UK.
“It may have a very unique sound. I feel that there’s two things in the UK; one is my audience is very specific and it’s been launched on the right platforms, like BBC Radio 2 and breakfast shows. There’s also a lot of word of mouth. Fans tell all their friends and next time the audience increases. Sometimes I ask people who’ve been to my show before what they like because they always return. I think that says something about the people from the UK because you have much more of an appreciative culture for music. Once you really like something, you go for it and go to concerts. I’m really appreciative of that.”
Caro’s last album, The Shocking Miss Emerald, was released in 2013 and went to number one in Holland and the UK, as well as charting across Europe. She’s been writing since then, but has not yet set a release date for her third record.
“There’s a lot of writing going on and there has been for the past couple of years. But even though there’s not yet a new record, there’ll be plenty that’s new for the tour. This tour will be amazing. We have a whole new idea to take people to a different place – it’ll be fictionally set in a city in south America.”
