Following Hardwell’s triumphant set at last weekend’s Ultra Music Festival in Miami, many Hardwellers were left scrambling online in a search to identify the powerful voice behind “Sanctuary,” the set’s euphoric opener which also happens to be the legendary DJ’s upcoming single.
Well, the search is over. And no, it wasn’t HAYLA. It’s not Camden Cox. It’s Carlyn.
An established name on the Canadian pop scene, Carlyn (@carlyndabomb) released her debut album, Nightmare Pop, in 2024. Her latest single, “BULLY,” marks a departure from the dark indie-dream sound that defined her early twenties (around the time I first met her), moving instead towards something more vulnerable, more personal, and maybe just a little sluttier.
In an effort to authentically capture the full Carlyn experience, I join her for a quick spin class on a rainy Saturday morning (“12:15 with William, he’s incredible”) before we descend, post-workout endorphins rushing, onto the Montreal Mile End in search of a clandestine interview location. By the time we’ve found a relatively quiet spot we’re soaked (Carlyn: “Are they even going to let us in?”). It takes a few coffees before we warm up, at which point Carlyn talks me through the experience of getting that dream call—the one every artist hopes for—and her ambitions moving forward.
NEXUS RADIO: We’ve known each other for a few years, but lots of people are probably meeting you for the first time. What should newcomers know about Carlyn?
CARLYN: People should know that I come from a performance background and that above everything I value artistry. My thing is telling stories, and I just want people to listen and watch and take it in how they want to take it in. It’s not that deep… but it can be.
NR: How long have you been making music?
CARLYN: Since I was 18. I grew up around dance and theatre, and music was always the thing I did on the side. My mom was my vocal coach. When I was young, I would write little songs like… You know how kids will make a PowerPoint presentation for their parents if they want a dog or something? I’d write a song and sing it to them instead.
NR: Would you say music’s always been a language for you?
CARLYN: Yeah, even if it wasn’t my job I’d still be doing it.
NR: I feel like you’re always writing, which I find inspiring. It seems like it’s part of your every day.
CARLYN: Absolutely. It’s how I get my thoughts out. My favorite thing about writing is knowing what I want to say and finding a way to say it that’s clever or has double meanings.
NR: I definitely get that love for language in your music. But wait—before we get any further, I need to congratulate you on “Sanctuary”! How did that project come about? And how have you felt seeing the track get so much love at Hardwell’s Ultra set?
CARLYN: Thank you! It was completely random, really. I often get called to come record vocals for a demo or a session, and most of the time I never hear about it again. It was one of those days—I got a call from a friend who was like “Can you come to the studio tonight? We need to cut this song now.” And they never tell you who it’s for. So, I just went into the studio and recorded it and went home. It was just a normal day.
The next day, they asked me to come back to the studio—I thought to re-cut something—and they played me the intro and were like “So, this song is for Hardwell. You booked it, and it’s going to be his intro at Ultra Miami.”
NR: That’s crazy!
CARLYN: I know! And I was like “What do you mean?!” Like, it was so quick—a month before Ultra. I honestly didn’t believe it was happening until I watched the live stream and heard him play it. It’s nice because I’ve been focused more on writing these past two years, and it’s almost like I forgot about my voice. Having this wave of appreciation for my voice has been cool and really encouraging.
NR: I mean, you have an incredible voice, and even though I’ve heard it a lot over the past few years, seeing it soar over this massive crowd at Ultra was so surreal.
CARLYN: It was insane. I wanted to go so bad, but it didn’t work out because I’m here making more music. But I’ve watched the video probably a hundred times, and I showed my mom… It’s the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me.
NR: Do you have a personal relationship to dance music? I know this is one of the first dance projects you’ve been involved in.
CARLYN: I never planned on being a dance artist. I like dance music. And I listen to all kinds of music, from musical theater to noise, punk. I love it all.
NR: Right, like, everything from Kurt Hummel to metal.
CARLYN: Exactly. (laughs) I listen to dance music a lot and a lot of my friends are DJs. When people call me to record vocals on a dance track, it’s just fun. I’m like, why would I say no? I get to show off some range, and I love that aspect of it.
Some people would say you have to either do a pop project or dance music—the industry often tries to put artists in a box so they’re easier to understand. But, at the end of the day, I’m a singer and I’m an artist. And I want to do it all.
NR: Last year, you released your debut album, Nightmare Pop. What was that experience like?
CARLYN: To be completely honest, it was really tough. It was kind of a COVID album. Every song on the album except for the last one, “Next Life,” was written in 2020. It was three years of recording a body of work that I had written as young as 18. I’d been working on this project for so long, and when it was finally ready to drop, I was 24.
I remember doing some promo for the album and struggling because I’d changed so much. When I first started putting out music, my style was different, my hair was different, the way I presented myself, the way I talked was different. I felt like I was having a bit of an identity crisis playing the role of “Carlyn at twenty.” So when the album came out, I felt relieved that I could finally grow up and write music that felt a little more relevant.
NR: You’re working on a new project, right? I imagine the experience of working on something that feels very present and real must be refreshing.
CARLYN: It’s amazing. I’ve fallen in love with being an artist again. It’s hard to promote work that you don’t love.
NR: Right, like sometimes it just goes stale.
CARLYN: One hundred percent! I was promoting a song that I filmed a music video for two years before…I was so detached from it.
After the album came out, I started getting more into songwriting for other artists so I was like “I think I’m done being an artist. I think I’m just not meant to do this.” Months went by, and then I booked a session with this band Featurette and I thought, great, I’ll go write for them. But I guess there was a miscommunication, because they were like “So Carlyn, what are you going through?” And I was like, “Huh? This is my session? I’m not the artist!” And they were like, “Well, this is what our day’s for.”
Luckily, I actually was going through something with a guy at the time, which is where “BULLY” came from. Writing that song was such a release—it felt like the first time in a while that I made something good and true to my artistry. And I worked so well with the production duo, Illegal Audio, so we kept booking sessions and making songs and it turned into a full-length project.
NR: I love “BULLY.” It’s different from your earlier work, in a great way. Where are you getting your inspiration from these days?
CARLYN: Well, from getting my heart broken. (laughs)
NR: So true, there’s no better inspiration.
CARLYN: Right? And, honestly, therapy. When I’m speaking to my therapist, I’ll often find myself thinking “That’s a great song idea.”
I feel like in the past, I would take a life experience of mine and dramatize it with characters and backstories, and that was satisfying but now my music is more personal. For example, I went into a session recently, and I was like, “So I went to Miami, and I went to a male strip club, and I met a stripper and then we went to the beach at night on his motorcycle… Can we write a song about that?”
And then with my next single, “Complementary Colors”—I wrote that about a thirteen-year-old girl I had an hour-long conversation with when I went to Bermuda. I found her perspective on life so interesting. I grew up in a suburb in Ontario and she grew up on the most beautiful island I’ve ever seen, and she was still depressed like I was when I was thirteen. It inspired a whole song.
NR: That’s so interesting, you guys having such similar experiences.
CARLYN: Yeah, it was fascinating. It’s nice to not hide behind fictional characters. Maybe I used to worry that people would judge me for the art I make… But like, should I not put out “BULLY” because I was obsessed with this man who treated me terribly, which just made me more obsessed with him? That’s a real thing people go through—I’m not glorifying it, I’m just saying it happens.
NR: Right, you’re not being prescriptive, just descriptive.
CARLYN: Yes, exactly.
NR: So, tell me, what’s next for Carlyn? What are your ambitions for the next little bit? Do you have any dream collaborators?
CARLYN: My number one ambition is to tour. That’s my thing. I love performance. I just want to perform all the time. I’d love to perform “Sanctuary” live with Hardwell. In terms of collaborators… Jamie XX, Cole Haden from Model/Actriz, Matt Bellamy, Idles, Tyler the Creator. I’m going to be dropping singles and visuals over the next few months, and hopefully that grows to a point where I can put out another album.
But, for now, I’m just kind of reinventing myself.
Hardwell’s upcoming track, “Sanctuary,” comes out April 11.
Carlyn’s next single, “Complimentary Colors,” comes out April 16.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
