Diandra Interviews Sage Charmaine: The Harley Quinn of Music

So many artists are, actually, shy; using music to build the inner worlds they carry. For Sage Charmaine, her persona/ artistic alter ego is a chance to develop her inner star. She wanted to perform and be the center of attention, of which her songs gave her permission. Playing Bowery Ballroom on June 5, she discusses how her music transcends genres to become a play of aesthetics. 

Diandra: You have described yourself as “genre-less.” How do you feel genres are limiting to how people consume or create music?

Sage Charmaine: I feel like genres can limit artists to a specific stereotype and can eventually cause them to, maybe. even get stuck doing the same thing over and over again. When it comes to consumers, I feel like they, too, can also limit themselves to specific genres they get used to listening to, closing themselves off to hearing other things. I feel like with myself personally, I like all different kinds of music and I love experimenting with different genres as well. This is why I consider myself genre-less “” if you will because my taste is forever changing. 

Diandra: If Sage Charmaine was a comic book superhero, how would you describe her backstory?

Sage Charmaine: I’d like to think she’d be a lot like Harley Quinn, but pink and all aesthetic and shit. I think her backstory would be that she found out she had magical, musical superpowers, at an early age, and has been using them for the greater good ever since. I also imagine she’d have long neon pink pigtails & be covered in glitter.   

Diandra: With Sage Charmaine being your alter ego, what are the aspects of your person you feel she exemplifies or explores? Do you think she was always within you?

Sage Charmaine: I think she is someone I always aspired to be. Growing up, I was always super shy; so it would clash with my dream of wanting to perform in the way I wanted. As I developed my music persona and career more and more, it became easier to just let myself go and fully envelope “Sage Charmaine”. I think I also use this ‘persona’ to explore styles and fashion that I, otherwise, wouldn’t have. 

Diandra: You describe performing as an opportunity to “let go.” What are some of the things, about life, music, and performing have helped you let go?

Sage Charmaine: Music and performing are a great form of release for me. If I’m feeling a certain way about something and need to just let it out somehow, I can always jot down my feelings and create something that’s both art and therapeutic. Performing is also a good way to “let go” for me because I can put all my emotions and feelings into the performance and just let alllllll that shit out. And it feels super amazing. 

Diandra: You have said every girl has a dark side. Describe yours and how you empower or heal it?

Sage Charmaine: I think mine would be my more sassy and bratty side. I can be a bitchy ass libra and use it to empower me in performing, work, or any other scenario. I can also be really deep and emo, which I feel like is part of why I find so much comfort in songwriting. 

Diandra: Your EP, Don’t Leave Me, describes the varying emotions associated with love. How would you define love and how it makes you feel?

Sage Charmaine: I think love is an indescribable thing with unending amounts of ways it can make you feel. I think love can be euphoric, but it can also make you sad. It can also be toxic, but you can’t get enough of it. That is exactly what this ep’s about. 

Diandra: Being 16 and already a professional artist, how do you feel your career has influenced your youth?

Sage Charmaine: I would hope that it would inspire more teens to pursue music and start early, rather than always loving it but never doing anything with your talents and abilities. I’d also hope that I’m proof (as well as many others) that teenagers are to be taken seriously in the industry and to not try and dismiss us. I feel like our generation is really starting to run this shit (lol).

Diandra: Your music and style have, often, been described as “alternative.” How would you describe them both and how it relates to the word “alternative”?

Sage Charmaine: I think my music and style both can vary a lot and can be mixed and matched, day to day, as well. I think my style is like a skater doll-esque type of thing, and I definitely love wearing cute shirts & lots of sick printed sweat pants. I also love anything pink, and I always have vans. My music is more alt leaning I’d say because it has a lot of electronic music in it as well as natural live instruments. 

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