Caroline Polachek | Artist
Caroline Polachek, aka Ramona Lisa, aka CEP, is an American singer, producer, and songwriter born 1985 in New York City. Polachek's father was a scholar in Chinese history and a trained classical musician. Her family relocated to Japan when she was a child and later settled in Greenwich, Connecticut. Polachek started singing choir in the third grade and was a keyboard and synthesizer player from a young age. Polachek cofounded the indie pop band Chairlift with Aaron Pfenning while studying at the University of Colorado. The duo emerged from the late-2000s Brooklyn music scene with the sleeper hit "Bruises". They released three studio albums before splitting in 2017. Polachek's released her debut solo project Arcadia in 2014 using the name Ramona Lisa. Her second album Drawing a Target Around the Arrow was released in 2017 under the name CEP. Her 2019 album Pang featured an avant-pop sound and was released to critical acclaim, with the single "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings" receiving viral attention. In 2023, Polachek released Desire, I Want To Turn Into You, which became her first album to enter the charts in multiple territories. It was nominated for Best Engineered Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. Polachek has also worked extensively with other artists, collaborating with Blood Orange, Fischerspooner, Charli XCX, Oneohtrix Point Never and Flume, as well as writing material for Beyoncé. She is also a member of the duo DJ Ocean along with Danny L Harle. Many reviews and critics comments point to Polochek's excellent vocal abilities which are showcased in her art-pop song structures which have been described as "complex simplicity." She has also been described as a "Gen-Z version of Kate Bush". Polachek says that growing up in Japan until the age of six, exposed to traditional Japanese songs and anime themes, greatly influenced her musical education. She stated that Japanese singing consists of "a lot of minor and pentatonic tones, with really angular melodies, that I think really stuck in my subconscious." Standout albums include Arcadia (Ramona Lisa) (2014), Pang (2019), Standing at the Gate: Remix Collection (2021), and Desire I Want to Turn Into You (2023). The artist also takes her visuals every bit as seriously as her music - across her album art, styling, music videos, and tour sets, Polachek’s approach is meticulous, thoughtful, and decidedly her own. She also typically directs and edits her own music videos.
Artist Website: carolinepolachek.com
Featured Albums: Caroline Polachek
Related Artists: Chairlift, Ramona Lisa
Collections: Movers Shakers
