In Conversation With blondestandard
Photo by XKY STUDIOS
Born and raised in sunny L.A., up-and-coming artist blondestandard (a.k.a. Caroline Grace Vein) has proven herself to be a multi-faceted artist in every sense of the word. She began her creative journey in childhood through visual art, later becoming an industry professional and advocate for other musicians. Since writing and recording her own original music three years ago, she’s gone against the norm of the industry by simultaneously pursuing all her passions in art, film, music, and more–all while maintaining her original creative roots. And with the release of her debut single “BLUE EYES”, it’s clear she’s not slowing down or letting go anytime soon.
We caught up over Zoom to chat about the song, how she balances all of her creative pursuits, and what she hopes listeners take away from her stories and artistry.
Photo by XKY STUDIOS
[UNPUBLISHED]: How would you describe your sound to someone who’s never heard you before?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: Genres are bending so much that it’s hard to describe. I get inspired by so many sounds that I’m like, “I wanna make a 70s pop song and an electronic track.” But most of my stuff sits in alternative pop/grunge pop.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Who would you name as influences?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: Sound-wise, definitely Blondie, Gwen Stefani. Recently, I’ve liked Upsahl. A little bit of Clairo and Joan Jett.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Before emerging as an artist, you also worked (and continue to work!) professionally on the backend of the industry. What does that look like for you?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: Before I started pursuing music, I wanted to work in the industry. At one point, I was thinking of being in management but that would be weird if I was someone’s manager while having my own manager and team. Right now, it’s a balancing act of doing something in music that wraps me up in the world of other musicians without it being awkward that I’m a musician myself. As of last week, I was appointed to run sync and licensing, music supervision, and publishing stuff at Blackbox. It’s a nice boundary and I love it.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Has being familiar with the business side of the industry helped you in your own career as an artist?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: 100%. Understanding the climate of the industry, the ins and outs of what the business is like from an artist’s perspective, an agent’s perspective, a management’s perspective, getting it from all angles–it’s a nice thing to have. I get to see the backend stuff of an industry that is changing day in and day out. Like, we now rely on young kids to pop off our music. You see songs going viral everyday that are 10, 20, 50 years old and songs that were just put out. It’s very interesting.
[UNPUBLISHED]: It’s only been in the last three years that you’ve started writing and recording original music. How did you balance that with your backend work?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: It almost felt like a sacrifice in a way because I want to pursue both passions. I spent a lot of time talking to different people in the industry and asking for advice and they were like, “You have to pick one.” And I was like, “I’m not picking. That’s not happening.” There’s no reason I should have to. The best thing about the age we’re living in now is that a lot of people do a lot of things and can balance those things.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Did you always know that this is what you wanted to do?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: I spent my whole childhood loving to sing. I’d always wished that I could try out for things like the talent show but there were a lot of kids that I grew up with who were very talented Broadway singers. It’s not that I didn’t think I was good enough. I always knew that I had a voice but it was more of a “you have to pick a lane.” It was when I got to college that I was around people who drove me to decide that writing and singing is a great form of closure as a young woman, and something that I could do. It was never something that anyone expected out of me, including myself.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Were you interested in other forms of artistic expression?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: I’m a generally creative person. Growing up, I was also a visual artist and wanted to produce films, and still do. I love being on music supervision and production sets, and would love to produce and direct music videos, maybe a film at some point. All the ins and outs are so fascinating because music is so important to me but visual art is, too. Before I felt confident enough to sing and share my stories that way, I was doing it through visual art because it was a less direct connection to me. It was a way for me to share my interests without it being like, “Here’s me! This is what my voice sounds like! I’m literally going to tell you how I feel!” It was a little less in your face.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How has growing up and living in L.A. influenced your sound and overall artistic goals?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: Left and right, there’s people from all walks of life who want to pursue their dreams, mostly in a creative sense. So I try to collaborate with as many people as possible and try to get my foot in different projects. And a lot of the stuff I talk about in my music is real, raw experiences that I think a lot of people can relate to. I had a hard time growing up here because I went to an all-girls school and never felt connected to a lot of the girls. I didn’t feel like I could relate to anyone. Growing up, you make dumb mistakes and you learn from them but a lot of people have that core support at school. Having a strong-willed mom who worked and still works really helped me but my support was outside of school and my friends were older. It shaped my persona. I definitely talk about that, about L.A. and the way the city is built, how people feel about it. Some real stories, some made up.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Outside of work, you also currently attend USC! What major are you pursuing?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: My major is Narrative Studies, which is the study of stories in different media, with a Visual Culture minor. It’s mostly all creative classes and at the end of your senior year, you do a Capstone project about whatever you want. I’m starting it right now and I think the concept I’m studying this semester is art and autobiography using case studies. It’s gonna be more of a personal journey too, as an artist who went from visual to sonic. It’s a lot of self-discovery, which I love.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Turning back to your music, how did you create your artist name blondestandard?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: That was my name as a visual artist in high school. We all have these ideas of what people should look like or be like based on what people are on the outside. Most people have their own false ideas of who I am just because I’m a 5’3” blonde girl from L.A. The irony behind the whole thing is that I ended up making this artwork on Instagram and contrasting it with photos of myself to be like, “See this? This is who made it.” You have to look at it from a metaphorical, not literal sense: “blondestandard” as the standard ideal.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Speaking of which, you recently released your debut single, “BLUE EYES”! How did you invoke that “blondstandard” dichotomy in the song?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: “BLUE EYES'' has this sweet, love-y-dovey meaning to most people. But if you look into it, I’m singing about a man who I never had a romantic relationship with, who made me feel very small in the workplace. Most people would think, “This is a fun summer song, let’s blast it in the car and not listen to the lyrics.” You never really have that in music. If a song is going into a deep, dark meaning, it’s not going to be a fun song. So that’s what I’m trying to have in my music, that surface-level idea with a thick, serious underlying meaning that I want people to take with them.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How did you decide to release “BLUE EYES” as your debut single over other songs you’ve written?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: It was the first song I worked on but it had also transformed over the past three years. I originally started the song right before COVID hit, then another producer took it and made some edits to it. A year and a half later, I was working at a techno label doing A&R stuff, trying to sign people that were on the indie rock side. I didn’t want to tell the guy I was working with that I made music because that’s not something I feel is appropriate to do. I’m there trying to scout other artists and that’s what I’m passionate about. But he loved the song and he was like, “I wanna suggest that we change the drums here” and made it less of a dance-y song and more of an alt-pop dance song. So it’s had this whole life before the world heard it. It’s a meaningful song and I think people can relate to it.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Given your background as a visual artist, did you design the cover art for the single?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: No, I’m so picky-choosy that it would’ve taken me a century to design my own cover art. I’m working with visual artists on the canvas and cover but at some point in time, it’s gonna end up being my work. But for now, I work with people that resonate with the project. Visuals are very important in music. As much as the music has to sound good, the visuals have to align.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How did you feel before releasing the song? Were you nervous at all or excited or a bit of both?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: Just as 15 year old me was nervous about creating this fake persona on the Internet and the girls at school finding out about it, I felt the same way about releasing my music. I’m an adult now, I’m confident, I have stuff going on in my life, I have good friends but you always have that feeling of insecurity. It’s healthy, it’s normal and it comes with putting yourself out there. But I had to look in the mirror and be like, “Listen, those people are not gonna detract from you doing what you wanna do and following your passions.”
[UNPUBLISHED]: In the press release, you said that though you’ve “been going to therapy my whole life…writing this song gave me real closure for the first time ever.” Do you see music as a therapeutic tool for yourself in general?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: When you’re writing the song, then recording it, sending it off for mixing and mastering, it almost feels like you’re taking all of that baggage from every piece of that situation, putting it in a package and then pushing it away out of your life. It’s very therapeutic. I’ve always been one to talk about my feelings and look inward and find the things that I can work on in myself. Writing and recording is just as helpful, maybe more. I recommend to people who don’t want to sing to just write. I used to think it was cheesy until I did it. It helps get things out.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Looking ahead, what’s next for you?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: I’m going to be putting out a lot of music. I’m really excited to share it, it’s all real and raw and to the core of who I am. Without it being too much about me, there are things that I want people to relate to. It’s fun music that you’d want to bump in the car but the meaning behind a lot of the songs is realistic and helpful.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What are goals or milestones you want to achieve as you move forward in your career?
[BLONDESTANDARD]: I don’t really have any major goals other than to create, be confident about it, put it out into the world, and have people resonate with my artist project. I want to see where this goes. It’s cliché to say but I’d rather have 10 solid fans than 100,000 people that are just listening to it. I really want people to understand and enjoy rather than liking it passively. That’s the whole reason I’m doing it. It’s all I wanna do.
