Q&A: Sheila Carlito
Rising R&B-pop artist Sheila Carlito released his sophomore single "Highway 95" from his forthcoming debut album Glitter. The track is very introspective; it comes from the point of view of an overthinker, certain parts of the song sonically designed to be wake-up calls to help snap into reality. “Highway 95 is a step into the way my mind works. Getting lost in thought, and trying your best to process in there, until life gives the proper wake-up call and forces you to process in reality,” the rising artist explains.
Starting his musical journey at the age of 13, the artist on the rise mostly stuck to songwriting with no intention of being in the spotlight. Soon after Andrew Diaz, who is known for his moniker, Sheila Carlito, found himself writing for Roc Nation talent. Diaz began to distance himself from writing in the shadows and stepped into the spotlight under the moniker, Sheila Carlito. As a songwriter, he always found himself in a position to communicate and express the thoughts and feelings of others. Growing tired of suppressing his own narratives, he entered into a state of mind where he wanted to speak on his own experiences and his heart through his voice and lens.
When it came to the creation of Sheila Carlito, Diaz describes it as “the character that plays out all of his life experiences. Sheila is a story, Sheila is sound, Sheila is a voice. I am merely the brain and the author who doesn’t care for the attention and prefers expressing from the shadows. Sheila is the light that exposes it all.” During the release of his first EP, When A Flower Dies It Never Feels Afraid, he felt that he was mature and ready to tell his intimate and emotional story through sound. Now, Sheila Carlito is gearing up to release his debut LP GLITTER at the end of summer 2020 and describes his current sound as living in the R&B realm, however, with a ton of folk influence. He found inspiration from stripped down and acoustic sounds and blended them together to make GLITTER a nostalgic soundscape where the listener is fully immersed in his universe.
We had the opportunity to dive deeper into his world of nostalgia and chat about the birth of Sheila Carlito.
Do you mind introducing yourself?
What’s going on guys, my name is Sheila Carlito, and I like to write songs.
Who is Sheila and do they differ from Andrew? How does Sheila play into your music?
Sheila is the character that plays out all of Andrew's life experiences. Sheila is story; Sheila is sound. Sheila is a voice. Andrew is merely the brain and author who doesn’t care for much attention, and in fact, prefers expressing to the shadows. Sheila is the light that exposes it all.
How do you separate yourself from your artist persona (Sheila)?
It’s like a switch, as cliche as it sounds lol. Like when I perform, it’s Sheila; I’m comfortable with eyes on me, nor do I care for opinions as I live loudly. Andrew is definitely way more reserved lol. Not that I care for opinions by default. I just enjoy being a regular member of society with hobbies like painting and writing or spending time with my girl or being a youth leader at my church as Andrew. Because Sheila is an entity made up of a lot more than just me, I love playing the part of just one of the limbs lol.
You’re releasing your debut album Glitter at the end of the summer. Do you feel that Glitter better reflects your artistry compared to your previous EP When a Flower Dies, It Never Feels Afraid?
Absolutely. Glitter paved and created a platform of fluidity for me as a creative. It bends within genres and it’s all just parts of the sounds that I enjoy as a consumer. It’s music I love to listen to as a human being with likes on all ends of the spectrum. WAFDINFA was a more curated sound that I desired to live in for that moment.
How does “Highway 95” resonate with you?
It’s a song about being in your head. And as an avid over-thinker, I resonate with it deeply. Certain parts of the song are specifically sonic wake-up calls in order to hop back into reality.
What was the creative process behind “Highway 95?”
This was my first experience working with producer Sensei. My good friend Audubon connected us and he had sent me this beat that I wrote to while driving. We got together and recorded all the vocals. JHN HUNTER then got together into the studio with us and helped us finish the format. It was such a dope collaborative effort among people who just vibed in energy off grip. I mean, I like to think this is an attempt and my offering to the trap/hip hop community, though its still on the softer pop side where I normally live lol. Hopefully it resonates with people on both sides of the spectrum.
Who are you currently listening to?
I really enjoyed the last 1975 album called Notes on a Conditional form. However I’m always listening to the things that inspire me, even if they have some age on them. I’m also ALWAYS streaming Father Of The Bride by Vampire weekend. Those are 2 of my favorite bands.