The first musician who inspired Caroline Polachek
Caroline Polachek is one of the most refreshing figures in pop right now. Combining art pop instrumentation with impossibly airy vocals, she’s working to revitalise the genre amidst the monotony of the charts. Polachek is unafraid to experiment and play with different instruments and genre influences, making pop just as fun as it ought to be.
This is perhaps most obvious in her most recent offering, the Grammy-nominated Desire, I Want To Turn Into You. The album is never constrained by definitions or expectations of pop, working with hyperpop icon Danny L Harle on closer ‘Billions’, pulling playful Spanish guitars in for ‘Sunset’, and even finding a place for bagpipes to feature on ‘Blood and Butter’.
It’s a record that represents and redefines exactly what pop should be – playful and progressive – but also one that acts as a collage of Polachek’s personal musical interests. She clearly pulls from some of her pop peers, including those in the PC Music scene, but she also retains the inspiration of some of her earliest influences.
Years before Desire, I Want To Turn Into You came to fruition, Polachek found her first sonic inspiration in the dulcet tones of Enya. Speaking with Interview, Polachek named the Irish singer as her earliest musical influence, recalling how her parents, though separated, would both play her music in order to calm a young Polachek down.
“My parents got divorced when I was really young and I was a very hyperactive kid,” she explained, “so both parents independently would play Enya at the house to calm me down and soothe me as a kid.” With just one listen to Enya’s soothing music, it’s easy to see why.
The modern Celtic singer is most well-known for her 2000 track ‘Only Time’, which displays her swirling vocals and calming instrumentation. Her words flow just as easily as the soundscapes that surround them, asking, “Who can say where the road goes?” always concluding, “Only time.” The song was used in tributes following the events of 9/11 almost a year on from its release.
Alongside ‘Only Time’, Enya has released an entire discography of music that could calm even the most rebellious of children. From the playful ‘Orinoco Flow’ to the lulling ‘May It Be’, it’s easy to see why Polachek was struck by her music at a young age and how it continues to influence her work even now.
Polachek’s sound rests on similarly soaring vocals and has even dipped into Celtic inspiration, as Enya’s early influence has persisted into her career.
