Aus Artist Shares ‘Unpopular Opinion’ About Music Industry Following LA Move

Fresh off a support slot for UK group Sugababes across Australia and recent singles Flight Risk, Cheating On Myself and Till The Wheels Fall Off, Australian singer CXLOE has taken to TikTok and shared an “unpopular opinion” about the music industry following her move to LA.

“A year ago, I challenged myself to move from Australia to LA and spend 365 days in Los Angeles as an artist – pursuing my career, chasing the dream,” the Close singer said in a video that saw her explain some long-held emotions while embarking on some exercise.

Over the weekend, she hit one year of living in LA, a milestone she dubbed “wild” and couldn’t believe that she hadn’t tapped out. “I wanna share something that I learnt, and it’s gonna sound really jaded and messed up, but I wish I knew this years ago,” she began.

From there, CXLOE called “making it” in the music industry an “endurance test”. CXLOE brought up that in the year she’d been living in LA, she met artists who had been “slogging” it out for five to ten years and were only just making it. That might not have worked without some kind of privilege, including financial, community and emotional support.

“It’s a mental fitness test; it’s literally athletics of the mind,” she continued, employing some sarcasm: “And if you also have good music, that’s great.” You can watch her TikTok below.

@iamcxloe

the way im out of breath explaining this concept #endurance #fatigue #indiemusic #artistsoftiktok

♬ original sound - CXLOE

In May, CXLOE returned with the piano-led Flight Risk. “This is my ‘leave now or forever hold your peace’ song,” she explained in a statement. “It’s written with a ‘stream of consciousness’ flow which easily becomes my most vulnerable song to date. And my proudest!

“I owe so much of that to my brilliant co-writer Eric Leva. Throughout my life, I’ve often felt that my deeply emotional nature has moulded me into somewhat of a liability. So much so that I’ve convinced myself that distance is the only way to avoid pain.

She continued, “Flight Risk is a stream-of-consciousness song about the fear of hurting someone you love, so running away seems like the best and only option. It’s a three-minute, 20-second inner monologue that lays out all my flaws in the hope of finding some answers. The production feels very bipolar and doesn’t let you relax even if you think it’s safe to.” You can listen below.