Cloe Wilder, a 13 year-old singer-songwriter from Clearwater, FL is balanced going to school and recording her single “Save Me” in Los Angeles which was released on Oct. 3.
“Save Me” is Wilder’s third single this year, produced by Grammy-nominated producer Jayme David Silverstein, following “I Don’t Wanna” and “Overthinking.” Wilder got a taste for success with “I Don’t Wanna,” which received over 123,000 streams on Spotify.
Wilder said the song is about people who tried to “save” her from struggles with mental health. According to Wilder, people close in her life have listened to her songs and questioned why she hadn’t talked about it with them, but she said songs are how she talks about issues.
“[The song] was just like me venting into a microphone,” Wilder said.
Wilder defines her music as dark pop, but she said that is something she would like to define more as she continues to writes music. Wilder’s biggest inspiration is Lana Del Ray because she sings about sadness in a way that doesn’t make you sad while listening to it.
“Save Me” uses piano and a catchy beat, in the way a pop song usually does, but the lyrics are definitely dark. She sings about how nobody can save her and about herself-image problems, including a line where she says she doesn’t want to be herself. The song is relatable in a dark way but catchy enough that the song wouldn’t make you particularly sad.
Wilder’s voice has a soft feeling about it and glides smoothly with the rhythm of the song. It is definitely reminiscent of the musical stylings of Lana Del Ray; you can tell that influence is there for Wilder.
Releasing originals is something new for Wilder. According to her, she focused mainly on covers before she was noticed by her current team. She said she went to Los Angeles for a recording session and they helped her write some of her first original songs in the studio. Wilder said it was really important for her to be able to record and write with people she was comfortable with, which she is with her team of managers and producers.
The song is extremely impressive and deep for a singer who still has so much of their life to live. At 13, she is traveling from Florida to Los Angeles often and living the teenage dream. She said that it can get difficult but she loves what she does and that’s what motivates her.
“It gets pretty bad sometimes, but when it’s good it’s amazing,” Wilder said.
Madison Appleby is a campus correspondent for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at madison.appleby@uconn.edu.
