Words By: Amanda Marano

Alt-rock artist, Chaz Cardigan, has excitedly shared the video for his latest single, “Everything’s Wrong”. Having been candid and vocal about his struggles living with panic disorder, the upbeat and hopeful track is about not letting a breakdown keep you down or hold you back. Through emotional verses and a guitar-driven instrumental, Chaz explores his experiences with mental health. With honest lyrics and an optimistic ambiance, the indie/pop anthem perfectly emulates the moment the two main characters lock eyes in a crowded room, making you feel like you’re in a coming of age movie in the best way.

Directed by Haoyan of America [Crumb, Cautious Clay], the video follows a scanned 3D model of Chaz coming to life. Haoyan explains, “We approached the videos as a four-part series (quadrilogy) to support Chaz’s upcoming project. Each subsequent video loosely relates to and builds on the previous ones. The series will touch on topics like technological hubris, infinite regress and memory.”

In a piece about the single, Flaunt said, “’Everything’s Wrong’…speaks volumes to the current state of the world. The message: a bad day is never the end of the story.”  The song also appeared on the Ones To Watch #NowWatching weekly playlist, as well as Billboard Pride’s weekly “First Out” roundup. Billboard said the track “is Cardigan’s music declaration that things are messy, and he’s perfectly happy with that.”

The psychedelic visuals featured in the video transport viewers into a virtual game-like experience. Chaz sings through the screen with arms, legs, and flapping wings, as he flies into the spotlight. As he sings he forms a black cocoon, which eventually bursts with light producing a digital version of Chaz in technicolor.

Currently based out of Nashville, this queer, alt-pop artist is known for his distinct and soulful voice and his and genre-bending style that mixes folk, R&B, and modern pop. Growing up in Louisville, Kentucky, Chaz is a classically trained pianist and a self-taught guitarist, bassist, and drummer. He grew up listening to Prince and Stevie Wonder, teaching himself how to record and produce his own music from the age of ten, and snagging gigs in local punk bands. After moving to Nashville at the age of 17, he started performing at sold-out gigs, producing in a hip-hop collective called, The Diatribe. Eventually, he debuted his first full-length album, I, in 2017, releasing his viral single, “Over”, which lead to headlining sold-out shows, and obtaining a record deal with both Capitol Records and Loud Robot [and subsequently becoming the first artist to sign jointly to the two!]

He debuted his most recent work, Vulnerabilia EP, on February 13 of this year. The alternative/indie five-track project featured hit tracks like “Not OK!” – with Billboard calling the hugely successful single, “a pumping mélange of bright beats, rough guitar riffs, and hypnotic sitar lines, with Cardigan’s deeply emotive voice soaring overall,”  and praising Chaz as a “certified 21st century pop artist.”

Most recently, Chaz performed “Everything’s Wrong”  on Today In Nashville. He also performed at To All The Music, a virtual concert celebrating the vinyl release of the soundtrack for To All The Boys: P.S. I Still Love You, which features his song, “As I’ll Ever Be.”  Stay tuned for the upcoming three videos in his latest series and for all the new music to come!

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