Interview by Katherine Cardinale
I had the opportunity to chat with up-and-coming Nashville-based artist Caroline Romano ahead of the release of her forthcoming EP, How the Good Girls Die, out February 21, 2025. Caroline, who is known for her ability to connect with fans over relatable experiences and emotions through her music, has released an album, multiple EPs, and a diverse variety of singles since her debut in 2017. Her newest release is another testament to her powerful and honest songwriting and an incredible addition to her discography. Fans can anticipate a mix of upbeat, catchy songs, and stripped-back, acoustic ones about the highs and lows of growing up and discovering yourself. During this interview, I spoke with Caroline about her new music, the inspiration behind her songs, and so much more.
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: Hi Caroline, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today! First, what is one thing you would like fans to know about you as an artist?
Caroline Romano: I would like anyone listening to my music to know that every song I write is me just trying to be completely honest in the most (obviously sometimes dramatic!) ways. I’m just trying to be the most honest I can be, and as the most vulnerable I can be, no matter how hard it is at times.
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: Which song of yours do you recommend for a first-time listener?
Caroline: I would probably recommend “This House” — it was off my previous EP. I feel like it’s a good combination, sonically and lyrically, of just the general vibe as a whole.
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: How do you decide which themes to explore in your songwriting?
Caroline: I write about what’s going on in my life and what emotions I’m experiencing. I mean, the entire How the Good Girls Die EP was just inspired by me being in my early 20s, experiencing the highs and lows that come with that, and finding yourself and figuring life out. My songs could also be inspired by media I’ve seen, or a movie I’ve watched — anything that puts some thoughts into my head.
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: Were there any specific people or things that served as inspiration for your songwriting on your newest EP, How the Good Girls Die?
Caroline: Absolutely! When I get involved in the lore of a show or a story, I get really into it. How the Good Girls Die was really inspired by the Tumblr era I grew up in. Skins was a big thing because it’s all tragic, teenage, party-esque, but also the “navigating life” kind of thing. So aesthetically, visually, and musically, that was something I pulled from a lot.
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: How did you choose the songs for How the Good Girls Die?
Caroline: I picked the tracklist for How the Good Girls Die in a weird way, because I didn’t set out to write the EP with this concept. I wrote all of the songs at different points throughout last year, and it wasn’t until I wrote the title track that I went back and was like, okay, this is the story that connects a few songs I’ve written in the past year. So I went back, listened through all my demos, put them all in a session, and said “what tells that story,” chronologically, of how the “Good Girl” got from here to here? And those were the songs that made the most sense to me.
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: Did you have a specific thought process behind the order of the songs (tracklisting) on the EP?
CAROLINE ROMANO: Yeah, definitely, I wanted to do the chronological order of the story!
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: Throughout the EP, you mention some things that are commonly associated with one another, including Halloween (“Pretty Boys”), body bags (“Body Bag”), and death (“How The Good Girls Die”). Was this intentional or purely coincidental?
CAROLINE: I think, in some gory way, it kind of all just came together like that. I really like fall and the moodier kind of aesthetic. So I think that’s naturally the words and emotions I gravitate towards. But yeah, that was kind of a coincidence there.
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: One of the lyrics in the EP’s title track is “She’s marked up with more than her tattoo.” If you got a tattoo this year, what would it be and why?
CAROLINE: Oh, that’s hard. I only have one because I wrote that line about my one little tattoo I got last year. It’s a lightning bolt. This is such a good question! It would probably be some sort of lyric that has meant a lot to me over the years, like a Noah Kahan or Taylor Swift lyric, just because I like having those little reminders. I think something like that would be cool, but I need to put more thought into this. This has got me thinking, so that’s good!
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: If you could have any artist feature on one of the songs off How the Good Girls Die, who would it be and why?
CAROLINE: I honestly kind of have two answers. I think Noah Kahan for “IDK These Days,” because it is very much in his wheelhouse of introspective, folk, going-through-it kind of music. And he’s my favorite writer — he and Taylor Swift are my favorite songwriters in the world. So that would be an incredible feature and really awesome. And then for “Body Bag,” I personally think someone like Lorde on the chorus would be really, really cool. I’m also a huge Lorde girl, and I think that would be really, really dope.
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: What’s on your career bucket list for this year?
CAROLINE: Going on a headlining tour. I’ve never done a headlining tour. I think something like that, no matter the scale, would be so incredible. I also really want to play overseas, because I’ve never done that as well. I have so many people over there who I would love to meet, who I know have listened to the music, and I just never have gotten the chance to meet them. And release an album this year, or just more music than I ever have in the past. I’m working on so much stuff and I really just want to put it all out this year.
LOUDSPEAKER COLLECTIVE: Your music is extremely personal and introspective. However, is there anything else you’d like to share with our audience?
CAROLINE: I’m really grateful for the opportunity to figure life out through music. And that wouldn’t be the same if people weren’t there to listen to it. So I’m just really grateful that, at 23, I found a community of people who relate to me and my stories that are so unique but also universal at the same time in ways that I didn’t even know.
Photo by Hayley Mikell
Loudspeaker Collective 