Carlie Hanson

A dusky pop vocalist, Carlie Hanson gained fame in 2016 with her viral hit “Only One.” Drawing comparisons to Billie Eilish and Lorde, offered a pair of EPs, Junk (2019) and DestroyDestroyDestroyDestroy (2020), before making her full-length debut with Tough Boy in early 2022. Hanson continued to work prolifically, issuing tracks like “608” and “Pretender,” which appeared on her 2023 follow-up, Wisconsin. Born in 2000 and raised in Onalaska, Wisconsin, Hanson initially became interested in performing while growing up listening to pop artists like Justin Bieber and One Direction. Around age 14, she started posting cover songs online. In 2016, while working as a cashier at a mall restaurant, Hanson recorded a video of herself singing Zayn’s “Pillowtalk” in her car. She entered it in a social media contest to see Zayn live in concert. Although she didn’t win the contest, she did gain followers after her video went viral. Buoyed by the attention, she traveled to Toronto with her mother to work with producer Rey Villalobos (aka House of Wolves), who helped her write and record a handful of songs. She also spent time in Los Angeles working with songwriter Dale Anthoni. In 2018, her single “Only One” went viral. From there, she hit the road, opening for Troye Sivan, Yungblud, and Bad Suns. In 2019, Hanson released her debut EP, Junk, which included the single “Back in My Arms.” A second EP, DestroyDestroyDestroyDestroy, arrived in 2020 and featured the song “Ego” with rapper Iann Dior. Throughout 2021, Hanson issued an array of singles like “Off My Neck” and “Snot” featuring Deb Never, both of which appeared on her debut album, Tough Boy, which came out in February 2022. Almost immediately, Hanson began the build-up to her next release, delivering well-received singles like “608” and “Pretender” which, along with the driving “Illusion” formed the core of her sophomore album, 2023′s Wisconsin. ~ Matt Collar