Originally Published on October 16th, 2026

Earlier this week, I discovered a similar social media platform who has dedicated their time to discovering independent music. One of the artists he referenced, Charlotte Dickson, particularly stood out because of how great the production quality of the song featured was. I hopped over to her profile and was surprised to see that featured song was an older release and there was actually a few newer releases available to hear. I also learned that they were tied to the upcoming release of her album Collateral Damage, and that it would be releasing on Friday.

Charlotte Dickson, out of Ukiah, CA, is a singer and songwriter that is “pop” in the same way one might consider Olivia Rodrigo pop. In essence, she rocks. She rocks hard.

Dickson, 25, has been performing for more than a decade. Inspired by her grandfather who was a singer/songwriter himself. “My grandpa would write his own songs and play them for me when I was little. That inspired me to start writing my own songs and pushed me to learn to play the guitar.” When she was 16, she decided to pursue music professionally, being influenced by artists like Billie Eilish and Maggie Lindeman.

Dickson debuted in 2019, at the age of 18, with the song Buzzkill, which was released through 11x11Music. Three years later, after signing with Blue Elan Records, she released her second single Boys Get Lonely and she would release music more steadily. “When I’m putting together a project, I focus a lot on how I want the songs to feel collectively, and what emotions I want them to drive.”

Listening to her older work, it is synth heavy and features programmed beats, heavily influenced by dance/club music. Then, I listened to her recent singles. What Once Was Mine, Happy for Now, Casualty, and Nervous all had a pretty significant difference to her older releases stylistically. Guitars, bass, full drum kit, and an overall somber vibe throughout the music. “My recent work is definitely very stylistically different from my previous releases. As much as I love the electronic pop-centered style of my older releases, it didn’t feel as intimate or fitting for Collateral Damage.”

Collateral Damage

Collateral Damage is the debut album of independent recording artist, Charlotte Dickson. It is a 10-song album that runs at just under 40 minutes. It was produced by Denny Fongheiser and released through Blue Elan Records.

“ I decided on (the name) Collateral Damage for the album because because all of the songs on this record are based around situations that were out of my control.” ~ Charlotte Dickson

Dickson, who wrote all of the songs herself, explained that the inspiration for the album isn’t simply defined to one thing or event. “My main focus when writing and sharing my experiences is to focus on the emotions throughout situations rather than saying ‘this is a breakup song.’”

Listening to Collateral Damage, I hear the specificity she is suggesting within each song. There is something that bypasses the sense to determine the source of the heartbreak and instead hone in on the emotional reaction to it. Instead of observing the house from the street, Dickson invites her listeners in for a tour, room by room.

The album opens with my personal favorite, Stuck in my Head. This song opens in quiet then slowly builds. The anguish is palpable in Dickson’s vocal performance from the start. I also felt a close attachment to Louder. I love the layers of vocals in this song. The drums in the beginning of the song are playing this very basic beat and they’re backed out of the mix, giving them this haunting element that pulls something different out of the song. I particularly like this because I’ve never heard the drums used like this before.

“My focus is to spread awareness that even though life can be messy and unfortunate things can happen, there is a lesson behind everything and there can always be some sort of light in all the darkness that can occur. It all depends on how you look at it. ~ Charlotte Dickson

As Collateral Releases, Charlotte Dickson is Focused on Her Upcoming Shows, Adding More Shows in the Near Future, and Songwriting in Preparation for Her Next Chapter

There are 4 scheduled shows for Charlotte Dickon coming up in California, most recently next weekend. For those in the area, please visit her profile on Spotify for details and tickets.

While Dickson works to finalize placements for a live band, she is embracing the atmosphere that is created with the acoustic sets she’s been doing so far. “The acoustic sets are great and an even more intimate feel to my songs, however I do want to branch out and give a full band experience (to the audience) in the near future.”

While researching her recent posts, I noticed a few image that were taken from an acoustic show she played at the famous (or arguably infamous) Viper Room. I asked Dickson what it was like to play such a legendary venue. “The Viper Room was an amazing experience and I hope to go back there once I have a full band to back me. My show at the Viper Room was an acoustic set and I happened to perform the day after the sinkhole on the Sunset Strip, but I still had a great time performing for who was able to make it through all the craziness.”

I think that was a perfect story for her to tell about her experience with The Viper Room. I have always wanted to see a show there and I think it is so cool that Dickson got to play a set there.

As for the future, Dickson is focused on building a band and booking more shows soon to continue promoting Collateral Damage. She also says she is writing feverishly and hopes to be back in the studio before too long to start working on her next series of releases.

Before we get ahead of ourselves though, Collateral Damage is here and it is out today. This is a strong album that exhibits perseverance. Though it remarks heavily on darker, sadder topics, like Dickson said, it helps the listener find their way out back to the light.

Go press play!