Caroline Byrne on “Iced Tea”
I’ve been quiet far too long: these are the opening lyrics of New Jersey-based singer/songwriter Caroline Byrne’s debut single, “Iced Tea.” The song, which features rapper Quiny Mumford, was released on April 30th, and later accompanied with a lyric video on June 1st. It’s as refreshing as the drink it’s named for, a familiar nod to R&B’s roots and a taste of R&B's exciting present. I recently video chatted with Caroline from her home in Rutherford. We talked about the songwriting process, the importance of friendship, and and most importantly, how she’s no longer keeping quiet:
Caroline: So I come from a really musical family. I’m the oldest of four—two brothers and a sister. Everybody sings, or plays an instrument of some sort. It’s just a very musical household, very rowdy. But I grew up super, super shy, no one outside my family knew I could sing.
Cassi: You’d never know now!
Caroline: [laughs] No, I know. I always loved singing, but never saw how I could make it a career. I was always telling myself, “okay, you have to be realistic about this.” It wasn’t until I auditioned for The Voice and American Idol that everything changed. I was so green, so nervous- but getting through on those shows made me realize, ‘Okay! You can do this. This is a possibility.’ Fast forward to the pandemic and I had nothing but time on my hands to work on music.
Cassi: And you did.
Caroline: I did! One thing I learned from going on those shows was that there are so many talented people- so many talented people who can sing their asses off, but there’s a difference between talent and being an artist. I knew I had to step it up if I wanted to bring my music to life. The pandemic gave me all the free time I needed to learn production and create with no expectations.
Cassi: Well congratulations! I feel like you must be so excited. The remix has just come out, and the song itself has been out since the end of April, right?
Caroline: Yeah! I’m very excited. This is the first song that I’ve been really proud of. I’ve done collaborations in the past with other people, but there’s something about being a young artist—especially a young female artist—that you find yourself kind of saying yes to other people’s vision. It’s easy to let other people tell you who you should be. [Iced Tea] is true to me and it feels really good. It’s me putting my foot in the water and saying, ‘Alright! Let’s do this, let’s dive in.’
Cassi: I love that. When I listen to the song or watch the lyric video I get this freeing, liberated sort of vibe, so I think it’s cool how that’s reflected in the songwriting process as well.
Caroline: Yeah, yeah. There are a couple different layers to it. It’s very much about taking your career into your own hands and doing things your own way. But also, it’s about my experience as a woman in music. I’ve had a few uncomfortable experiences with men in this industry thinking it’s a romantic relationship when I’m just trying to collaborate on music, ugh.
Cassi: I totally get that; it’s really exciting for you to bring those stories into your music.
Caroline: Yeah, I think as an artist you can get caught—you wanna be popular, you wanna get streams. But at the same time, the best stuff comes from being authentic and trusting what you like. The people that will like the song will come, so there’s no use in watering yourself down. Wait, not to interview you, but who do you listen to? [laughs]
Cassi: I like R&B, rap, indie. My quarantine hyperfixation was obscure folk music.
Caroline: Really? You have to send me a playlist. I love to get into that stuff. I listen to a lot of R&B; Snoh Aalegra and all.
Cassi: I will! And I’m glad that you say that, because you definitely hear the influences in [Iced Tea]. For me, the original song has a more contemporary R&B feel, and the remix feels more classic, 90s R&B. I like how you showcase different sides of the genre. Why did you decide to take this route with the two versions of “Iced Tea?”
Caroline: You think remix, and it’s like oontz oontz oontz, like house music, I know. Jacuzzi Jefferson (@jacuzzijefferson), he’s based in New York, he reached out to me and said if I ever want to collaborate on something, he’d be down. I had just submitted the original version of “Iced Tea,” and I told him I had stems of the song and that I was looking for a remixer. He sent me back the same vocals, but it sounded like a completely different track. It was so cool. I loved the stripped back piano & how it sounds so new & fresh. I have him to thank for that direction. He’s dope. After spending time with it, I knew I wanted to record new vocals because I think the piano evokes different emotions.
Cassi: So that makes me curious about how much of the actual production process you were involved in initially.
Caroline: I put together the original track early summer/mid spring of last year, a couple months into the pandemic. I was in the process of teaching myself Logic, so I did the drums, and the sample that you hear throughout the song. It felt good so I brought it to my friend Quincy (@quincymumford), who's on the original track, and he and his friend David put down bass and we did the finishing touches together. We co-wrote it together. Yeah, the bulk of that production was born in my bedroom, just messing around trying to come up with a cool sound. It was so rewarding, too. As a singer, part of me was always like, “one day I’ll meet a producer who will magically understand the sound I’m going for.” So to actually sit down and put that track together myself was great.
Cassi: You mention Quincy, who raps on the track—how’d that relationship come about?
Caroline: My friend Danny Spadaro is a producer & songwriter; I’ve been friends with him for a long time, and he’s close with Quincy. They know each other from The Voice. All roads lead back to The Voice. [laughs] It was basically a friend of a friend type of deal. I told him I’d been a big fan of his stuff, and it was as simple as that. He’s from Jersey, too.
Cassi: The power of friendship.
Caroline: For sure! I have great friends. I appreciate them all so much. My roommates, they’ve been so supportive and great. I feel like whoever you were in quarantine with, you have a lifelong bond, you know what I mean? Being with them this past year taught me a lot about the power of healthy friendships.
Cassi: Another thing I wanted to ask you about was the lyric video process. How was shooting the visuals, collaborating with GIRL GANG? And what’s it like, having this very concrete representation of your song accompanying it?
Caroline: To actually see something come to fruition is the best feeling ever. As a creative, you have so many ideas, so to actually finish one and have something to show at the end—it’s just the best. As far as recording the video, what I’ve learned from creating anything is that you have to start where you are with what you have. All that footage is from a parking garage in my town; I cannot take full credit, though, of course. I brought my ideas, my references, and footage to Yunil (@ulysses_yunil) and Anna (@annaegeiger). Between them we were able to bring it together. And they were so good because the notes were like pages long. I’m thankful for the collaboration with GIRL GANG, too. You guys have such a good crew. Everybody I’ve met is so nice, and so talented.
Cassi: I’m glad! And now that it’s out into the world, where do you go from here? What kind of impact do you hope to have, with “Iced Tea” and as you continue to release music?
Caroline: So, I consider “Iced Tea” to be the introduction. As far as impact goes, I want people to feel empowered to pursue their own thing. I’d love for people to look at me and go, “Oh, she’s doing it, I can do it too.” I also want—and I feel like every artist says this— to connect with as many people as I can, to put music & words to feelings they might otherwise not be able to. My favorite artists are doing cool things visually, and with their music. I’d love to do that as well.
Cassi: And now you’ve kind of fallen into a trap, because I have to ask who some of these favorite artists are.
Caroline: So it changes. I love Snoh Aalegra, Sinéad Harnett- she’s a British R&B singer. I love Brent Faiyaz. Talk about somebody who has music and an aesthetic vision, it’s so cool to see. It changes, but I always come back to the R&B world, you know?
Cassi: Ah, I hear a lot of some of those influences in your music. Okay, so now, something to leave everyone with. “Iced Tea,” is your first official single. What about it is special? Why should people stream it?
Caroline: [laughs] That’s a really hard question. I think, if I had to answer— I would hope that it’s kind of like a throwback to 90s R&B. It feels good, it’s cheerful, and cool.
And just in time for summer, “Iced Tea” is just as fun and energizing as Caroline describes. The song, lyric video, and it’s remix, which was released on July 9th, can all be streamed now.
