Caroline Polachek

Songwriter, producer, and vocalist Caroline Polachek has pursued an array of musical endeavors that encompass the theatrical synth-pop associated with Chairlift, the introspective project Ramona Lisa, ambient explorations issued as CEP, and intricate electro-pop presented under her own name. Chairlift reached the Billboard 200 with their 2012 sophomore release Something. Arcadia marked her 2014 introduction as Ramona Lisa, while Drawing the Target Around the Arrow, her inaugural CEP full-length, surfaced in 2017. Pang, her first album credited directly to Caroline Polachek, appeared in 2019 and delved deeper into atmospheric yet melodic electronica; the set peaked inside the U.K. Top Ten and registered on the U.S. Independent Albums chart at number 40. During this period her songwriting contributions extended to tracks recorded by Beyoncé, Solange, Travis Scott, and Charli xcx, among additional artists. These efforts culminated in the conceptually ambitious yet melodically direct 2023 album Desire, I Want to Turn into You, followed by its 2024 expanded edition titled Everasking Edition.

Polachek entered the world in Manhattan in 1985 and passed her initial childhood years in Tokyo, where traditional Japanese music formed part of her early listening. At approximately age six she returned to the United States, settling in Greenwich, Connecticut, where she participated in equestrian activities, performed with the school choir, and began keyboard studies. In high school she gravitated toward punk, emo, and indie rock, joining multiple bands prior to college enrollment.

While attending the University of Colorado at Boulder in early 2006, Polachek established Chairlift alongside Aaron Pfenning, initially intending the music for haunted-house soundtracks. Once the material proved viable beyond that context, she and Pfenning relocated to Brooklyn and recruited Patrick Wimberly as the third member. The trio quickly gained attention through performances alongside emerging acts such as MGMT and Yeasayer, ultimately securing a deal with Kanine Records. Their first Kanine single, “Evident Utensil,” included an MGMT remix and preceded the 2008 debut album Does You Inspire You, whose visibility increased after “Bruises” featured in a prominent technology advertisement.

Major-label interest followed in early 2009, leading Chairlift to sign with Columbia, which reissued Does You Inspire You that April. After Pfenning’s exit, Polachek and Wimberly recorded the follow-up Something with production input from Dan Carey and Alan Moulder; the album, released in early 2012, expanded the group’s colorful pop palette and appeared on numerous year-end lists while reaching the Billboard 200. Beyoncé, an admirer of the record, enlisted the duo for sessions that yielded “No Angel,” co-written by Polachek, Beyoncé, and James Fauntleroy for the 2013 self-titled Beyoncé project.

Polachek issued her solo debut Arcadia on Terrible Records in early 2014 under the Ramona Lisa alias, crafting the entire set on a laptop with MIDI instruments alone and no external microphones. The Dominic EP closed out 2014, followed by the three-track Piano Versions collection in 2015.

Reuniting with Wimberly the next year, she completed Chairlift’s third album Moth, which adopted a polished, overtly pop approach and incorporated instrumental contributions from Robin Hannibal of Quadron; Columbia released the record in early 2016. Polachek also supplied songwriting for a track on Travis Scott’s 2016 album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight.

January 2017 brought the release of her first instrumental album, Drawing the Target Around the Arrow, under the initials CEP on Pannonica Records, an hour-long work constructed from sine waves. Chairlift disbanded later that year after a farewell performance at Brooklyn Steel in April. By year’s end Polachek had added writing credits to releases by Beach Fossils, Charli xcx, Fischerspooner, Solange, and Superfruit, while appearing as featured vocalist on 2018 recordings by Blood Orange, the Night Game, and Charli xcx.

Polachek resurfaced in 2019 with the Columbia single “Door,” followed by additional tracks including “Ocean of Tears,” “Parachute,” and “So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings,” all leading to the full-length Pang. Collaborators on the album included Danny L. Harle, A.G. Cook, and Andrew Wyatt. The project reached number four in the U.K. and number 40 on Billboard’s Independent Albums chart.

A remix companion, Standing at the Gate: The Remix Collection, arrived in April 2021 and incorporated reworked Pang material plus a cover of the Corrs’ “Breathless.” That November she joined Christine and the Queens as a guest on Charli xcx’s “New Shapes.” Further 2022 projects included vocals on Flume’s “Sirens,” a cover of “Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)” for the Minions: The Rise of Gru soundtrack, and support dates on Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia tour.

While continuing to tour and collaborate, Polachek worked in London with producer and songwriter Harle. She introduced the Harle-produced “Bunny Is a Rider” in July 2021 as the first single from her fourth studio album, Desire, I Want to Turn into You. Additional singles followed in 2022: the flamenco-inflected “Sunset,” “Billions,” and the cathartic “Welcome to My Island.” The album, released in February 2023, also featured contributions from Sega Bodega, Daniel Nigro, Dido, and Grimes. Its expanded February 2024 edition, Everasking Edition, added “Dang,” “Spring Is Coming with a Strawberry in the Mouth,” “Long Road Home” with Oneohtrix Point Never, and an alternate “Butterfly Net” featuring Weyes Blood.