Charly Bliss talks imposter syndrome, financial woes and big money regrets
It’s easy to envy someone’s success, but it’s more interesting to learn how they got there. With our Firsts series, Chegg Life will examine the sometimes-bumpy road successful people navigated to get where they are today.
Charly Bliss wasn’t an overnight success. It took years of recording demos and performing in Connecticut sports bars before the band sold out the Music Hall of Williamsburg and released two critically acclaimed albums. We sat down with lead singer Eva Hendricks, 28, and guitarist Spencer Fox, 29 to chat about their lives before Charly Bliss went from buzz band to indie power pop icon, and how they make it work today as full-time musicians with freelance side gigs.
When was the first time you felt imposter syndrome?
Eva Hendricks: The first time I felt imposter syndrome was when I was accepted into NYU’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music. I was 17 years old and had spent most of my life doing musical theater and assumed I was gonna be a little MT queen forever. On a whim, I decided to apply early decision to NYU for a degree in songwriting/production, which I knew absolutely nothing about.
Once I was accepted, I quickly realized that everyone else in the program had already recorded albums worth of material, and I was the weird theater kid who barely knew how to play guitar. Charly Bliss was sort of accidentally created that summer when I decided that recording an EP would convince me that I deserved to be in the program! (It didn’t convince me, but CB has been a great consolation prize!)
Related: How to overcome ‘financial imposter syndrome’
How did you advocate for your first raise or negotiate a salary increase?
Spencer Fox: I've been doing a lot of freelance work since the start of the pandemic and have asked for a pay increase a solid amount of times. The first time I asked, I wrote a novella of an email detailing how grateful I was to have this position, and how much I've learned from this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Then, after I had wrapped up my dissertation on how writing copy for Uber Eats helped me achieve self-actualization, I asked for an extra $2per hour. Their response was something along the lines of, "Yeah, sure. Sounds good." The lesson here is, if you think you deserve a raise, just ask for the raise. You're the one doing the work, and you deserve fair financial compensation.
First time you worried about money?
Hendricks: All of my 20s! I worked at a coffee shop for the first two years after graduating college and, in retrospect, that was probably the closest I ever felt to something akin to financial stability. In 2017, I had to leave that job because we were touring too much, and things have been ~*exciting*~ ever since. I really do believe that Charly Bliss has been the greatest adventure of my life, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. However, it would be completely inaccurate to fail to mention that income has been a constant source of anxiety.
First money regret?
Fox: One time I bought an organic red bell pepper for $7. There is no reason to ever buy an organic red bell pepper for $7. It tasted like every other red bell pepper I have ever eaten in my entire life. Do better. Be better.
Related:Mary Beth Barone: ‘If I died tomorrow, I wouldn't regret having bought a Reformation dress’
First time you paid your own rent?
Hendricks: In 2015, I was paying $950 a month to live in a windowless cave in Greenpoint.
When was the first time you quit or were fired from a job?
Fox: I was fired from my first-ever service job after only a month working there. My manager called me up after a closing shift and asked me to come in so we could talk. In front of a packed shop, he loudly announced that I, a terrified 23-year-old who had no idea what he was doing, had lost the job. I didn’t clean out the pastry case right. I miscounted the money in the register. I forgot to purge the steam wand. I was mortified. It felt like my fate was sealed, and I was destined to fail my way through life.
This, of course, was not the case. I would go on to get fired plenty more times, and conversely, I would go on to get hired plenty more times. Everything was fine. Until it wasn’t. And then it was again. But that’s how it goes. Until you’re where you’re supposed to be, life can feel pretty all over the place. It’s not a reflection of who you are or your abilities.
Related: The most common money mistakes people make in their 20s
First time you felt truly successful?
Hendricks: In many ways, I’m still waiting for this moment! Most of my feelings about “success” are tied to financial stability and that’s very hard to come by as a musician. But on a more emotional level, I remember that we all felt absolutely thrilled the first time we played shows overseas in 2017. It was wild to go to the U.K. and sell out shows and see people singing along and knowing the words to our songs. That was a major confidence boost for all four of us, who are used to believing that our parents are our only fans.
First time you struggled with mental health?
Fox: I've been struggling with mental health my entire life. I was only able to come to terms with this after I had to be hospitalized after having a pretty bad panic attack in 2018. That sounds very dramatic, and I guess it was, but looking back, it feels silly. Addressing things like anxiety, depression, or anything that falls under the umbrella of mental illness should be as commonplace as taking an Advil for a headache. At the time, it felt like this weird extra measure that was reserved for the truly sick and depraved. Now, after being in therapy and on medication for almost four years, I can't help but kick myself thinking how much easier things could've been had I just addressed these issues sooner.
It makes me super happy to see the way Gen Z has embraced talking about this stuff. I think the conversation has become a lot more inclusive, and that's a huge step. But for folks my age who grew up with parents who thought eating more protein could cure depression, it's a tough thing to reckon with.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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