Carol Ades isn’t afraid of the mess. In her universe, vulnerability becomes power, and emotional breakdowns become cathartic melodies. Born in New Jersey and based in Los Angeles, the artist has become one of the most authentic voices in today’s indie-pop scene. Her career took off after her appearance on The Voice, but it was her songwriting that led her to work with stars like Selena Gomez, Ava Max, and Demi Lovato. Today, with over 12 million streams and performances at festivals like Lollapalooza, Carol continues to build a path defined by honesty, humor, and emotion.
Her new single, “Worst Person in the World,” is an ode to the ups and downs of womanhood, a self-aware anthem that blends anxiety, irony, and tenderness. Between verses that oscillate between self-criticism and liberation, Carol turns personal crises into songs that invite listeners to laugh at themselves, to find beauty in chaos, and to embrace imperfection as part of the human experience.
We sat down with the artist to talk about the creation of this powerful track, the challenge of staying authentic in an industry that often demands perfection, her vision of women’s roles in music, and the dreams that continue to drive her. One thing became clear, and it’s that Carol Ades builds safe spaces where honesty and humor coexist as two sides of the same truth.
“Worst Person in the World” is an honest and playful song about emotional ups and downs. What inspired you to turn such a personal moment into an anthem for so many women?
I think I was just so sick of having the same conversation in my head all the time—my spiral loops are so fucking boring, I swear every time I have them I’m just like, OMG, not this again. So I just wanted to put it into a song to get it out of my brain 🙂 and remind myself that the negative voice in my head isn’t really me.
You wrote the song thinking about those days when everything feels harder. What was the emotional process of writing it like, and what did you learn about yourself along the way?
This song was soooo hard to write. Lyrically, it kind of all poured out, but I wrote it with my friends in the middle of one of my spirals, and that voice in my head was just being so mean to me the whole time, ironically. Props to my friends who had to listen to me sort through all the feelings over and over again that day, hahaha.
The music video has a theatrical and playful tone, but it also reflects vulnerability. What was the creative process behind it, and what did you want to express visually?
Yes!!! I really wanted the visuals to express the inner theatre of it all. When you’re in that headspace, you really are THE main character of your own drama. “I suck, I’m the worst, everyone hates me,” it’s very me-me-me. So I really wanted to play into that – because the spiral loves attention, she really does.
Your music has always explored what you call “the messiness of femininity.” What draws you to tell stories from that imperfection, and how do you feel it connects with your audience?
Honestly, it’s just always been what I gravitate towards writing about. It’s what moves me and what’s important to me, and it’s also what I have the most questions about. I think it probably comes across as “messiness of femininity,” but at its core, it’s really the messiness of being a person and being alive. It’s hard!!! It’s just hard. And I think making room for how hard it is has made it easier for me, and I can only hope that’s what it does for my audience, too. I also think women are taught to be quiet, and so every time I am loud about who I am or what I am feeling, I see it as a radical movement within myself.
You’ve written for major artists like Selena Gomez, Ava Max, and Demi Lovato. What was the transition like from writing for others to finding your own voice as a solo artist?
It was hard at first only because I had to manage my time differently, and I am horrible at that. But even when I would write with or for other artists, I was always coming into the room with my own perspective or my own story, and so I’m doing the same thing now, but singing the songs myself this time 🙂
Throughout your career, has there ever been a moment when you felt you had to choose between authenticity and what the industry expected of you? How do you navigate that balance?
Everyday 🙂 But I am an eldest daughter/Capricorn, so I tend to put so much pressure on myself to be perfect. It’s such a catch-22 because industry expectations are derived from comparison. The methods or successes of a different artist who is working. And nothing brings you further from your authenticity than comparison. So I don’t actually worry too much about industry expectations, but more so about feeling caught between my authenticity and my own warped expectations of myself, if that makes sense.
In recent years, many women have taken creative control of their careers. What do you think is the biggest challenge and the greatest strength of being a woman in today’s music industry?
Lol, oooo, which challenge should I pick?
Ok, I’m thinking about it from the perspective of writing/being in a session, but I think a lot of the time the loudest person in the room is often heard first, even if what they’re saying doesn’t align with what you believe or what you think. In my experience, that person is usually a man. I can’t even tell you the number of times I’ve said an idea in the room and was completely ignored, but then the XYZ producer or writer says the exact same idea louder, and everyone claps for him. It drives me fucking crazy. It can be really hard sometimes to find the balance between learning to match the energy of those around you to have your voice heard and still staying true to who you are.
But I think the greatest strength is our tolerance. We are already innately used to putting up with so much shit with no rhyme or reason. And this industry can be the same. But we all have built experience with seeing the bigger picture and moving through the hard parts because we have to. It’s a superpower.
You’ve reached over 12 million streams and performed on stages like Lollapalooza. Is there a particular moment you remember as a turning point in your career?
I try and take every day as it is, but there were a few shows during my first headline tour that really made me feel like, wow, this is impacting real people, and I have real fans, and maybe this could really work; maybe I will be able to do this for a long time.
Your music blends vulnerability and humor in a very genuine way. Do you think laughing at yourself can be a tool for healing?
Yes! I think it’s the best tool. As hard as I think it is to be a person, I think it’s so fucking funny to be a person. And to be alive. Like what??? It’s genuinely so weird and hard and terrible and amazing and hilarious.
If you look ahead, what does Carol Ades dream of as an artist today? What would you like your upcoming songs to represent in this new chapter?
I love this question. My first album took so long to make, and I grew up so much in the process, and it’s almost like I’m starting all over again. Right now, my dreams are to be able to play to bigger audiences, meet more of my fans, and really focus on my visuals and building the world I see inside my head. With this next music, I really wanted to experiment and try new things, and even though all my songs always have similar themes, this new music really represents a new approach where I just let myself be who I am and see what comes out.
Some other dreams as an artist today are to play on a late-night show, to get my in-ears fixed (I broke them on tour), and to grow 4 inches taller. These are my dreams right now.
