We all have insecurities that undermine any positive sense of self we have, we all have people we want to be. I can’t help but think about all the times I thought “I want to be her”. Caroline Romano delivers the beautiful pop ballad “Hollister (I Want To Be Her)”.
Caroline Romano is back with the release of her 3-track ‘Hollister’ EP, a re-release of her single "Hollister," from her debut album, Oddities and Prodigies, alongside two new renditions of the track.
There is something so pure and smooth about Romano’s voice that makes this emotional song such an easy pill to swallow for the subject matter. The lyrics discuss wanting to have this sort of effortless simple beauty, this idea sold to many of us as we grew up. Hollister ads show these effortlessly stunning people that show what everyone tries to be but it is such a hard standard to achieve. The self-talk that emerges from this sort of imagining can be really hard to combat and understand…why wouldn’t you want to be that?
Slowed down and stripped back, “Hollister (I Want To Be Her)” allows the emotional charge of Caroline’s lyrics to take centerstage. “I decided to make an alternative version because I wanted a chance to give the lyrics a chance to match the emotion I put behind them when first writing the song,” says Caroline. “I wanted the original version to sound like something you might hear in an actual Hollister in 2011. The alternative version is like its moody, sad twin sister.”
Caroline Romano has something to say, and millions of people are listening. At just 20-years-old, the self-proclaimed “loudest sort of introvert” has already written and performed into the hearts and ears of an anxious generation. With her debut album, Oddities and Prodigies, Romano is ready to take on the world.
Driven by steadfast determination and undeniable talent, Romano released her first single, “Masterpiece,” at the tender age of 15. By the age of 17, she’d moved from her hometown in rural Mississippi to Nashville in order to fully commit herself to her craft. Just one year after relocating to Nashville, she caught her big break with the release of “I Still Remember (ft. R3HAB),” which became a global sensation and entered the Billboard Dance Chart.
Romano’s songwriting abilities showcase her witty, introspective and hopeful take on modernity, romanticism and the highs and lows of being young in today’s world. Her music is refreshingly honest, which is probably why it’s struck a chord with millions of listeners and key tastemakers like Hollywood Life, EUPHORIA, Sweet High and Just Jared.
After releasing a number of successful singles in 2021, Romano is now ready to share her 16-track debut album, Oddities and Prodigies. From misty-eyed ballads to fiery pop-punk anthems, Oddities and Prodigies is a vivid snapshot of her personal and musical journey over the past few years. From tackling what it’s like to struggle with depression and anxiety to examining first loves and first heartbreaks, the record is an all-encompassing look at Romano’s personal growth and resilience. “This album is everything I know in 16 songs,” she says.
Review by Hannah Schneider