Dollbaby on Amazon Prime’s Saving Sakic, “See You Later,” “Alone,” Cinema Pop & Storytelling Through Music | Nick Egan Times

Dollbaby joins Nick Egan Times to discuss her music, creative journey, cinematic storytelling style, and the growing impact of her unique “Cinema Pop” sound.

Based in Los Angeles, Dollbaby has emerged as a compelling new voice in modern music, blending soulful vocals, emotional honesty, and immersive storytelling into songs that resonate deeply with audiences. Drawing inspiration from film, life experiences, and artistic expression, she has developed a distinctive sound that bridges the worlds of music and cinema.

In this conversation, Dollbaby discusses her acclaimed releases including See You Later, Alone, and Leather Thrones, as well as the creative process behind crafting music that is both personal and universally relatable. She also reflects on her feature in Amazon Prime’s Saving Sakic, where her song See You Later played a central role in the documentary’s emotional narrative.

With growing recognition, hundreds of thousands of views across her music releases, and praise from legendary songwriter and producer Richard Rudolph, Dollbaby continues to establish herself as an artist with a powerful creative vision and a voice all her own.

This episode explores music, songwriting, creativity, storytelling, artistic identity, and the journey of building an authentic career in today’s entertainment industry. A fascinating conversation for music lovers, creators, filmmakers, and anyone inspired by the power of storytelling through art.

Transcript

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To the very talented doll baby, and thanks for coming on the show. Well, thank you for that. You're most welcome. All right, let's jump straight into it. Firstly, take us back. Tell us about your life growing up, your family, and everything relating to that. Okay. Um, well, I kind of grew up around the film business because of my dad. And so I've always been fascinated with the entertainment industry. And, you know, I grew up dancing, I grew up, you know, watching movies with my dad and going to shows and musicals, and um so I was always interested in the arts and storytelling. And um, but my dad sheltered me from it, obviously, because he's seen how it's affected some people who especially at a young age. So, you know, even though I was writing songs like as soon as I could talk, he would just always told me, you know, get an education, get an education, that's the most important thing. So um always wrote music, and then I remember it, I didn't start taking it seriously until I actually got the opportunity to meet James Newton Howard, who is a film composer, and um he asked me a question of you know, what's your favorite song in King Kong? And because he composed that film, and I remember I was like, when the monkey dies. And he asked me why, and I was like, because it makes me cry. The music made me cry, and so that was kind of what triggered everything. I was like, I I knew I wanted to make music that moved me because my songs were kind of a way for me to like get my emotions out on paper, and um yeah, it's like my songwriting at first was just it became a form of my diary, and so that's what my dad always says, like, oh, you're just like Taylor Swift, but it's you know, it just kind of came natural to me to get my emotions out through song and help me process it. It was almost like a healing process for me, and then um when I was in college, I actually did photography for a recording artist, and I became friends with his producer, Adam Berg, and he was like, Oh, what do you you study photography in school? And I was like, No, I actually study music, and he was like, Wait, what? So I showed him one of my songs, and then you know, the rest is history. He was like, Oh, we gotta record some stuff, and I said, I have to graduate college first. That's I promised my dad, and then as soon as I do, I'll be in the studio. So yeah, that's kind of how it all started. Wonderful. And what does family mean to you, um, personally and professionally? Oh, it means everything. You know, we kind of all work together. I work with my brother, he's actually uh he's really good at marketing and branding because he's worked for companies and that's what he did. Um, he also works in the film business. We were I do work for my dad in the film business. Um, so family is really important to me because like I we all work together, we all have the same kind of creative gene. And you know, my mom's like the backbone, the emotional backbone of our family. So just it's everything to me. Um I love my family more than anything. Incredible. All right, um, let's talk music. What was happening in laugh emotionally when you wrote Alone? Well, um, I was alone at the time. I um that I wrote that song when I was in a really dark cycle. You know, I I think a lot of women can relate to having uh bad taste in men. And so that was kind of a moment where I kind of I looked myself in the mirror and was like, why do I keep repeating the same mistakes? And it's because I didn't want to be alone, so I was settling for any love that came my way just because I didn't want to be alone, and I think that so many people can relate to that. But you know, writing that song kind of helped me realize I have more value than this, and I don't want to settle. Yeah, wonderful, and definitely agree with you. You know, some people just settle and then yeah, it really hurts them in the long run. So I completely understand where you're going with that. Um, tell me about See You Later. That's incredible too. See You Later was a lot more emotional because I wrote that at the time that my godfather passed away. And so it was kind of a way to deal with grief. And um, you know, I was the one thing I kept hearing in my head was hope, hope, hope. So that's when it's not goodbye. I'll see you later. You know, I do believe that there's an afterlife and we're all gonna be reunited again one day. So that was something that I kind of dedicated to my godmother, who uh Coco, she was a big part of my upbringing. And so I just wanted to write that song for him, dedicated to him, but also for her to cling on to hope that she was gonna see the love of her life again one day. Amazing. And tell me about Leather Thrones. Leather Thrones was more fun. That was actually um, I was where so I wrangle uh with horses, I work in the entertainment industry. So anytime there's horses on set, there's always people that help that come to life. It's not like they just snap their fingers and horses appear. So I was wrangling on a job and I'm working with, you know, a bunch of cowboys. Like it's a little girl that's five, five, and then a bunch of like six-five cowboys with beards and bellies, and there is this uh old-timey cowboy that his name's Moni Joe Petska. He's actually an NFR champion, and he kind of became like a father-like figure for me. And we had just wrapped the job, and uh I was like, Where is everybody? They didn't say goodbye, and he was like, Oh yeah, they left. And he looks at me and goes, Charlie, cowboys ain't so good at goodbyes. And I was like, That would be a really good song. So I took out my phone right there, and then I wrote it down and I was like, I'm gonna come back to that. And that song was actually just me paying homage to the cowboy life, you know, and how there's a wheat and a tear to it. It's a blessing and a curse. There are these men that are so dedicated to their craft, their horses, their life. They'd rather be in the saddle than anything else. And because of that, like you know, you're always gonna come second. So that was where that was all that all came from. Yeah, significant. Do you feel modern pop has lost emotional risk? Emotional risk, you said, yeah, yeah. Do you feel modern pop has lost emotional risk? Uh no, no, I don't think it has. I think that uh, you know, uh I think pop music is always going to come from a place of emotion, whether that makes you feel happy or sad. And you know, I even think of uh I think Sabrina Carpenter, she's a great songwriter. And uh if you're just looking at the surface, you're you're thinking, oh, these are fun songs, but I know that there's a lot of emotion that inspired those. So no, I don't know if I agree with that. Sure. And um, did you always have confidence in your voice? No, no, in fact, I probably still don't. I think I'm have confidence in the words that I'm saying. That's why I always say I'm a songwriter. You know, I I love to sing, and it's a way to make those words come to life. But um no, I think I still kind of struggle with stage fright, as we all do. But for me, it's because I believe in the words that I'm saying, and that's probably why it looks like I'm confident. Sure. And is there a specific way you manage your nerves? Say a prayer. Gotcha, gotcha. Yeah. Um, and what artists um did you growing up really, really admire? And who do you currently admire? Uh well, there's a lot of range. I growing up, I listened to Celine Dion, Bob Marley, Amy Winehouse, Johnny Cash. And I think even though the genres were all over the place, they all had the same thing in common, where they were just unapologetically themselves and they were vulnerable. And um, you know, that's really what I look for in an artist is who's gonna bear their heart and soul and their music. And so, yeah, that was what I grew up on. And then now, same thing. Like, I and I listen to all genres. I love Morgan Wallen and Charlie Crockett. I love I love Sabrina Carpenter, I think she's adorable, and you know, her brand is so well done, but then her music, like she can write a good song, and then um I love what Gracie Abrams is doing. I think that she has a unique sound and her voice is breathy and angelic, and so yeah, it's like I for me, whenever someone asks me, oh, what's your favorite genre or your favorite band or this? I I'm like, I love everyone and everything. If it's good, I listen to it and I'm inspired. Incredible. Um what is the biggest difference between your old identity and your new one? Um, I would say I am a lot more healed as a person, you know. Uh the songs that I put out under Charlie Marie Lyons, I was I didn't know who I was at all. I just wrote from a place of pain with no sense of direction. Whereas now I think I've matured and I've grown up a lot and I've healed a lot. And so I'm able to write from a place of pain that inspires me, but I'm like, okay, where are we going? How are we gonna get to the finish line from here? Tremendous. That's really great insights. Thanks for sharing. Um, what is the visual uh world of Dole Baby? The visual world. Um it's modern, it's vintage, it's western, it's you know, I I was raised in a city, but I also love riding horses and being out in the country. So it's just a juxtaposition of everything beautiful in life, nature, and it's yeah, that's what I would say is the visual of Dolph Baby. Tremendous. What's the best compliment you've ever received? Best compliment I've ever received. I don't know, I'm probably not that good at receiving compliments, so I just let them roll over my head. I don't know. That's a good question. I'll have to think about that. Sure. Um, and what would you like your legacy to be? My legacy. Um I want to put out art where people feel seen and like they're not alone. Um something that inspires people to have hope, and that you know, bad things happen all the time, but life keeps going and you're not alone for feeling the way that you do. Sure. And what is one thing you love most about music? I love music that makes you feel. Um yeah, I it's funny. One of my favorite uh soundtracks to listen to is The Nutcracker by Tchaikovsky, and I it will bring me to tears. And I listen to it when it's Christmas time. I'm not listening to Christmas music, I'm listening to The Nutcracker. So yeah, my favorite thing about music is it can make you feel any emotion and every emotion. Cool. And what is there one specific emotion that you're really drawn to? Um or exploring one emotion, yeah. I love when a song can make me cry, not in like a I'm sad way, but that it just moves me to my soul. So it's not necessarily sadness and like uh oh my gosh, doom and gloom, but it's a cathartic cry. Sure. And um, what's the best piece of advice you've received? Let failure be your teacher. Cool. And what would be um the best piece of advice you would give someone similar in your situation? If you're pursuing music, don't give up, and also don't be afraid to embarrass yourself sometimes. It's you know, uh everybody started somewhere, and you know, endurance is probably the greatest skill that you could have in the entertainment industry. Definitely. Even legend started as amateurs as I say, so it's so true. Exactly. Um who is your dream collaboration? If you could collaborate with anybody, who would it be? I could collaborate with anybody. Probably Morgan Wallen. I think it's interesting how he just did a a collaboration with Tate McRae, and it's they're you know, they're on opposite genres. She's pop and he's I mean he's country pop, but you know, just yeah, Morgan Wallen probably. That's fascinating. What's something people would be surprised to learn about you? Um probably that I'm trying to be the best cowgirl I can be on the side, and I'm always trying to learn new skills with my horse, and one of those happens to be learning how to rope. Um which I don't think people would expect that when they see me. Sure. What is your biggest creative fear? Creative fear? Yeah. Um I don't know if it's necessarily a fear, as much of an insecurity, uh, just that, you know, I might my someone might read too much into my songs and my lyrics and assume that they know more about me than they do. Sure. What kind of atmosphere do you need around to create your best work? Well, when I'm writing a song, it's usually like I get woken up in the middle of the night and I go to the keyboard. So I guess uh peace and quiet. Great. And um, what keeps you motivated um during difficult periods? And also further to that, what inspires you daily? I the art is what keeps me motivated because even if I you know don't that I feel discouraged by the industry, I'm still writing songs, it just happens. Um and what was the second part of that question? Uh what inspires you or what motivates you daily I think just emotion motivates me, probably um my own feelings motivate me, and then yeah, I don't know. That's a good question. I I don't know if I have the right answer for that. That's a great answer and great insights that you um said. So yeah. At the end of the day, what would you like doll baby to stand for? I want doll baby to stand for authenticity, uh vulnerability and hope. Terrific. If you could go back in time and there could be one thing you can change, it could be personally or professionally, what would you change? I don't know if I'd change anything. I feel I've learned from every mistake I've ever made. So I don't think I'd be where I am today if I had changed anything. But I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, so but I don't no regret. We all have made mistakes, we all make mistakes, it's part and parcel of life. Yeah. Um thank you so much for coming on the show. I do appreciate it. It's incredible your music, uh, your trajectory is significant, and yeah, I really can't wait to see you grow from strength to strength consistently. Thank you so much. Thank you for taking the time to talk to me. You're most welcome.