A Chat with Chloe Caroline and Jordan Anthony (31.03.26)
Los Angeles–based singer-songwriter Chloé Caroline and Australian pop artist Jordan Anthony first connected in 2022, discovering a shared love for emotionally charged, story-driven pop. Their voices, Caroline’s luminous warmth and Anthony’s powerhouse soul instantly created a cinematic harmony. Together, they’ve transformed that chemistry into their sweeping debut duet, ‘Existing’. A heartfelt reflection on connection, gratitude, and the rare miracle of simply coexisting. We chat with both artists below.
OSR: ‘Existing’ feels almost metaphysical in its premise; less a love song, more a meditation on coincidence and cosmic timing. When you first latched onto that line, did you immediately sense it carried that kind of philosophical weight, or did the depth reveal itself as you wrote?
Caroline: Totally. For me, it’s both. I knew pretty immediately the weight it held because my boyfriend said that exact line to me when I was leaving the house that day, and I knew it had to be a song. It came out of his mouth and stunned me. I remember thinking, “This is it, doing the absolute mundane day to day and having this gratitude because it’s with the person that makes simply existing better and how cool is it that it all aligned so we could do it at the same time?” We forget how magical that is.
It also took me back to a moment on one of our first dates where I had this instant recognition that we were meeting again in this lifetime, and I was suddenly waking up to it through new eyes. That became the first verse. We all have people like that. This one was romantic for me, but I’ve had it happen with friends as well platonically and even my own dog!
OSR: There’s a striking tension between intimacy and scale here. The song begins like a whispered confession and swells into something almost cinematic. How conscious were you of building that emotional architecture as opposed to letting it unfold instinctively?
Anthony: I think for this song in particular, we really wanted to make sure that the production was as tasteful as it could be, this song could’ve easily either been just a stripped down piano ballad or a massive pop song, but I think for us finding a beautiful balance between that vulnerability, and also making it feel anthemic was really important and making sure we did what served this song best.
OSR: Your voices occupy very different emotional textures, one featherlight and aching, the other soaring and resolute. Did you lean into those contrasts deliberately, or did the song demand that dynamic on its own?
Caroline: It’s pretty apparent Jordan has a powerhouse kind of voice naturally, and mine is definitely softer, but we knew we wanted our voices to be first and foremost what told the story and held the emotion when we wrote it with only a piano. I think my POV was this genuine realization that I was finally safe to be authentically me, to be held, to have someone who was 100% committed to living life with me. Jordan has that revelation as well in his verse, but in the pre’s his POV is the comforting confirmation: i.e., I say “I used to be scared of falling apart”, and he responds with, “I’ll pick the pieces up”. So with that being said, my texture needed to reflect that vulnerability, and his could live in a stronger space. However, they both do grow in power and then in the very end simmer down to match this delicate balance.
OSR: The origin story, written across continents over Zoom, almost mirrors the song’s theme of improbable connection. Do you think that physical distance sharpened the emotional clarity of what you were trying to say?
Anthony: Absolutely! And I think it’s super relatable to my circumstances, specifically of living in the US and having my family and friends still in Australia, having to experience that long-distance love is something I’m no stranger.
OSR: There’s a universality baked into the lyric; it resists being pinned down to romance alone. Was it important to you to avoid specificity, or did that broader meaning emerge naturally from the writing?
Caroline: We really wanted the verses to hold the “romantic relationship” aspects, so that’s where a lot of specific imagery comes in, but leaving the chorus as more universal felt right. I think I wanted it to be something someone could use on their wedding day, but also could share with their best friend in the car when they’re making a memory together. I believe there are soulmates that exist without any romance at all.
It also made me think of my family and having gratitude for the rare chances of getting to be born, for having a sibling, etc. Jordan is a little bit younger than me too, so while I’ve lived with a partner and have friends that are engaged, he’s coming from a different stage, which I love.
OSR: The piano sits at the heart of the track, yet it never feels static; it breathes, expands, and recedes. How did you and your producer navigate preserving the fragility of the demo while elevating it into something more expansive?
Anthony: It’s definitely something we spent a lot of time on. We wanted the song to feel big but also super special and vulnerable in parts. We spent a lot of sessions in the studio honing in on the production and what we felt like it should be, making it super dynamic and having that push and pull emotionally.
OSR: You cite ‘modern duet classics’ as inspiration, but ‘Existing’ doesn’t feel derivative; it feels almost like it’s in quiet conversation with them. Were there particular songs or artists acting as a north star during production?
Caroline: Honestly, it was a bit difficult because we were so in love with the simplicity of just a piano vocal. We loved that rawness, and it was hard to compare it to anything at first. We both went on a mission for references so we could marry something modern but keep that timelessness that comes with a piano vocal. ‘Arcade’ by Duncan Lawrence and FLETCHER stuck out to me because it felt ethereal and cinematic with the synths used. If there was anything electronic, I wanted it to take us there with some depth – to play on the “cosmic” references in the song. I also loved that they had an intro that identified the song immediately, and so we did that as well. Ashe and Finneas were a bit of inspo too for something softer, fresh, but had some throwback to it.
OSR: That live debut at Hotel Café clearly struck a nerve. There’s something about this song that seems to land instantly. Did the audience reaction reshape how you understood the song’s emotional impact?
Anthony: Absolutely, the reaction from performing this song live definitely rekindled that excitement about this song, and was even more of an incentive for us to get it finished and out into the world! I’m so grateful and happy it’s finally out there.
OSR: Both of you are at pivotal points in your careers, with larger projects on the horizon. Does ‘Existing’ feel like a bridge between eras, or more like a statement of intent for what’s to come?
Caroline: In a way, both. What I love about ‘Existing’ is that the song speaks for itself. It’s not overloaded with production but transports you somewhere else; it has found a balance of lyrical honesty and relatability, but said in a unique way, and it still has a melody that sticks in your memory. I think it leaves an impression that moves people, and I’d be so lucky to do that over and over with the music to come. It’s not hiding behind anything, and neither do I want to be.
OSR: At its core, the song celebrates the miracle of shared existence, an idea that’s both simple and enormous. After living with this track, has it changed the way you personally think about connection, or even about time itself?
Anthony: Definitely. It’s kind of crazy when you think about the concept that all of us are living and here at the exact same time – when it’s from that perspective, it almost makes you cherish your relationships and connections with people even more. I think it’s special that the song encapsulates that feeling, and hopefully, listeners feel the same!
Many thanks to Jordan Anthony and Chloe Caroline for speaking with us.
Find out more about Jordan Anthony on his official website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, and find out more about Chloe Caroline on her official website, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
