The artist talks about falling for guitar, writing from personal experiences, and the carefree energy of his upcoming material.
Writer: Patrick Grady
There’s a certain kind of artist whose presence feels as if it’s been shaped by travel, not in the postcard sense, but in the way their inner world carries more than one landscape. Flo Chase is one of them. As he chats with IMAGINE, there’s a softness to him, a reflective ease that suggests someone who has spent a long time observing the environments around him. His music mirrors that energy: warm, introspective, and unbothered by the pressure to fit neatly into a specific genre box.
There’s an unforced sincerity in the way he talks about his craft, like someone who creates because it’s the most honest language he has at his disposal. He doesn’t overcomplicate the process or overthink the narrative; it’s just work that comes from experience, observation, and a natural curiosity about sound, mood, and the many ways they intersect.
Looking forward, Flo is stepping into a phase of experimentation, letting curiosity guide his music and seeing where it takes him next.
Patrick Grady: Are you French or Australian? I can’t place it.
Flo Chase: That’s a good guess, actually. My background is actually French, but I moved to a small town called Noosa Heads in Australia when I was 12, so it’s a mix of both.
PG: So then, because you’re kind of French and I guess kind of Australian, how do you think that’s shaped the way you approach music?
FC: So I actually mostly write in English. I started music when I was living in France. I guess I started at a young age, but I got into it properly when I was 15. When I moved to Australia, I didn’t really speak a word of English, so it was really tough. I feel more comfortable in English now, but it was tough to make friends at first because of the language barrier.
PG: What was it that kind of fueled you to get into music?
FC: My parents wanted my brother and me to play instruments because they played guitar growing up. It was almost a chore to me. I didn’t really want to go to piano lessons. Then I really fell in love with the guitar. I think it was my second year in college that I was like, you know what? Music is definitely my calling.
PG: Wow, and then you moved again. What was the appeal of LA?
FC: Mostly the music culture out here. Australia is so far removed from everywhere, LA seemed like the place to be. A lot of the bands that I grew up listening to were recording their albums out here.
PG: That must have been incredibly exciting when you got there.
FC: It definitely was. Everything was much bigger than back home for sure.
PG: Your music has a very introspective feel. When you’re writing, do you pull from your own experiences, or do you tend to imagine different scenarios to explore?
FC: Honestly, it’s a bit of everything. Definitely, most of it comes from personal experiences, things that I go through. A lot of it comes from traveling as well. I find myself writing a lot when I’m traveling. But I’ve also written songs after watching a movie or reading a book, or speaking to someone and hearing about their story. So that does happen too.
PG: Where has been the place you’ve been most inspired?
FC: I would have to say home. Every time I go home to Australia, I’m constantly writing. You’d walk down the street, and there would just be people busking, really embracing music. Everything’s so laid back over there.
PG: When you’re going through things in your own life, do you find yourself writing through it as you’re experiencing it, or do you wait until you’ve overcome the feeling to write about it?
FC: I’m very introverted, so I usually let my emotions out by writing music. So if something is feeling particularly heavy, I tend to write about it right away. But then some of the happier stuff on the new album came a year after going through a tough breakup. It was important to reflect on what I had realised.
PG: So then, tell me what you have coming up next. Did I hear an album?
FC: Yeah. I’m currently finishing off my next album. There’ll be one or even two singles dropping beforehand.
PG: If you had to describe the album in one word, what would it be?
FC: I’d say carefree. It’s definitely the funnest album that I’ve made so far. It’s got a bit more of a reggae pop vibe to it, which I feel really good about.
Photographed by Jorden DeGaetano