Feature | Charlotte Forman | Don’t Change Me

Charlotte Forman’s track “Don’t Change Me” is a raw and personal piano ballad that delivers a message of defiance in the face of oppression. Opening on the line “I don’t wanna fit in but the world is making me change who I am,” the lyrics detail the various impossible beauty standards for women in the music industry. Forman firmly refuses to condone such standards and questions how these expectations got to where there are now. She sings: “What happened to talent, voices, the ability to write a good song. Where did the music industry go wrong?”

To her point, it is the jazz and soul inspired vocals that truly drive this track. Forman employs gravel, rasp, vocal flips, and wailing slides to create a richly emotional performance. In the chorus, as she belts out “don’t change me or take me for a fool,” her pain and anger are front and center. She unquestionably is the talented vocalist that she references in the lyrics.

Though originally from Essex, Forman is currently based in Durham. In addition to writing and performing music, she also has developed a presence on social media, posting comedic impressions as well as live cover performances set in public places.

As “Don’t Change Me” climaxes, the smooth, sustained notes of the accompaniment give way first to a melancholy piano solo and then abruptly tumble into to a percussive breakdown. The piano is joined by a chorus of snaps and repetitive, rhythmic vocals. Forman layers eerie, wordless ad libs over this marching outro as if to punctuate the song with one final impression of the deep-seated sexism in the music industry. Forman and her vocal mastery could undoubtably elevate any song she chooses but it’s clear this one holds a special place in her heart.