Artist Highlight: Camille Blackman

There’s something magical about growing up in the same house your whole life, and for Camille Blackman, her home in Washington, D.C. was more than just four walls. A place that wasn’t just a home, but a silent witness to her every phase in her life. Whether it was soccer cleats tossed by the door, basketball jerseys in the laundry, or late-night theater monologues practiced in her bedroom mirror, that house saw it all. Camille didn’t just dip her toes into life, she dove headfirst into every activity she could. Theater, tennis, track, basketball, music. You name it, she probably tried it (and probably crushed it, too lol). There’s even a version of reality out there where Camille becomes a Broadway star instead of a singer, but as she puts it, “the world may never know.”

School was just as unconventional and creatively charged as her home life. Camille went to a small, arts-focused middle and high school where students called teachers by their first names, and taking an art class wasn’t optional... it was a rite of passage. When she had to choose between theater and music, she ended up leaning towards music, not realizing just how life-defining that decision would be. That same year, she auditioned for the school’s jazz band as a vocalist and got in. That was her canon event, the spark to it all. Music became her “favorite fucking thing in the whole world.” And from that moment forward, it wasn’t just a class or a hobby, it was a full-blown obsession that followed her beyond the walls of her childhood home and into a life of artistry.

Camille’s been surrounded by music for as long as she can remember. While her dad wasn’t a musician himself, he passed down an infectious love for it. Nights often ended with music videos, artist deep-dives, and genre mashups, introducing Camille to legends like ELO, MGMT, and the Beach Boys. That early curiosity helped create her obsession, which eventually turned into action in her own musical journey. While still living at home, she begged her parents for a guitar, learned how to play on YouTube, and then moved on to recording through her earbud mic. Over time, she upgraded her setup piece by piece, taught herself Logic, and started making real songs, figuring it all out as she went along.

After years of growing in D.C.’s artsy school halls and surrounded by a supportive system, Camille finally packed her bags in early 2021 for a big leap: Los Angeles. She had been accepted into USC, starting things off during the weirdness of online COVID semesters and social distancing. Although her time at USC was brief, lasting only about two years, it opened the door to a new chapter to embark on.

When talking about her music as of lately, one of Camille's latest releases that originally caught our attention, “Can’t Have Your Fish & Eat It Too,” is a dreamy, metaphor-laced track that explores the idea of letting go. Camille describes it as a playful twist on the “if you love something, set it free” cliché, reminding us that sometimes, you’ve gotta let someone swim on their own, even when you want to hold on. The song started with a jam session and a quirky fish concept from her friend CJ, and the moment she riffed the line “I’ll wrap you up in parchment paper,” they both knew they had something special.

Her newest song, “Mouse,” dropped today and it feels like a step further into Camille’s own whimsical universe. Written, recorded, and produced entirely in her bedroom, "Mouse" is rooted in nostalgia, about learning someone’s story and wishing you’d known them since the beginning. It’s sweet, slightly odd in the best way, and full of raw emotion. Camille describes how the “rotting mouse” lyric wouldn’t leave her brain, so she built the rest of the song around it, layering in quirky, heartfelt lines that toe the line between whimsy and longing.

Beyond the music, Camille’s creativity shows up in everything she does. From grabbing random photos off her camera roll to directing her friends in silly DIY visuals, the world she’s building feels refreshingly homemade and true to her. Whether she’s making collages, facetiming her brother, or sipping beers with friends, Camille never strays far from that childlike sense of curiosity. But if she could go back and tell herself anything at the start of this journey, it’d be this: nothing has to be perfect, and choosing your passion, EVEN WHEN IT'S SCARY, is always worth it.