Interview with Hotel Mira

Written by Jessica Brown

March 15th, 2024

Hotel Mira is an indie rock band from Vancouver, British Columbia. Hotel Mira began climbing

the Canadian alt rock radio charts after the release of their 2020 album Perfectionism. Hotel Mira embraces their vulnerability through their music, sharing times of turmoil with their audience. The release of their 2023 album, I Am Not Myself, was no exception to this, with lyrics that were partially inspired by vocalist Charlie Kerr’s move from Vancouver to Los Angeles. Hotel Mira connects with their fans through their raw display of mental health struggles and sharing it with others who could have similar experiences. I had the pleasure of speaking with Charlie Kerr about the band's achievements, tour, plans for the future and more.

What was the defining moment you knew you wanted to pursue a career in music?

I think it was probably the first show that I played. I was eleven years old, and I was in a Beatles

cover band. It was this special moment where I was finally good at something, and people were

pointing out that there was something special about the way I performed. It was my first taste of

connecting with people and the idea that I could be talented or special. I think that was what

made me go, whatever that feeling is, I am willing to do whatever it takes to tap into that.

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it before?

We’re a rock band with sort of a whole bunch of love for pop music and 80s new wave, like The

Smiths and The Cure, so it’s catchy. Lyrically I think it takes you on a journey you wouldn’t normally expect from pop music.

What were your main inspirations on your album I Am Not Myself?

I think it was what was going on for me in real life with lockdown and all the confusion, rage, and injustice. I think I was just having a lot of conversations with myself about what it means to be a citizen or what we should stand for or what an identity even is. In sort of a zoomed out way, what does it mean to be an entertainer and the value of music? All this stuff was just really on my mind.

What was your creative process behind I am Not Myself?

I was writing a ton; I think it had something to do with that I had all that free time because of the

lockdown. I was just writing up a storm and meeting up with Clark, Mike, and Cole, and various

producers and co-writers. We put together what the album was going to sound like with a lot of

editing and trial and error.

What is your approach to writing lyrics?

I like the idea of storytelling; whatever I am doing, it needs to feel like it is coming from the heart. It changes occasionally; sometimes, it feels like an avenue for self expression and others it feels like I want to connect to other people and communicate through music. Sometimes it’s like an autobiographical, almost historical documentation of what is going on in my life.

How do you overcome creative blocks?

I stay pretty inspired no matter what. I love music, movies, and books. I am always cycling between these things that inspire me. I don’t get creatively blocked very often; my life is very rich and interesting. I think there is such a rich world you can dive into if you are in the arts; there should be an element where there’s never a dull moment. You can always be researching how people did things before or something you didn’t consider or reading plays instead of listening to records. I think the whole thing about creative blocks is if you open yourself up to it, it is easy to get back on track and get inspired again.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced as a band?

I think just being in a band is hard to begin with; it’s not for the faint of heart. There are millions of challenges. It's like everything is tricky or difficult about it. It’s like being an adult in a very emotional marriage but it is also a working relationship, a friendship, and this thing that is so tied to each person’s ego. There is an incredibly difficult alchemy of being in a band and it is a very undervalued thing in the world with streaming paying pennies on the dollar. There are plenty of things that are hard. I think the only things that make it easier are songwriting and performing live.

What is your favourite show you have done on this tour so far?

In St. Catharines we had a kid there and it was his first show ever so that was significant. We

sold out The Commodore, a venue where I used to live, as a headliner was a remarkable

achievement, it's not something I thought I would do in my lifetime so that was really cool too.

What is your favourite song to sing live?

For this tour, I think it’s been Vampire. It’s been such a party every night and it’s just a weird

song that I like, and I wasn’t sure if anyone else would like it so Vampire sort of comes to mind.

What are some of the greatest achievements you have made as a band so far?

I think it’s just bringing fans together. I think our fandom is one of acceptance, open mindedness,

and open heartedness. I think the main thing that is special about the band is how the music is

interacted with and consumed by the fans. I think it’s the freedom for our fans to celebrate

themselves and be seen in our music. It’s sort of a vague answer but I think if I focus on

accolades, I will lose my mind.

What was your inspiration behind Speaking Off the Record from your album

Perfectionism?

It was about some of the hardest times in my life. I was bullied, abused, and lied to; and I sort of

minimized and normalized all those experiences and found ways to make it my fault. I didn’t

want to talk about any of it because it was really confusing. Then one day I started writing about

it. The title Speaking Off the Record is sort of ironic because I never thought I would dive into

any of that publicly, let alone sing about it. Then all of a sudden, I was singing candidly about

the things I hate about being a musician, and some of the things I hate being tied into like ego

and pride that comes with being known or successful.

Where do you see the band in the next five years?

I would hope that we have settled into being an international force and breaking some ground in

Europe and Asia and having established ourselves in North America. Hopefully playing shows

and making records; basically, what we are doing now, just on a grander scale.

What is your favourite song from I Am Not Myself?

I like them all; I am very fond of all of them. I have been having a lot of fun doing “Eventually”

and King of the World live. Vampire comes to mind again because it is such an interesting freaky

song to be so popular.

If you could trade places with any singer/musician for 24 hours, who would it be?

I am really into the new Chappell Roan record, and I love her live shows and sort of what she

does with that, so maybe her. I don’t know why this question is hitting me so existentially right

now because I know it’s supposed to be fun. Tyler The Creator is brilliant. I would love to crawl

inside his brain and see how he sees the world.

Do you have any upcoming projects that you can talk about?

We just put out a video from the archives today because it is the four-year anniversary of the

Perfectionism album. We put it out on February 14, 2020. So, we just put out the video we shot

for Perfectionism way back when. That video was directed by Sterling Larose and Zach Vague.

We are going to play a few shows in New York next month after we finish this tour.

Hotel Mira just concluded their tour across Canada wrapping up their last show in Ottawa,

Ontario. The band’s release of the video for Perfectionism was a Valentine’s Day present to

their fans. You can find it on YouTube. You can find their music on streaming platforms and

follow @hotelmiramusic on Instagram and Twitter and @hotelmira on TikTok to keep up to date

with any future plans.

Courtesy of HotelMira.com