If you’re dissatisfied with the reality you encounter, consider crafting the reality you desire. This is precisely what Lady Charles, the versatile singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and shape-shifting art-rock enchanter/ress (they/them), accomplished. In the tumultuous year of 2020, Lady Charles envisioned a utopian society, richly adorned with brown shag and splashes of purple and pink, where sweetness, style, and tolerance harmoniously coexisted.

Welcome to the immersive world of “Manic Pixie Dream World,” an album and music lifestyle experience masterminded by Charles Hoppner, known as Lady Charles. This 11-song album serves as both a vividly colored escape from reality and a gateway to Charles’s captivating transformation into Lady Charles.

Reflecting on this period, the artist based in Ottawa, Canada, remarked, “During that time, I had a chance to step back and clarify my concept of beauty. I delved into makeup, photography, and honed my singing through voice lessons. I emerged with a fresh voice, a new image, and a different perspective.”

Lady Charles’s artistic vision is all-encompassing, spanning folk, indie-rock, electronica, punk, glam, funk, pop, and hip-hop. Their songs explore themes such as gender, the apocalypse, and lost friendships. To date, Lady Charles has released three singles, an EP, and the full-length debut album, “Manic Pixie Dream World,” featuring contributions from members of Tokyo Police Club, Raphael Saadiq’s band, Lavola, and Valois. Currently, Lady Charles is crafting music for the play “Oh Boy!”, a critically acclaimed project they were commissioned to write for, which premiered at the Ottawa Fringe Festival.

Growing up in a small town just outside Ottawa in the 1990s, Lady Charles faced strict gender roles and a lack of diversity. As a queer artistic child, they endured relentless bullying and turned to music as a creative escape. Albums like David Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs,” with their well-defined aesthetic and immersive glamour, became a sanctuary for Lady Charles.

Their journey to indie recognition began as the frontperson of the glam-rock band Valois, a rising group with a promising trajectory that was unfortunately cut short by the pandemic. At that time, Lady Charles was a side project, a creative outlet for recording and performing songs that didn’t align with Valois’s aesthetic. It also provided an opportunity for them to fully explore their non-binary identity.

A pivotal moment in Lady Charles’s artistic journey occurred when they shared a demo of “Manic Pixie Boy” in an online group for of Montreal, and the band’s multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter Kevin Barnes expressed enthusiastic praise for the track. This encouragement spurred Lady Charles to prioritize the project, leading them to work earnestly on building a following through music releases, videos, and the development of a thoughtful and aesthetically-focused online presence. In a short span, Lady Charles started receiving fan art, gig offers, and featured spots on radio and in blogs.

Lady Charles’s debut album, “Manic Pixie Dream World,” soars with 14 songs that explore their connection to the manic pixie dream girl movie archetype. “I relate to the emotionality, obsessiveness, and alternative style of these characters,” Lady Charles explains. “But I do think there’s more to these people than is often portrayed, especially if you examine these characters through possible ADHD diagnoses.”

The album delves into this theme and many others within a layered, 1970s art rock aesthetic that keeps the music fun and danceable, even when addressing topics like God and politics. The track “Manic Pixie Dream Boy” serves as Lady Charles’s personal anthem, blending sharp hip-hop punchlines with sublime synth-pop, proudly embracing the challenges of being a manic pixie dream boy/girl.

In the sugary pop-funk track “Godx,” Lady Charles presents a queer religious perspective, suggesting that if God created humankind in their image, they must be non-binary, encompassing both male and female sexes. With playful abandon, they explore this concept and its history. “Prelude to Noella” exudes an opulent Old Hollywood orchestral vibe, while the dreamy electro-pop single “Noella (I Can’t Get Enough of You)” narrates a love story between a fictional couple created by Lady Charles and their partner for a web series. In the Smiths-inspired “Trigger Fingers,” Lady Charles offers a sweet critique of embattled Canadian faux-progressives, and “Let’s Get Conservative,” a new-wave track with ethereal synths and a bubbly groove, playfully delves into political themes.

Lady Charles’s new single, “Child of the Night,” from the play “Oh Boy!”, draws inspiration from 1970s disco and early 2000s funk-punk. It transports listeners to the dance floor with its incessant hi-hat drumming, cinematic arrangement, layers of electro-pop ambiance, and sensual vocals. Although these music and lyrics were commissioned for a play, Lady Charles draws on their coming-of-age experiences in their writing.

Looking ahead, Lady Charles is finishing their “Oh Boy!” EP and planning a unique covers album project. Reflecting on their successes, their journey as a manic pixie, and their future, Lady Charles expresses, “When I decided to do this, I wanted to be uncompromising in my vision. I put a lot of myself into this, and seeing it connect and have a positive impact on people means so much to me.”