Exclusive Interview: Toronto’s Carrie Matisse Introduces A Poetic Persona With Haunting New Single 'Baby Robotic'

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To commemorate the highly anticipated release, Carrie Matisse will debut the song and showcase her new music live at Burdock Music Hall on May 31.

Carrie Matisse is the main character in a concept narrative created by singer-songwriter and poet Caroline Colantonio. Inspired by her favorite literary works and the bold artistry of Henri Matisse, Colantonio crafted Carrie as a vessel for exploring themes of resilience, wonder, and creative courage. Like the Fauvist painter, who once said, “Creativity takes courage,” Colantonio’s path has been fueled by an enduring love of art that helped her overcome challenges and shyness throughout her years studying opera, musical theatre, acting, literature, and ballet.

A seasoned performer, Colantonio has appeared on Toronto stages with Mirvish’s Les Misérables and in productions with SOLT, Toronto City Opera, and The Royal Conservatory. Alongside her stage career, she nurtured a quiet passion for writing, first falling in love with poetry during her undergraduate studies in Opera at Western University.

While studying Opera at Western, Colantonio was invited to join English professor Larry Garber’s renowned Creative Writing seminar, where she began to share her most vulnerable self through words on the page. She later earned her MA in Creative Writing at the University of Toronto, balancing academia with songwriting, leading two indie bands, and penning a pop-opera album called Chapter Eight, which earned her radio play across Canada and a top 100 placement in CBC’s Searchlight competition.

After connecting with vocal coach Marla Joy and producer Benjamin Thomas, Colantonio embraced a new sound and deepened her work through the persona of Carrie.

A person gently touching red roses in a garden, dressed in black, with long hair and a thoughtful expression. — *Carrie Matisse | Photo provided via artist*

I had the opportunity to speak with Carrie, about her new single, crafting a persona, and what’s next.

Kat: Carrie Matisse is a distinct and evocative persona. Can you tell us about how she came to life and what she represents for you as an artist?

Carrie: In October 2022, I did a photoshoot with my mom that, looking back, feels like the beginning of Carrie Matisse, even though I hadn’t recorded any of the songs yet. I wore the only Parisian dress I own, and we walked around my South Hill neighborhood. It was unseasonably warm, the leaves were changing, and the whole day had a dreamlike feel to it (and included many inside jokes). My mom’s a natural with a camera, and the photos—especially the ones on my street—had this elegant, almost Matisse-like quality.

That sense of old-world charm and quiet beauty has become a huge part of the Carrie Matisse character. I didn’t meet Benjamin Thomas, the music’s producer, until 2023, but I remember thinking on that photoshoot day that something new was beginning for me creatively.

A few songs into working with Ben, he suggested I consider changing my artist name since our new sound was so different from what I’d done before. I thought about it for six months and probably drove everyone in my life crazy talking about various options!

One night, during a family dinner, we thought of Carrie Matisse, with Carrie being short for Caroline and Matisse like the painter. The name fit the sound, the story, and the visuals I was drawn to. Henri Matisse was known as the godfather of Fauvism—bold colors, abstraction, emotion—and a brilliant translator of the art and the world around him. I see my project as a kind of translation of poetry into song and greatly admire Matisse.

Choosing the name gave our recordings a clear identity and direction. For me, becoming Carrie represents a new chapter. The music is dark and alternative, but artistically it’s given me renewed love of writing and belief in myself, so in that sense, the name Carrie Matisse is hopeful.

Kat: “Baby Robotic” is haunting and poetic — what was the emotional or personal catalyst for writing this song?

Carrie: I’d had an idea for the “Baby Robotic” chorus for a while, but the song really came together after a chance encounter with a poem called “Sorrow Figure” by Kate Daniels. I called up the book from the basement stacks at the Toronto Reference Library, where I’d been reading every publication available by PhD admissions committee poets. I’d been planning to leave Toronto and start fresh, knowing the relationship I was in was nearing its end…

But that poem stopped me cold. The final line of the poem changed my life. Daniels’ words helped me finish the song and inspired me to continue working at music.

For me, “Baby Robotic” is a doorway down a rabbit hole. It’s about the moment you realize something you thought was permanent might end—and the strange beauty that can come from that. The song became my way into a way out. Creating “Baby Robotic” helped me process the collapse of a world I’d carefully built around me so I could start imagining a new one.

Kat: The song touches on themes of loss and transformation. What were you hoping listeners would feel or confront when they hear it?

Carrie: My hope is that this song might resonate with people feeling alone or isolated. The themes in “Baby Robotic,” and maybe the larger story, ask what really matters in our lives and where we fit in a world that’s becoming increasingly more technical and detached. The way we speak to each other and the language of empathy and humanity feels more important than ever.

This song is set in an apocalyptic moment, and I am really interested in the phrase “the end of the world.” Sometimes we use it casually, almost jokingly as hyperbole, and sometimes it’s painfully literal. Our cities are burning, our systems collapsing, and right now, the extremes feel closer together than ever.

I don’t see Carrie Matisse as extraordinary or a classical hero in any sense, but I do think of her as timeless—almost even alive outside the confines of time. I hope that makes her someone listeners can project themselves onto. I’d love for the song to help people see themselves as a bit of a main character, empowered in their own lives, even in moments of loss or uncertainty.

Kat: There’s a cinematic quality to “Baby Robotic” and your overall storytelling. Are there any particular visual influences—films, aesthetics, or imagery—that inform Carrie’s world?

Carrie: Thank you so much for feeling that way about my work! For this project, I’ve been primarily inspired by literature. Each song is based on a different piece of writing. That said, visuals have been just as important, especially in shaping Carrie’s world and style.

The music video for “Baby Robotic,” directed by Shayne Gray, really brought those visuals to life. I’ve been inspired by Matisse’s paintings, vintage fashion, and 1960s–70s makeup looks. Carrie’s hair and makeup, designed by Sade Tuitt and Rachel Kelly, have a doll-like quality that ties into the concept of the abandoned toy, borrowed from Kate Daniels’ poem Sorrow Figure.

Visually, Shayne and I also took inspiration from the film Requiem for a Dream. That may be most obvious in the spinning drone shots at the beginning and the DIY SnorriCam we used during the choruses. The lawn chair scene that opens the video is a direct homage to the film’s early scene where Sara Goldfarb sits outside her building with her friends.

Carrie’s aesthetic is still evolving, but she’ll always be ultra-feminine, surrealist, and painterly in her emotional depth. Even in her darker moments, there’s elegance. I think she exists somehow in both the future and the past, which might be part of my larger attempt to reflect on the fragility of the present.

Kat: How does writing as Carrie Matisse differ from writing as Caroline Colantonio? Is there a line between the two, or are they blurring together?

Carrie: My vocal coach Marla and producer Ben have both played major roles in my growth as a writer and artist. Working closely with Marla helped me reframe (and in some ways undo) my opera training. That process expanded my comfort zone vocally, especially in my lower register. It opened up a space where I could write melody with a more alternative, contemporary style.

Ben has also been integral to shaping my sound; he’s imagined a whole musical landscape with his production work. While I’ll always have a soft spot for my earlier projects, I think I’m writing and singing in a way that feels more authentic to who I am now.

For me, that shift really began with vocal technique since I’ve studied voice for so long through opera school. There’s a darker emotional dimension to Carrie Matisse that I couldn’t access before. Her tone is more grounded. It feels more vulnerable yet confident, raw, and emotionally honest—whereas my older work leaned more toward my history of classical performance and had a pop-opera feel.

With the Matisse songs, I also explore darker subject matter and try to write less directly about myself. Ironically, by distancing the subject, I’m producing something that I think feels truer.

Kat: Your sound has been compared to artists like Lana Del Rey. Who are some of your biggest musical or lyrical influences—and who would surprise us?

Carrie: Musically, the biggest inspirations for Carrie have been Lana Del Rey and Radiohead. Ben has been incredibly generous and creative in helping me explore and shape that sound.

Some of my other longtime favorite artists include Damien Rice, Fleetwood Mac, Taylor Swift, Feist, Billie Eilish, and opera legend Maria Callas. Growing up, I was also a huge fan of Celine Dion, which might surprise some people. Her influence doesn’t show up directly in my current music, but her vocal command and stage presence were hugely inspiring to me, especially as a classical singer.

In terms of writing, I’m deeply influenced by poets like William Wordsworth, William Blake, Sylvia Plath, Kate Daniels, Russell Thornton, Anne Carson, and Maggie Nelson. I also love Sally Rooney’s novels—there’s something about Carrie that feels a bit Rooney-esque in tone and perspective.

I have a dry erase board in my apartment with quotes by Carrie Bradshaw, Stephen King (from Carrie), and Henri Matisse. Those are the ghosts and voices in my head, and in many ways, the foundation of this character’s world.

Kat: What’s the significance of this single being the “opening scene” of Carrie Matisse’s journey? What can we expect as the story unfolds through your upcoming releases?

Carrie: “Baby Robotic” is very much the opening scene of Carrie Matisse’s story. It captures her state of mind at the beginning of the end. Just when she believes everything is lost, she enters a kind of existential reflection on the people she’s loved and what’s truly mattered to her. It’s a quiet unraveling, but also the first moment of clarity.

As the project unfolds, you can expect more songs, movies, and poems! We haven’t fully completed her arc yet, but we’ve mapped out the final few tracks, and the full narrative will come into focus by the end. The new music video is out in early June, directed and shot by the incredible Shayne Gray, which I’m really excited about.

In addition, we’ll be releasing a spoken poetry version of the song. Carrie Matisse speaks in poems, so it felt important to include that element to show more of her interior world.

What’s ahead is deeply emotional and personal. Carrie is going to work through a lot, and she’s going to let us in on all of it.

Kat: You’re performing live at Burdock Music Hall for the first time as Carrie Matisse —how are you preparing for that debut, and what should fans expect from the show?

Carrie: We’ve been rehearsing with a full band since the end of March, and it’s been such a rewarding process. Since this is Carrie’s debut, we’ve built in a kind of transition point during the set—something that nods to my background in opera and musical theatre. I think it’ll bring a sense of theatrical drama and emotional resonance to the show, which feels right for this character.

We’ll be performing a mix of older songs and previewing about half of Carrie’s story so far. Fans can expect an immersive introduction to her world. I’m so excited about the group of musicians involved and very grateful for their help in bringing the Carrie Matisse story to life.

Kat: Can you talk about the inspiration for the music video for “Baby Robotic”?

Carrie: Absolutely! As I mentioned earlier, Kate Daniels’ moving poem “Sorrow Figure” from her book The Niobe Poems references a blue plastic doll—isolated and heartbroken, “with its hands pressed to its face.” There’s a line at the end about all the other toys laughing and talking as usual, “as if nothing like this could ever happen to them.” That idea really stuck with me. I wanted to embody the abandoned, surreal figure. She’s someone who’s emotionally unraveling in private while the world continues on, unaffected.

In the video, Carrie is a kind of mad doll—deeply feminine, vulnerable, and disconnected from reality. We showcased her in multiple outfits and emotional states, all within a haunting, apocalyptic setting. The opening scene was actually filmed in the visitor parking spot of my apartment building that I look at every morning. Shoutout to my neighbours on this!

Visually, the director and cinematographer Shayne Gray and I drew inspiration from Matisse’s paintings, vintage fashion, and 1960s–70s beauty looks. Carrie’s hair and makeup, by Sade Tuitt and Rachel Kelly, have a deliberately doll-like quality that ties back to the figure in Daniels’ poem.

We also borrowed techniques from Aronofsky’s film Requiem for a Dream, especially the spinning drone shots that open the video and the DIY SnorriCam used during the choruses. The lawn chair scene that opens the video is a direct homage to an early moment in Requiem, when Sara Goldfarb sits outside her apartment with her friends. It felt like a fitting nod to the dreaminess and surrealism we were channeling throughout.

Kat: Looking ahead, what does success look like for Carrie Matisse — creatively and personally?

Carrie: My goal with music, for as long as I can remember, has been to create something that reaches someone else exactly when they need it. That’s what great artists have done for me, and it’s the most meaningful kind of impact I can imagine. In an age where everything is quantified with numbers and stats, I’m not entirely sure how I’ll measure this…but to know I succeeded would mean success.

Artistically, I’m excited to keep working with Ben on the rest of the Carrie Matisse story. My days in the studio have been my favourite ones ever. I also loved making our first video, so I’m really looking forward to shooting the next chapter this summer with Shayne and the team!