Hédi Carlee is a rising star in the mantra music scene, known for her unique harmonies and fresh approach. Her Gayatri Mantra recently surpassed 1 million streams. We spoke with Hédi Carlee about her journey.

People know you as Charlie Dée, celebrated for your fresh yet melancholic pop songs. You earned praise from Joni Mitchell, won the Grote Prijs van Nederland, received an Essent Award, and had Tiesto remix “Have It All.” Your beautiful duet with Huub van der Lubbe and performances at festivals like Lowlands, Oerol, and Appelpop have also been highlights.

Now, you’re presenting something entirely new. Who is Hédi Carlee?

“That’s me!” she says with a smile. Hédi Carlee is an anagram of Charlie Dée. In 2017, I had a serious car accident that resulted in a whiplash injury and mild brain damage. It took years to recover, and during that time, I became hypersensitive to light and noise, leading to isolation and self-reflection.

This journey brought me to mantra music and sacred chanting, which had a profound positive impact on my recovery. I started making music again with some of my old band members. Given my transformation, both personally and musically, I felt it was time for a new stage name, I thought, well, I had a bit of a bang to the head, which then lead me to undergo this transformation I mentioned earlier – which was also a musical transformation in many ways, – perhaps it’s also time to give my stage name a bit of a shake-up. and thus Hédi Carlee was born.