Caroline Elizabeth Polachek (born June 20, 1985) is an American singer, producer, and songwriter. Raised in Connecticut, Polachek co-founded the indie pop band Chairlift while studying at the University of Colorado. The duo emerged from the late-2000s Brooklyn music scene with the sleeper hit "Bruises". During her time in the band, she worked on the solo projects Ramona Lisa and CEP before embarking on a career under her own name after Chairlift's disbandment in 2017. Her debut studio album, Pang (2019), featured an avant-pop sound and was released to critical acclaim, with its single "So Hot You're Hurting My Feelings" going viral on TikTok. Polachek has worked extensively with other artists, collaborating with Blood Orange, Fischerspooner, Sbtrkt, Christine and the Queens, Charli XCX, Grimes, and the British music collective PC Music, as well as writing material for Beyoncé ("No Angel") and Travis Scott. Early life Polachek was born in Manhattan, New York City, on June 20, 1985, to James Montel Polachek (1944–2020), a financial markets analyst and trained classical musician, and Elizabeth Allan. Her family relocated to Tokyo, Japan, where she lived between the ages of one and six, and later settled in Greenwich, Connecticut, where Polachek started singing choir in the third grade. She was a synthesizer player from a young age as her father gifted her a Yamaha keyboard to dissuade her from being disruptive on the piano. Polachek's parents divorced in 1994. She described herself as "a very hyperactive kid" and said that they would play Enya at their respective houses to calm her senses. Polachek recounts her early exposure to traditional Japanese songs and anime themes as being influential on her musical education. She rode horses growing up. As a teenager, she began traveling to New York to attend concerts, which were a mix of post-hardcore emo, DIY punk and jazz shows. Mike Patton of Faith No More once personally walked her into a show at the Knitting Factory when her fake ID was rejected. She played in a couple of bands in high school and college. Career 2006–2012: Career beginnings, Chairlift, and collaborative work Polachek founded the band Chairlift with musician Aaron Pfenning after the pair met during her sophomore year at the University of Colorado. They relocated to New York, where Polachek studied art at New York University, and were joined by Patrick Wimberly in early 2007, the year the band released their first