Cardin began her career as a model at the age of 15, where she appeared in numerous advertising campaigns such as Barilà.
A top four finalist in the first season of the TVA singing competition La Voix in 2013, later the same year she was featured on Garou's album Au milieu de ma vie as a duet vocalist on the single Du vent, des mots. On March 1, 2014, she appeared on the sister series The Voice: la plus belle voix in France to perform the song with Garou, a judge on that edition.
She released her solo debut EP, Big Boy - EP, in 2016 on Cult Nation Records. The EP featured songs in both English and French. She was a shortlisted SOCAN Songwriting Prize finalist in the French division for her song "Les échardes", and the title track "Big Boy" was playlisted on CBC Radio 2 and charted on the Radio 2 Top 20. She made an appearance on the talk show Tout le monde en parle to discuss her mini-album in November 2016.
At the 2017 SOCAN Songwriting Awards, she was a nominee in the English category for "Big Boy" and in the French category for "Faufile", becoming the first artist in the history of the award to be nominated in both categories in the same year.
In 2017 she released her second EP, Main Girl EP. The title track reached #1 on the Radio 2 Top 20.
She received two Juno Award nominations at the Juno Awards of 2018, for Breakthrough Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year for "Main Girl", "Paradise Motion" and "The Kids".[15]
In 2018, she received another SOCAN Songwriting Prize nomination for "Main Girl".
In 2019, Cardin and producer CRi collaborated on a cover of Daniel Bélanger's "Fous n'importe où", and Cardin appeared on Loud's album Tout ça pour ça as a duet vocalist on the track "Sometimes, All the Time". In 2020 she released the singles "Passive Aggressive" and "Daddy"; both tracks were recorded for her full-length debut album Phoenix, which was released on April 23, 2021. Phoenix was co-written with Cardin's longtime manager Jason Brando of Cult Nation.
In September 2021 she released two non-album songs through the Spotify Singles series, a cover of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" and a French-language version of her own "XOXO".
Phoenix won the Felix Award for Anglophone Album of the Year at the 43rd Félix Awards. Cardin also won the awards for Anglophone Concert of the Year and Most Successful Artist Outside Quebec.
Cardin was the most-nominated artist at the Juno Awards of 2022, receiving nominations for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for Phoenix, Pop Album of the Year for Phoenix, Single of the Year and Video of the Year for "Meaningless", and the Fan Choice Award.
Big Boy
Charlotte Cardin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Big boy will take me out proper
He nailed my heart to you
While you never dusted off after
You're making me feel, uhh
Like what's real ain't real but it's real to me
You nailed my heart to your wall
And disposed of the rest of me
We threw, pushed and shoved, ohh
Like what's love ain't love
But it's love to me, oh
My boy is not a man yet
My boy is not a man yet
Oh boy, do I love it when you kiss my neck
Oh boy, last night was perfect
You're changing your mind, oh
Like what's mine ain't mine
But you're mine to be
Maybe if we try again, big boy
We could have it my way
You nailed my heart to your wall
But it was damaged anyways, oh
You're making me feel, oh
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me, oh
You're making me feel, oh
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me, whoa
The lyrics to "Big Boy" by Charlotte Cardin revolve around the complicated nature of a relationship with someone who seems to be emotionally unavailable or immature. The singer of the song is hoping that by being honest and straightforward with her partner, he will finally take their relationship seriously and treat her with the respect she deserves. She feels as though he has taken her for granted, while she has given him her heart completely.
In the first stanza, the singer expresses the hope that if she is clear about her feelings with her partner, he will take her out and treat her with the love and care that she longs for. She acknowledges that she has given him her heart, and he has not treated it with the same level of care. The second stanza, however, takes a darker turn, as she compares herself to a "broken wing" that he has placed in his nest, but then disposed of the rest of her. This metaphor symbolizes the way she feels that he has only taken the parts of her that he finds useful, rather than taking all of her and loving her as she is.
The chorus of the song reflects the confusion and ambivalence of the singer's emotions. She feels like what is real to her may not be real to anyone else, and she questions the authenticity of the love that she feels. In the final stanza, the singer is torn between her desire for the stability and commitment of a real relationship and her love for the "big boy" who is not yet ready to be the man she needs.
Line by Line Meaning
Maybe if I spell it out
Perhaps if I am clear enough with my intentions
Big boy will take me out proper
You will take me on a proper date
He nailed my heart to you
My heart belongs to you and only you
While you never dusted off after
You never moved on from me
You're making me feel, uhh
You are causing me to experience certain emotions
Like what's real ain't real but it's real to me
Although it may not feel real to others, it is very real to me
Maybe if I'm a broken wing, big boy in my nest
Perhaps if I am vulnerable, you will protect and care for me
You nailed my heart to your wall
My heart is securely held by you
And disposed of the rest of me
You discarded the parts of me that did not matter to you
We threw, pushed and shoved, ohh
We struggled and fought with each other
Like what's love ain't love
Our idea of love may differ from what it truly means
But it's love to me, oh
Despite our differences, it still feels like love to me
My boy is not a man yet
You are still growing and maturing into a man
Oh boy, do I love it when you kiss my neck
I adore when you show me physical affection
Oh boy, last night was perfect
I had a wonderful time with you last night
You're changing your mind, oh
You are becoming indecisive
Like what's mine ain't mine
What used to belong to me no longer does
But you're mine to be
I still see you as belonging to me
Maybe if we try again, big boy
Perhaps we should give our relationship another chance
We could have it my way
Our relationship could go the way I want it to
But it was damaged anyways, oh
Although you held onto my heart, it is now bruised and broken
You're making me feel, oh
You are evoking emotions within me
Like what's real ain't real
What feels genuine to me may not actually be true
But it's real to me, oh
Despite any doubts or uncertainties, it still feels real to me
You're making me feel, oh
You continue to stir up emotions in me
Like what's real ain't real
What seems genuine may not be entirely true
But it's real to me, whoa
Regardless of what others may think or say, it is real to me
Lyrics © Red Brick Music Publishing
Written by: Charlotte Cardin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
B_enny
Here is the Lyric i really love her voice
Maybe if I spell it out
Big boy will take me on proper
You nailed my heart to your wall
You never dusted off after, oho
You're making me feel awkward
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me
Maybe if I'm a broken wing
Big boy in my nest
You nailed my heart to your wall
And disposed of the rest of me
With your push and shove, oho
Like was love ain't love
But it's love to me, oh!
My boy is not a man yet
My boy is not a man yet
But boy do I love it when you kiss my neck
Oh boy last night was perfect
You're changing your mind
Like what's mine ain't mine
Be mine to be
Maybe if we try again
Big boy we could have it my way
You nailed my heart to your wall
But it was damaged anyways, oho
You're making me feel, oho
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me, oh
You're making me feel, oho
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me, oho
salma benlaqlib
[Verse 1]
Maybe if I spell it out
Big boy will take me out proper
He nailed my heart to you
While you never dusted off after
[Chorus]
You're making me feel, uhh
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me
[Verse 2]
Maybe if I'm a broken wing, big boy in my nest
You nailed my heart to your wall
And disposed of the rest of me
[Alt. Chorus]
We threw, pushed and shoved, ohh
Like what's love ain't love
But it's love to me, ohh
[Verse 3]
My boy is not a man yet
My boy is not a man yet
Oh boy, do I love it when you kiss my neck
Oh boy, last night was perfect
[Alt. Chorus]
You're changing your mind
Like what's mine ain't mine
But you're mine to be
[Acapella]
Maybe if we try again, big boy
We could have it my way
You nailed my heart to your wall
But it was damaged anyways, ohh
[Chorus]
You're making me feel, ohh
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me, ohh
You're making me feel, ohh
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me, ohh
bosy ellithy
Maybe if I spell it out
Big boy will take me on proper
You nailed my heart to your wall
You never dusted off after, oho
You're making me feel awkward
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me
Maybe if I'm a broken wing
Big boy in my nest
You nailed my heart to your wall
And disposed of the rest of me
With your push and shove, oho
Like was love ain't love
But it's love to me, oh!
My boy is not a man yet
My boy is not a man yet
But boy do I love it when you kiss my neck
Oh boy last night was perfect
You're changing your mind
Like what's mine ain't mine
Be mine to be
Maybe if we try again
Big boy we could have it my way
You nailed my heart to your wall
But it was damaged anyways, oho
You're making me feel, oho
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me, oh
You're making me feel, oho
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me, oho
Braya Simbaan
LYRICS
Maybe if I spell it out
Big boy will take me on proper
You nailed my heart to your wall
You never dusted off after, oho
You're making me feel awkward
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me
Maybe if I'm a broken wing
Big boy in my nest
You nailed my heart to your wall
And disposed of the rest of me
With your push and shove, oho
Like was love ain't love
But it's love to me, oh!
My boy is not a man yet
My boy is not a man yet
But boy do I love it when you kiss my neck
Oh boy last night was perfect
You're changing your mind
Like what's mine ain't mine
Be mine to be
Maybe if we try again
Big boy we could have it my way
You nailed my heart to your wall
But it was damaged anyways, oho
You're making me feel, oho
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me, oh
You're making me feel, oho
Like what's real ain't real
But it's real to me, oho
MandyMandacious
You know that feeling you get when you discover new music or an artist and you just know, it's love at first song. That's what I'm feeling right now.
Jovana Živković IV1
MandyMandacious i'm very sad because i didn't find her before
Andrei Ionescu
MandyMandacious I know the feeling, I can't stop listening to her songs right now
Molly
Same. I saw her tonight opening for Borns and was truly amazed at her voice
Patricia Restea
Me too
Helena
me tooooo
Jackie Neal
She gives me an actual feel of relief and satisfaction that I haven't felt in months because of my depression and major anxiety. Please keep singing.
-a 15 year old from New York
Angela D
Jackie Neal I totally agree with you!
Vulture
yes sir
Mahdex
how u doing @jackie Neal ?