Cass Cardelle Turns a Life of Change Into I'm Changing

Cass Cardelle has lived enough different lives to fill more than one record.

There was the small coastal town outside Boston, the move to Los Angeles, years spent traveling, a chapter in Japan, an appearance on a CMT dating show, experiments with electronic music, and eventually Nashville. Somewhere in all of that, music never really stopped being part of the picture.

Now, those years have found their way into I'm Changing, Cass's debut project and a collection of heartfelt country-pop records that feel rooted in where she came from while leaving plenty of room for where she might be headed.

Growing up in Cohasset, Massachusetts, music was around from the beginning. Her grandfather worked as a music producer, while her mother brought Motown, classic rock, Fleetwood Mac, Jewel, Aretha Franklin, Aerosmith and Mazzy Star into the house. Her father even gave her portable recording devices so she could record herself. It makes sense that songwriting became something Cass naturally gravitated toward. As a kid, she was already writing in her bedroom and turning the living room into her own little stage.

Los Angeles eventually became the next big chapter. A family trip there when she was around 13 stuck with her, and after high school she made the move west. She would spend roughly 15 years in the city, with Chicago and several years of international travel adding even more experiences along the way.

Her path through entertainment was anything but predictable. She appeared on a CMT dating show, performed original songs during a trip to Japan and explored electronic music, including recording house tracks with DJ and producer ZHU. None of these experiences necessarily pointed toward the country-pop record she would eventually make, but together they say quite a bit about how Cass approaches creativity.

She likes to explore.

That instinct became even more apparent during the pandemic. As the entertainment world changed in 2020, Cass began building a bigger presence online, working on UGC campaigns, brand partnerships and events connected to names including REVOLVE, PrettyLittleThing and Boot Barn. It became another creative outlet and another way of building something independently.

Music, though, remained the constant. Cass kept writing about relationships, heartbreak, hope and the less straightforward parts of growing into adulthood. When opportunities came along that didn't feel right, she chose not to force them. Instead, she kept moving until something did. That eventually meant Nashville. After 15 years in Los Angeles, Cass relocated in 2024 looking for a creative reset. The move opened the door to a different side of her songwriting and ultimately became the starting point for I'm Changing.

The title says plenty without needing much explanation. Change has been one of the clearest threads running through Cass's life, and the album gives that idea a musical home. There is country DNA throughout the project, but her history makes it difficult to imagine her being completely boxed into one sound. The pop elements, the different places she's lived, the influences she picked up along the way and the experiences that shaped her all have a place in the picture.

What makes the project particularly personal is that Cass isn't presenting growth as some perfectly planned journey. There have been rejected opportunities, collaborations that didn't work, different creative directions and plenty of figuring things out along the way. That's part of what makes I'm Changing resonate. It comes from someone who has actually changed course more than once.

Now that the project is out, Cass is looking toward the stage. After performing intimate writers' rounds and private sets, she wants to take these songs further, with the goal of opening for a major artist and eventually taking a small tour on the road. There is still a lot ahead of her. And considering the route she has already taken, it would probably be a mistake to assume exactly what that next chapter will look like.

For now, I'm Changing is a snapshot of where Cass Cardelle has landed, and a reminder that landing somewhere doesn't mean you've stopped moving.