Caroline Polachek: The Slow Burn Superstar.

Caroline Polachek is careful about what she gives away. “I think we’re taught to not be mysterious,” says the 38-year-old singer, songwriter and producer. She’s reflecting on her experience in the music industry but you’d be forgiven for thinking she was talking generally about life in the social media age. “We’re taught to reveal everything, to do behind the scenes, then do behind the scenes of the behind the scenes.” 

Polachek is speaking via video call from her London apartment, the sunlight catching on the bleached part of her dark brown hair. Though she is affable and erudite when discussing her career, the Connecticut-raised artist seems most comfortable steering the conversation down tangents that allow her to open up while still being mindful of what she’s sha...