Fletcher finished 9th on The X Factor, then recorded 5 songs outdoors

A New Jersey teenager joined Lakoda Rayne

Cari Fletcher began vocal lessons at five and attended Wall High School in New Jersey. In 2011, Simon Cowell put her into Lakoda Rayne during The X Factor’s boot camp, with Paula Abdul as the group’s mentor. Fletcher was a 17-year-old high school senior when the group performed Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” in Los Angeles that November. Nicole Scherzinger described their direction as “Country rock.” When L.A. Reid asked whether they had what it took to become global stars, Fletcher answered, “We definitely do.” Cowell called the performance a mess and said he believed a great performance was within them. Lakoda Rayne finished ninth that season.

“War Paint” began her solo story in 2015

Fletcher attended New York University’s Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music after high school. She released her first solo single, “War Paint,” in 2015 and followed it with the independent EP Finding Fletcher in September 2016. The single spread on Spotify and helped her reach a deal with Capitol Records, which she announced in August 2018. New York supplied material for her songwriting, too. She told Interview in 2019 that she had fallen in love there for the first time and had her heart broken. With “Undrunk” and You Ruined New York City for Me, she turned that experience into songs while explaining that she wanted listeners of different identities to find themselves in her work.

Her debut album reached No. 15 in 2022

The S(ex) Tapes followed in September 2020, continuing Fletcher’s songs about the aftermath of a breakup. Her debut album, Girl of My Dreams, arrived on September 16, 2022, and debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard 200. Malay served as executive producer; its songs included “Becky’s So Hot,” “Her Body Is Bible” and “Better Version.” Fletcher kept drawing on particular moments from her life. “Suckerpunch,” released that November, described the rush of a first date in 2016. She made it with Riley and Connor McDonough. The single was announced as one of four new songs for a deluxe edition of the album.

Lyme disease brought her back to New Jersey

In spring 2023, Fletcher experienced deep fatigue and concern about her singing voice. She was diagnosed with Lyme disease and returned to her hometown in New Jersey, where recovery gave her time to write In Search of the Antidote. The album arrived on March 22, 2024. During an April interview with NPR’s Juana Summers, she spoke from Germany on a day off from touring. Fans were singing the new songs word for word, including material she had written from feelings of desperation, hope and excitement. Fletcher described the experience with a short phrase: “I pinch myself all the time.” She also confirmed that “Eras of Us” came from running into an ex at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

Four tours in 2024 led her to take a break

The return to touring required more energy than Fletcher could keep giving. In a July 2025 interview with The Line of Best Fit, she said she had done four tours during 2024 and described the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual strain. Her next album took shape during the final months of that year and early 2025. She worked with longtime collaborator Jennifer Decilveo and took distance from touring and online discussion of her personal life. She had begun to question her relationship with marketing and the name on the posters. “Fletcher started to feel like this character,” she said. She described a public identity that had grown larger than the person behind it.

“Boy” introduced a new sound in June 2025

On June 5, 2025, Fletcher released “Boy,” opening the song with piano and acoustic guitar. She co-produced it with Jennifer Decilveo and co-wrote it with Shane McAnally. The song accompanied the announcement of Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me?, which Fletcher and Decilveo produced and executive-produced together. It arrived on July 18 through Capitol Records with 11 songs. The arrangements gave her voice space: “Party” opened the album as a piano ballad, while “Chaos” used acoustic guitar as she considered her uncertainty and conversations with God. Both songs gave her questions about happiness and purpose a place in the album.

She answered listeners’ concerns about “Boy”

In June 2025, Fletcher told Them that she had fallen in love with a man and was dating him. “Boy” shared that experience with listeners who had known her through songs about women. Some fans questioned its release during the first week of Pride month and felt its presentation invited sympathy for a relationship with a man. Fletcher addressed those concerns in a public video reported by Out on June 13. She explained that she feared disappointing her community and having her queer identity questioned. She said her sexuality remained part of her identity across relationships. She also explained that the song expressed the complexity of her own queer experience.

She recorded five songs outdoors in California

On September 26, 2025, Fletcher released Would I Still Love Me If I Really Knew Me? (Live from California), a five-song EP through Capitol Records. Carissa Gallo directed its accompanying performance film, with Decilveo on piano and McAnally on guitar. Fletcher explained that the songs had begun simply with piano and vocals, and she wanted to preserve that form. They played outdoors among mountains in California, performing “Would You Still Love Me?,” “Chaos,” “Good Girl / Gone Girl,” “Boy” and “Congratulations!” The studio album’s extended edition followed on October 24, adding “Hail Mary” and “Until Next Time (Outro).” Those additions brought the collection to 13 tracks, continuing a project built around what she was willing to reveal about herself.

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