McElroy was born in Olympia, WA and was raised in Modesto, California and Seattle, Washington.

[1] Her father, Brent, is a luthier and builds acoustic guitars.

[2] At seven, McElroy started to study the flute, and throughout her school years, she picked up the guitar, percussion, drums, and keyboards.

[3] In February 2009, Caralee joined the band Cold Cave.

[4] As of 2009, she has been collaborating on a yet-to-be-named musical project with Chris Garneau.