We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cärnegie a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Cärnegie, appreciate you joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I feel like music for everybody is an experience since birth. That was mine as well. Hearing my family play different genres of music coming up. That along with moving around the country growing up bumping music with friends from different regions. Coming up I ended up at a music school, singing professionally for 2 years touring across the country and recording an album with a choir from 6-7th grade. That was my first introduction to music theory and practicing music like it was a sport. The school only went up to 8th grade but I left because I wanted to play sports again. The music theory classes were so detailed though that if you did graduate you left with the equivalent of half a college music degree. I don’t remember much music theory as before but I feel like that training gave me the musical instinct I have to this day. I’ve even started to pick up on production which I didn’t see for myself but that’s coming along pretty well, I’m just taking my time being patient with the process. In the almost 2 years I’ve been back in the music/entertainment space I’ve accomplished more than most have in years so I’m always grateful for that. But I feel like when people talk about reaching their prime/peak… if that’s a mountain, I’m at the trail leading to the base of it lol, if that makes sense.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
The first time I worked in music was 6-7th grade… I toured and recorded an album singing professionally in a choir. It’s actually where my artist name comes from. One of the venues we performed in often was Carnegie Hall with the New York Philharmonic and across the country with other big orchestras. The genres and different cultures of music also influenced me to this day. I think that’s the biggest reason I embrace the current state of music where it’s becoming ok to be a genre bending artist. I don’t ever wanna be boxed in. I got back into music at the end of 2020 through a friend who’s uncle started Taylor Gang with Wiz Khalifa. Between that I was just trying a bunch of different things in life and moving around the country. But yeah I caught up with an old friend that wanted to start singing and he knew my background and suggested I come to LA with him. I started out writing and found out quickly I can make a lot of stuff for other artist but some of it I felt like there’s nobody in the industry right now who’d do it themselves… that’s when I became an artist and started recording. This side was all new to me because when I performed as a kid those were all prearranged songs. So I’ve been loving coming up with my own ideas and creating the music myself. Right now as a writer I’ve been working in the Bad Kids Kamp with Malik Yusef, his advice and game has been big for me. That’s been going on since like summer 2022. I’m looking forward to working with big artist in the industry and bringing new ideas to the table. Like I said before though I’m still on the trail to the mountain and I’ve recently had the realization that music is just the beginning of me being creative.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
I feel like people are afraid or forget individuality exists. Waiting till enough people around them like something to like it themselves. It’s okay to like what you like. That goes for the industry to. Execs are being forced to sign algorithms and influencers when before social media it was potential/talent. F*ck free speech embrace free thought.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
I just wanna have fun, travel, connect and see people embrace different again. Not much is sticking these days. But I think it’s mostly social media spoon feeding us the same stuff over and over. Don’t get me wrong technology has done a lot of good things for us, but when it comes to art we gotta remember human connection matters above all else.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calmcarnie?igsh=cHBsc253bjRlYzJy&utm_source=qr
- Twitter: https://x.com/_cc2x?s=21
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@calmcarnie?si=H-T29RMSAa2otT5m
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3SGwJoZLjNzLthai1pe0BS?si=LBc66I9kSfWahiAzO8frKw