Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Brenda Carsey. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Alright, Brenda thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
Simply put, music is my life. It’s something I choose to do every day that I’m lucky enough to wake up. It persists because of my choice to recommit everyday to the path I am on and to do my best to stay as open as I can to the ever unfolding nature of total unknownness that is being an artist and musician in a society and a profession filled with gatekeepers whose sole purpose is to limit access. Sometimes I feel incredibly old as I stay committed to this path I am on and as I watch my face change and feel my body change. But most of the time I feel young, curious, and passionate. I love my life of music, nature, and friends. Even when it’s hard and I don’t know if I’ll be able to pay rent (yet again), even when I get sick and can’t do my job of being a singer and performer, even with all the manipulation and abuse present in the industry and in the world, I still press on. It’s constant work. It’s a constant struggle. It literally never stops and I’m tired all of the time! But it’s real. And it’s all part of my life story. I feel compelled to keep marching deep down in my heart. My spirit’s purpose is to play, to share music, to explore, to grow, to survive, and to bring people together. I am so grateful I was able to face my history and my demons, awaken to my purpose, and be brave enough to walk down the unknown path of wherever my purpose may take me in this lifetime.
Brenda, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Hello! My name is Brenda Carsey. I am a Los Angeles-based vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and community builder. The art I create and what inspires me to the core is music and community. I find myself drawn to a path of service through creating safe spaces for people of all walks of life to come together, be themselves, and make friends. It wasn’t until recently that I accepted my passion for Creating and Holding space for others as part of my art. When my partner Will first told me that community was at the very center of who I am as an artist I didn’t believe him. I told him “Bringing people together is not art, it’s just logistics and planning and a fun hobby”. But now, two years down the line since he shared those words with me, I see what he truly meant. My art is community and the medium I work in and share that through is music whether I am the one playing the music or I facilitate an event and space for others to do so. Music is my absolute joy and is my way of connecting with others. My music covers a broad range of subjects including family, love, breakups, public shootings, partying, fear, depression, isolation, the experience of being a woman in the music industry and in life at large, finding new love, and much more! My music has been described as brilliant, timeless, playful, and larger-than-life R&B/Soul and Progressive Pop and I have been called an evocative songwriter with rich lyricism. My new long awaited full-length album “Cognizance” is out now! I’d love for you to hear and experience this album of music! You can learn more here: https://www.brendacarseyart.com/epk.html
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
At the top of 2023 I was so excited to release a new full-length studio album called “Cognizance” that was a long time coming! The music for this album was written over a couple year period from 2017 to 2019. At the end of 2019 we were ready to begin planning the recording of the new album. I ran a successful Indiegogo campaign, thanks to the generosity of 154 angels, with plans of going into the studio to begin tracking in the spring of 2020. This plan was curtailed by the Covid shutdown along with me losing 100% of my income and work. After over a year of eagerly waiting and going through so much financial and emotional hardship, I finally went into the studio along with an all star lineup of some of LA’s best musicians at the end of April 2021 to begin tracking “Cognizance” using the funds angels helped me raise nearly a year and half earlier. All thirteen tracks of “Cognizance” plus the extended live-in-studio bonus track (only available on the vinyl record version of the album) including all instruments, vocals, scratch tracks, and over-dubs were tracked in just 9 days! It was so much work and a year behind schedule but it all came together as it was meant to be and I am so incredibly grateful for the whole team of people who contributed their talents to this project and I am in love with how this album of music turned out. Being able to see this massive project through to completion and release it into the world was very symbolic to my continued dedication to this path of art and music I am on.
In your view, what can society to do to best support artists, creatives and a thriving creative ecosystem?
Art is important for our existence as a species, for our ability to process life through symbols and metaphor, for our ability to come together and experience community, for our ability to observe, reflect, challenge and change. Art for art’s sake is worthy of being uplifted and those dedicated to lives of creating true art are worthy of being uplifted to continue on their paths of dedication to the above. Transparency and access are very important concepts to keep close to your heart when supporting artists and art ecosystems. Breaking down unnecessary and toxic walls of gatekeepers and allowing artists opportunities to learn, to try, and to grow are all incredibly important and worthwhile endeavors of change and challenge to the current systems. Be transparent with artists about time commitments, about options, about funds. Be willing to support artists by offering them a month long or ongoing residency. Consider including art of varying mediums in your businesses space whether that be hanging local artists’ paintings or selling local artisan crafts or hosting a live music event in your business space. Not only are you uplifting artists by doing this but you are also creating opportunity for your patrons and surrounding community to come together, ask questions, and discuss topics that may be inspired by the art you are hosting. 
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.brendacarseyart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brendacarseyart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brendacarseyart
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/brendacarseyart
- Other: https://brendacarsey.bandcamp.com/ https://bnds.us/7cls13 https://www.brendacarseyart.com/getupdates.html
Image Credits
Artist photo by Morgan Demeter Live photos 1 through 6 by Justin Higuchi additional live photos 7 and 8 by Mike Orth (teal turtle neck dress)