We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Carli Storms. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Carli below.

Carli, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

When I was in first grade, there was a music class at my school. One day, we learned the song, ‘If I Had A Hammer’ by: Peter, Paul, and Mary. I really enjoyed singing it, so I asked my mom if I could perform the song for her when I got home that day. That was the moment my mom and I discovered I had a gift. From then on, I took voice lessons and was heavily involved in musical theater and choirs. Up until middle school, I thought I wanted to pursue a career on Broadway. But then, my ears were blessed with Lady GaGa’s hit single, ‘Just Dance’. My whole world changed in that moment, and I was inspired to pursue a career as an artist.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

My true introduction to the industry was when I moved to LA when I was 19 years old. I had gone to school for audio engineering at an amazing school called CRAS in Arizona, and moved to LA a few days after I graduated. I ended up working at a couple of prestigious recording studios for the first four and a half years I lived out here. The experiences I acquired from working alongside some of the greats gave me knowledge of the intricacies of the industry and what it takes to make it as an artist. It also gave me the tools and the passion to get serious about creating my own original music. Since then I’ve released two EP’s, two singles, and three music videos. I am currently working on future releases, as well as branching out into selling some of my beats and DJing.

I think something that sets me apart from others is the fact that I’m a multi-hyphenate creative. These days, as an independent artist, it’s important to have an understanding of engineering, production, and music business. That way, you can take your creativity into your own hands, and also have the smarts to navigate a highly competitive and demanding industry.

I am proud of the hard work and dedication I’ve committed to my career over the years, as well as the heartfelt projects I have put out. I know sometimes the world can feel like a hopeless place, so I don’t take the honor lightly of being able to create music to bring people together from all walks of life. That’s what motivates me on a day to day basis.

How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?

Streaming has become the most prevalent form of consuming music. Because of that, record sales have gone down and it’s become increasingly hard for artists (especially independent artists), to profit off of music. With that being said, I think the best way to support artists at this time would be to buy tickets to their shows, buy merch, repost about song/album releases, and obviously, to stream/buy their songs. Not only does it encourage artists, but it will help them gain fans as well as financially support their future creative endeavors.

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is being able to connect with others and bring people together. Making music is such a vulnerable act… and I think that’s why people love it so much. Because when you’re making music, you go through a cathartic experience. You express the deepest parts of yourself. At the end of the day, we are all humans and we all have an innate desire to connect. It helps us all feel a little less lonely in the world. So it’s an honor and a privilege to be able to add love to the world in this way!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://carlistorms.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlistorms/
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/thecarlistorms/
• Youtube: https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCUuT8vZHgR51Y-5IBzJOG3A
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carlistorms?lang=en

Image Credits
Credit to: Maxine Bowen, Ruben Alejandro, Dana Street, Anthony A. DiMaria