Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Carlos Rising. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Alright, Carlos thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – walk us through the story?

In 2020, during the start of the Covid pandemic, my wife and I were working jobs in Seattle WA when both of us were let go by our companies on the exact same day. We had no source of income, in the middle of closing on a place in downtown Seattle and were up against the wall. I called my parents to get their advice and my mother urged me to “come back home” to be with them while we healed from our traumatic experience. With no other options we sold or gave away most of our things moved across the country to TN where my parents lived. We stayed with them for 9 months, unable to find work or stable income. During that time, I had a long conversation with my wife about where I saw my future. I’ve always wanted to do music full time and to pursue my artistry, but never felt the freedom to do so. I knew that I didn’t want just another office job where I couldn’t grow in my passions and dreams. In my heart, and my gut, I knew the timing was right.

However, it did not make sense to make the jump to full-time music at the time. During the pandemic, venues were closed, record labels were closing and there were very few opportunities going around. It was a risk to make this jump with no promise of financial return. But I knew that my drive would keep me going through the tough times. Now I’m 2024, I’ve been a full time musician for almost 4 years, and have been able to make a living writing, recording and performing my own music and have been a part of some amazing opportunities.

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

Since the age of 11 I’ve been playing music, mostly in the church, as I grew up as a pastor’s kid. This hobby turned into a passion of writing music in my room from the age of 14, trying to emulate my favorite artists who my parents introduced to me. John Mayer, Eric Clapton, the Beatles, Sting, Billy Joel and many other singer songwriters who inflicted me while finding my own voice in music. I went on to get a degree in Music Business from Lee University, graduating in 2017. Since 2020, I’ve been a full time musician writing, recording and performing live across the United States and Europe.

Over the course of the last 4 years I have been a featured contestant on NBC’s the Voice as a member of Team Blake Shelton, a charting songwriter on the Billboard Charts, a featured artist on Multiple NPR platforms, featured on the cover of Rock and Roamer Magazine, and featured on Barack Obama’s summer playlist as a bonus track for the month of June 2023.

My newest project is my debut E.P released in February 2024, entitled ‘It’s Just A Phase’. This E.P. Features 6 original songs written in an acoustic soul and RnB style that compares to the likes of Bruno Major, Vulfpeck and Leon Bridges. This EP is currently available on all streaming platforms.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

In 2021, me and my wife relocated to Wilmington NC, a smaller city off of the coast of North Carolina. This city has a rich film and indie music history that is a part of the culture in Wilmington. Most of the music however is more catered to an indie rock and punk rock audience, while my style is more associated with RnB, Soul and Pop.

Stylistically at first I felt alienated not fitting in with the other prominent music acts of this city. However, I used that to my advantage. Outside of a handful of indie artists, no other music act in Wilmington offers what I can do, not just stylistically, but also dynamically. Kelly Clarkson once told me “I can sing anything” and I took that to heart. I leveraged my ability to move in and out of genres in order to be more appealing to various audiences. Through this I’ve been able to land many diverse gigs as both an opener and headliner, and as a solo performer or with a band.

With my Swiss Army knife approach, I also applied that to my songwriting, reflecting stylistic choices that express my talents as an artist. My chameleon like style has allowed me to connect with audiences who are fans of folk, blues, pop, indie rock, rnb and soul, all while staying authentic to who am musically.

How do you keep in touch with clients and foster brand loyalty?

Connecting with audiences has been my greatest source of success. As great a Tool as Social Media is, it can also be constraining on how effectively you can reach your fans and followers. The way the new algorithms work on social media platforms, only about 10% of your fans actually see your content.

That is why at all of my shows I advertise my mailing list. This a is a sure fire way to reach your audience without barriers. It also creates a community of followers who feel close to the artist and feel like they get a behind the scenes look at the inner workings of the artists creative process and first dibs on delieverables, such as: merchandise, streaming, media and tickets for live shows.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.carlosrising.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carlosrising
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carlosrisingmusic
• Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/carlosrising
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@carlosrisingmusic?si=3YGXU7S3pOJ5nBFd