We were lucky to catch up with Carter Rubin recently and have shared our conversation below.

Carter, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

The most meaningful project I’ve worked on so far is my EP that I put out in summer of 2024, “i still know nothing.” It was a direct result of every feeling that came with graduating high school, moving to Nashville with my family, doing music full-time and taking the road less traveled. A lot of times I found myself reflecting on the senior year memories I made in my hometown and seeing my friends go to college made me wonder if life would feel simpler if I took a similar path. I felt like things were moving so fast but I wasn’t letting myself live in the present. It was lonely at times but tapping into those emotions and fears resulted in six songs that I will always be proud of. This EP is meaningful to me because I was able to take my perspective on life, love and everything in between and turn it into a work of art.

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.

Music has always been the way I communicate, I knew I wanted to pursue it and be an artist. After my experience on The Voice, I started to hone in on what artistry really is. Even prior to moving to Nashville, I started working with producers and writers, put out a few songs and really started to dive into songwriting. For me there’s no better feeling than listening to a song and its lyrics and realizing that I’ve felt the same way at one point or another. I want to make people who listen to my music feel seen. Life is messy sometimes and I know people feel all kinds of messy ways, I want to reach those people with my music and let them know they’re not alone in that.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

A lesson I had to unlearn was thinking that performing week after week on a national TV stage with millions of viewers was an automatic ticket to success in the music industry. I worked with amazing people and it was an awesome experience but in the end, it was just a moment in my life that I had at a really young age. I didn’t know what my songwriting style was, I didn’t know what sonic world my music was going to live in and I didn’t know who I was as an artist yet. These are all things I’ve worked on in the past 4 years. I’ve learned that consistency is key and you have to show up for yourself every day. There’s no free ride to where you want to go so you have to learn to love the work.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

There’s been so many rewarding parts of being an artist and pursuing this career, one of the best parts has been the community of writers, producers & other musicians I’ve found in Nashville. I felt like the new kid in town when I first moved here, most people were older and had more experience and I felt a lot of imposter syndrome at times. But they did not hesitate to take me under their wing and treat me like an equal. I’ve drawn so much inspiration from the people I collaborate with, found my bandmates who are more like brothers and get to be in rooms with incredibly talented and supportive people regularly.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carterjrubin/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carterjrubin
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/carterjrubin
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@carterjrubin/featured
• Other: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@carterjrubin
  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5jv5QGHCh2jdM0dOQP8JXm?si=e6a936c0e4f24de5

Image Credits

Personal Photo – Alec Wagner

Additional Photos (in order) – Jaime Bilotti, Hunter Candari, Peyton Dollar, Alec Wagner, Alec Wagner