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

Edie , looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

As a child of the 1970s/80s I always loved singing along to the artists I loved: Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, Tiffany, Debbie Gibson…and one day my babysitter Grace, who was often picking me up from school and listening to me sing in the backseat, mentioned to my parents that she thought I had a pretty good ear for music. I started taking voice lessons a few years after that, and then started singing in a cappella groups, bands and musicals in high school. I loved singing, but it never occurred to me that I would ever be able to do it for my living. It wasn’t until I went to college in NYC and saw artists like Ani DiFranco, Jeff Buckley, and Lisa Loeb performing their emotive, literate songs on just a guitar that I had an inkling that it might be possible. I taught myself how to play guitar the summer after my freshman year in college while I was working as a nanny for a newborn. She napped a lot so I took advantage of that time to learn basic chords and then starting (clunkily) covering songs by the Indigo Girls, Shawn Colvin, and Bonnie Raitt. My junior year in college I headed to Bologna, Italy to study. While there I practiced like mad, and sent myself (pretty unwillingly) to the main piazza in town every Tuesday to perform those cover songs and occasionally throw in one or two songs I was attempting to write on my own. I think my gut was telling me that I was maybe supposed to do this, but I just didn’t have the skills yet. I still marvel at the bravado I somehow had when I really didn’t have the goods to back it up — but I’m grateful for that little blindspot that allowed me to keep going and practicing until I could get to where I could play a whole set and feel somewhat confident in doing so. When I came back to New York City for my final year of college, I felt ready to start performing on campus and in a few clubs nearby. All my friends would come, but when folks I *didn’t* know started to come, too, I think that’s when I knew there might be a chance I could make a go of it. I graduated and got a 9-5 job at a magazine in NY using my Italian, and then would go to every open mike I could find in the evenings. I started performing in the city more regularly and building a little fan base. I started booking shows up in my native New England and then beyond. Eventually, by about 2000, I was making juuust enough from music to do it full-time. It’s been my job ever since. I don’t know if I can say I had the “idea” to do this work — I think my gut told me to head in a direction and then I (somewhat blindly) followed. I’m so grateful I did. I’ve just put out my 11th album and, 22 years in, I’ve never loved this work more.

Edie , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve been a professional singer-songwriter since 2000. I’ve toured across the US, Canada and Europe during that time, and I have released 8 studio albums and 3 live records. I write songs for TV/film/commercials and commissioned songs for my fans. I teach songwriting workshops and one-on-one as well. My favorite part of my work is the connection that comes from it. I write songs alone in my writing room, and then the greatest joy comes from getting to share them with audiences and seeing folks respond emotionally to them. I think songs are a remarkable reminder for all of us that we are not alone in this beautiful and sometimes brutal human experience.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I think for so many COVID was a true pivot point, and I was no exception. I had a whole bunch of tours scheduled in 2020 that got cancelled for what we all thought would be a few months. Who knew it would be 2+ years? Touring is my main source of income, so I had to get creative quickly. I, like many musicians, started performing online shows for donations. While nowhere as connected as live shows, I was so grateful for some connection with my fans and for the added income those shows brought. I also put the word out about my commission songs. I normally write 3-5 a year, and during 2020-21 I wrote 16 and was able to mostly replace the income I would have made touring. Being home for that long, too, was very new to me — and suddenly I had the time to be writing more. It was only because of that time home to focus solely on writing and not touring that I was able to make my new record “The Veil.”

Can you open up about how you funded your business?

When I wanted to make my first record “The Falling Places” back in 1998 I asked my Dad if I could use the $13K he had saved for me to go to grad school. I’m sure that was not welcome news, but he trusted me. There was no crowdfunding back then, so my only option (aside from getting a record deal which would have a been a bad deal for a little known artist like me) was my Dad being willing to let me use those funds. I’m eternally grateful for the help on my first step which led to this life in music. I had an investor for my 2nd record, and all the rest of my records have been fan-funded either through pre-orders or Kickstarter campaigns.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://www.ediecarey.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ediecarey/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ediecareymusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ediecarey
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE_a6hgu_Jo

Image Credits
Ryan Tanner Steve Willis Tim Carey