We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Karina Nistal. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Karina below.
Karina, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?
I had such a desire to become an entertainer early on. As a child, I played piano, learned ballet, tap, jazz, and even karate. I joined the school choir from junior high to high school. I also taught myself hip hop and freestyle dance.
I wanted a career in music. I had the desire to record music and began to look for producers to help me develop my sound.
I started networking and meeting connections through friends. Those connections took me farther. I had been writing lyrics since I was 12, I was ready to record my own songs. Some of my songs were underdeveloped and some just needed creative direction. The producers helped me construct the songs from start to finish or helped me decide what to scrap.
I worked with one producer for many years and we started to build a song catalog. Little did I know this would lead to me signing my first record deal with a small indie label. After finishing my first album, we toured overseas to perform for our military. After the first album, I realized there were too many creative differences to move forward. I left the label after five years of being signed and started a label in an effort to release my own music.
Every album since has been released independently. I have been able to keep the rights to my songs and for those involved in the creative process, or whoever took part in creating the songs.
There is so much I wish I would’ve learned sooner but I realized I needed the experience to help me grow. You have to fail in order to succeed. The most essential skills to always have are networking, communication, and persistence. More often than not you will feel discouraged because there won’t be many opportunities coming your way. Use this as fuel to create your own!
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
My name is Karina Nistal. I am a Singer/Songwriter, Performer, and Entertainer. I started writing music when I was 12 years old. I began recording in the studio at 18. I knew I wanted to sing, act, and perform. I started hosting events and working on commercials shortly after releasing my first album. I’ve also enjoyed working on films, TV shows, and performing voice overs! I am currently working on my 7th studio album “Soulspired” which will be released under my label L.O.V.E. Records this Fall 2022. Recently, I have been consulting with a lot of new artists on funding and marketing strategy. I enjoy performing for a variety of events and connecting with as many people as I can.
What do you find most rewarding about being creative?
Being an artist has helped me express myself through my music. It’s helped me overcome painful experiences and share happy, hopeful ones as well. It’s gratifying to hear from one of your listeners that they connected to your music or a certain song helped them through a difficult time.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
If we could pull together and share each other’s work more often it would really help us expand our network. Cross promotion to different audiences is so important! I’ve been fortunate enough to have friends do this for me and their reach has made a significant difference. I also enjoy being able to do this for my creative friends to help grow their following,
Contact Info:
- Website: www.Karinanistal.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/karinanistal
- Facebook: Facebook.com/karinanistalmusic
- Linkedin: LinkedIn.com/karinanistal
- Twitter: Twitter.com/karinanistal
- Youtube: YouTube.com/c/karinanistal
Image Credits
Steven Traylor Images