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

Serena, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

On the 16th of June, I released my latest single “Lipstick on a Glass”. For an independent artist like myself, every new music release is a big achievement given the amount of time money and work we invest in every project, however, this song in particular is a special one.
Up until now, I have always shared new music around Fall or Winter, given the moody, gloomy atmosphere I create when writing.
Lipstick on glass is an exception. It’s an ironic, fun, upbeat, short track created to become an earworm that is impossible to escape from.
I am not the exact same person I was when I started releasing music in 2017, and it feels like a natural evolution to change my sound accordingly to the person I have become.
Yet I believe I stayed true to myself: Lipstick On a Glass is a self-reflective anthem about self-love. The lyrics convey an important warning to the listener: it’s fun to change yourself with the aid of make-up, but at the end of the day we shouldn’t change ourselves hoping to be liked by others. I love the feeling that a bold shade of lipstick gives me when I put it on, but that is a transitory emotion, the love and respect I have for myself has the be what stays all day and every day.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Serena Carretti, on stage “SERENA” and I am a music artist.

I grew up in a small town in Northern Italy, I moved to the US after high school to then relocate to the UK, London to be precise, to study music at University. I have always loved singing and all things musical, I come from a very artsy family (my mum is a sculptress and my dad is an architect) but I never thought I was good enough to pursue music as a career path and living in a small province town did not give me the right environment to flourish artistically. I had to move across the ocean, learn a new language and meet new cultures to find out who I really was. Funny how it happens for some people haha.

I am a singer, songwriter, producer and entrepreneur, and I take care solely of every aspect of my career.
We call ourselves “DIY Artists”, as in Do It Yourself.
These days, thanks to technology, it is possible to skip many steps of a music release, steps that not even 20 years ago were impossible to do without a record label by your side.
However, there are pros and cons that come with this path: a label has more funds to invest in projects and a bigger platform and connections to showcase the final product.
On the other hand, the pros are full creative control over everything that comes out with my name on it, and I get to build my fan base via social media and in face-to-face interactions by presenting my true self and not a “persona” that someone else decided for me.

Since 2017, I single-handedly released 6 singles, one EP, 2 remixes, 5 music videos, played shows in iconic London venues like the O2 Islington, Notting hills arts club, and The Troubadour, but most importantly shared my unfiltered point of view with my songs, under my own terms, and no one else’s.
Yes, I had to postpone music launches, and couldn’t afford tours or dates, PR campaigns, or extra hours in the recording studio.
But I persevered, and didn’t compromise, and I am grateful for every single being who streams my songs, buys a ticket to a show or chats with me after a concert.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Before using social media to promote my work, it was a way to share my journey with friends and family. When I first moved to the States I started posting on a regular basis to let my loved ones know I was doing fine, but it quickly turned into strangers asking about my experience travelling abroad after high school. I never meant to inspire anyone, just sharing my daily life. But in hindsight it is all connected: music is a form of communication and self-expression, similarly, social media allowed me to tell my stories via different media like videos and photos and text.

To someone who is just starting out, I would recommend having very clear what their core beliefs are: once you get that down the rest will follow.
I believe in sincere storytelling because even if there’s a screen between you and the audience users can tell when someone is being genuine and when not.
Then of course it’s up to you to decide what aspects of your life/job to share and what to keep for yourself, you are the master and we are not all alike. Sometimes I wish I was a mysterious songwriter who posts blurry black-and-white photos and poetry captions. But I am not, I am a passionate, emotional, oversharer who loves colour and sings loudly. And my tone of voice on social media reflects that.
I have gained years of experience in using various platforms, collaborated with different professionals (videographers, graphic designers, photographers, marketers), and attended many courses to improve my knowledge on the subject.
If you are just starting out it can all be very daunting and it will take time before you start seeing concrete results. Don’t be discouraged by that: make sure to put the work in, and reach out to professionals to get you on the right path. A consultancy with a social media manager, or a photoshoot with a professional photographer can take you a long way especially when you are starting out.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are many books I could quote, but the first one that I read that really made me shift my outlook on social media and more generally my way of communicating was “Tribe” by Seth Godin. The core of the text is that you don’t need 10 thousand followers to reach your goals, but a group of 100, real, genuinely interested people is all you need. And that group is your “tribe”. You don’t need followers but engaged individuals who actively want to participate in your journey, and you, have to be their leader, not their boss.
One can apply this concept to many fields, but when it comes to DIY artists like myself who may not be able to benefit from a wider platform like the one major labels offer, is quite a groundbreaking shift of paradigm.
Think about it: you post a photo on your socials and you “only” get 90 likes, compared to the 90 thousand that Beyonce gets. At first, that might feel disappointing, but if those likes come from 90 engaged individuals who believe in your project and want to see you succeed, that is literally all you need.
Imagine a room with 90 people: that is a lot!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://iamserena.bandcamp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iamserena/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/iamserenamusic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/IAMSERENAMUSIC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@iamserenamusic

Image Credits
Ilaria Iannarilli