Carissa Carter & Southern Light

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

Carissa , thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
My biggest influence in learning to take risks was receiving nods of encouragement that built my confidence in pursuing what I had always wanted to do, which is make a good living doing what I loved: singing and writing songs. Joel Weaver, who worked at Brick Row Music with Brad Davis, booked me a gig at Cocktail Creamery in McKinney a few years ago so I could earn a little extra cash. It was my first ever show, but it was also the catalyst that made me decide to put myself out there by recording some covers on social media because the worst I thought could happen was someone leaving a negative comment on my video. One of my friends then uploaded some old songs I had recorded with Joel at Brad’s Studio, Brick Row Music, on Spotify, and I had an entire acoustic album out within two weeks of deciding I didn’t want to be a lawyer. One of the songs called Walkabout, received over 10,000 streams, which blew me away. It was then I realized I might be able to make a living at doing music.

The growth and belief in myself and my abilities is what helped me start to take risks like travelling two to three nights a week to meet people at open mics, to attending events in the Texas Country Music Association and Texas Regional Radio Report and passing out around 300 business cards, or sharing the fact that I bought a bedpan guitar. I wouldn’t be doing anything with music if I hadn’t realized the best bet I’ll ever make in life is on myself succeeding. I would rather try and fail at this point than to have never tried at all.



Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
Hello! My name is Carissa Carter and I am a Country Singer-Songwriter from Sulphur Springs, Texas. I started writing songs when I was 13, and I’ve sung for as long as I can remember, but I never thought I was very good at it until I was in college. With some encouragement from others, I began to pursue music full-time. I graduated from Texas A&M University – Commerce with a degree in Political Science a little over a year ago now, but in the span of a year, I now have a band that performs with me, Carissa Carter and Southern Light, am gigging 3-5 nights a week, growing a social media presence, and I am working on releasing new music by early next year. If you are ever in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, or Louisiana, please come out to a show! The best part of my music is connecting with people through song. I think it’s safe to say a lot can change in a year!




There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The most important skill I use is not related to my musical abilities. It is being personable and kind to everyone I meet. The greatest offers of help and advice I have received on my journey have been because people wanted to help me because I was kind towards them. I always greet people with a smile, and make sure they feel loved and are smiling with me before I leave. This, in my opinion, is the greatest impact I will ever have: meeting people right where they are at and making them feel seen and loved.

Persistence is the quality that describes how I have framed my mind set since I made the choice to start pursuing music full time. I have run into a lot of setbacks, but I have also learned how to work around them or use them to my advantage. This can range from reaching out multiple times to a venue or band about playing if I don’t hear back to working through writer’s block with songwriting, or even a guitar string snapping and ripping a false eyelash off with it mid-show and trying to continue playing. The show must go on, as they say!

The last area of knowledge I would say has been the most impactful is remembering that while I love singing and have a blast on stage, all of this is secondary to music being a business. Someone told me very early on to always remember that music is called the “music business” for a reason, and that if I could learn the business, I would be able to have as much fun on stage and in the studio as I wanted. In the last year, I have learned they were right as I’ve seen my career rise as my knowledge increased.

I have two pieces of advice for people starting out: never forget why you started, and the people you need to help you on your journey are already in your life. Pursuing music is a rollercoaster of emotions, and you will need this reminder on the days where you are ready to throw in the towel. I have my reminder as to why I started set as my phone lock screen so I see it everyday. Secondly, when you need encouragement or help, your circle of friends will be the most important set of relationships you maintain. They will have your back. It may be a small circle at times, but never forget they are there for you and be there for them.



Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?
Managing my music business I have learned is the equivalent of doing the jobs of ten different people by myself. I love what I do, but sometimes I do feel overwhelmed and I need 2-3 more cups of coffee to get through the day. I typically break my to-do list down into 3 categories: “urgent, important, and when I can.” If a task is urgent, it must be completed by the end of the day. An example of this is checking in with a venue on the day of a show. An important task is one that needs to be finished by the end of the week, like finishing a song, and “when I can” items are things that have no deadline.

I also try to take some time for myself to be outdoors. I have discovered spending thirty minutes soaking in the sun’s rays with sunscreen on so I don’t become a lobster or walking my dog, Rosie, helps me drastically decrease my stress level. - Bold Journey