New Music Alert: Cari Q

How did you get started in music? 

Cari: I’ve always been musical (singing and writing since I was a kid), but I didn’t have my first band until high school. We started locally in Houston with talent shows and local dives, but in a years time graduated to shows at House of Blues and Continental club (Houston). It’s pretty easy to get the false sense of what the music industry is like when your band makes it “high school famous”. I will say however that the experience got me addicted to performing live. There’s no greater feeling that making music with your friends while several hundred strangers sing your lyrics.  

Tell me about Kill Me Twice, what’s the story behind the song?

Cari: I think like a lot of other artists I draw inspiration from my personal experiences, or those of people close to me. “Kill Me Twice” is actually a song about addiction, or rather, being in love with someone who suffers from addiction. A few years ago I fell pretty hard for someone who was determined to let me down. It was a really difficult time in my life because the whole thing felt so desperate. I’m grateful at least that I have the outlet of songwriting to make something out of that sort of pain.

What has been the biggest challenge you’ve faced in you career and how did you overcome it?

Cari: One of the biggest struggles for me was to overcome the idea that my music was well received because of the things I couldn’t control, like my gender, or appearance. Honestly it put such a big chip on my shoulder that people always made a big deal about a girl doing rock and roll. I didn’t have many mentors when I was 16 encouraging me to try my hardest at my craft, instead I had creepy industry dudes telling me about how marketable my image was(and still DO!). Thankfully, I work around many inspiring female musicians now who’s art and passion inspire me to do just that. 

What’s your best piece of advice for young women?

Cari: The best advice I could give for a woman aspiring to a life in the music biz, is to know your stuff. Be so educated in your craft that no one can belittle you. What that means practically is to drill scales, nerd out on what inspires you, focus on your technique and the rest will fall into place.