Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrington Kelso.
Carrington, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a singer/songwriter who began singing at the age of nine. I was raised by a single mother, and a God-fearing Grandmother, who loved me like their lives depended on it.
I remember hearing gospel music, and Michael Jackson, in the house growing up, but I truly fell in love with music the first time I heard Beyoncé and Alicia Keys. I was enamored by these two women’s lyrics and vocal abilities, and wanted to do what they were doing; I wanted to sing.
It was quiet at first. I was extremely shy growing up as a child and I could not sing in front of people. My mom did not even know that I could sing until she heard me in the shower one day. Even then, she did not believe that that is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
As middle school and high school rolled around, I began singing in choir. I loved it more than any other class and it further solidified my passion for singing. As I grew though, so did my insecurity around myself and my voice. I began socializing with children whose parents had paid for every private lesson under the sun for them to be the best musicians they could be. Growing up, we could not afford that and it made me doubt my self-worth and my abilities as a singer. I believed that I could never be as big as my idol, Beyoncé, let alone my peers who had been taking music lessons since they were five years old. Pair that insecurity with questions surrounding my sexuality and you get a ball of anxiety and depression.
I left high school still the shy, insecure, people pleaser I had always been. I had a lot of friends in high school and I believe it was because I was never too big; never took up too much space; never stood in my truth.
That all changed in college. My freshman year at Georgia Southern University, I joined a student led organization that changed my life; Adrenaline Show Choir. Adrenaline was one of the most difficult experiences I have ever faced. I was pushed mentally, and physically, harder than I had ever been push before. I was forced to become a better singer, a dancer (something I had never done until then), and a better performer. I was forced to find myself and that I did.
I began arriving with intention. Intentionally taking up the space, I had worked so hard to be in. I taught myself guitar and started writing songs (that were pretty bad at first). I started singing like I had something to say and slowly, but surely I started becoming who I was meant to be, an artist.
I left college with a fire in me the likes of which I had never seen. My vision for my artistry became clearer and I began taking steps to make my dreams a reality.
In 2016 my friends, Christian Warner and JT Kuhn, and I formed a band called “Kelso & The Commoners”. We released our first project, “T.N.T (The New Truth EP), in 2017. We had no idea what we were doing, but we knew we wanted to make music that felt good. Shout out to Gardy Arthur for recording, co-producing, mixing, engineering, mastering…all of it! We would not have finished that project without your help. That was my first taste of a studio and I was hooked! Unfortunately, life happens and “Kelso & The Commoners” broke up shortly after that. Christian, JT, and I are all still great friends!
After the band broke up, I kept writing, looking to top the EP. I began self-evaluating, looking at demons I had been fighting (and still find myself fighting from time to time) and new songs started flowing. In 2018, all of that turned into “Baptize Me” an album centered around self-reflection and rebirth.
As a songwriter, I pride myself on telling stories within my music and “Baptize Me” picks up where “T.N.T” left off. My life, up until that point, had been a string of heartbreaks; some I had control of, others I did not. In the end, I felt like the music had washed me clean and I was ready to begin again. That is why I titled it, “Baptize Me”.
Now in 2020, I am in my first full-fledged relationship and we will be two years deep come October 2020. This experience has been one of the most amazing, confusing, beautiful, challenging, inspiring events in my life. I have never seen a successful relationship up close and as a result, I do not know what the hell I’m doing. But, I try to lead with love and patience as I was raised to do. I love him something serious and have written some of the best music of my life drawing from our experiences.
This year has been a bit rocky to say the least. I quit my job to pursue my music career in March 2020, COVID-19 has prevented me from booking shows, and I truly have no idea what is coming next. I have faith through it all though. I know that this is what I am meant to do with my life and I plan on doing just that!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The biggest challenge I have faced on this journey is the fight to be 100% myself. Growing up without a father really messed me up. I thought that if he did not want me, how could anyone else want me and as a result I became a people pleaser to try to prove my worth. I thought that if people approved of me my spiritual cup of worth would be filled and I learned the hard way that it does not work that way. I learned that I had to find value in myself. I had to define what I was worth first and people would follow suit. I’m still working on showing up with the intention of being 100% myself, but I am SO much better than I was as a child.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
At my core, I am a storyteller. I do it through lyrics, melodies, eventually music videos, but all of those are means to tell stories. To me, music is one of the last forms of magic on the face of the planet. I have seen what it can do to people and how it can bring people together and I want my music to do that. I want my stories to do that.
If you were to ask my family/friends/fans what I am known for, I would guess they would say love and vulnerability. I try to leave it all on the stage when I perform. If a song makes me want to cry, I cry. If a song makes me want to laugh, I laugh. I think that my audience feels that authenticity when they see me live and that is something I am so proud of…that is something that sets me apart from many of my peers.
I know many artists struggle with capturing that “lightening in a bottle”. To me, the lightening in the metaphor comes from telling the truth, your truth. You may not resonate with everyone who comes to see you live or listens to your music, but those you do connect with will stay with you forever.
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
First, let me say that I would not want to start over at this point because I am so proud of my journey and experiences. I know that my testimony will help someone else take one more step forward in life and I am happy to help them do so.
If I HAD to start over, I would have started living my truth WAY sooner. I wish I could go back to my nine years old self and tell him that you have nothing to fear. When you grow up, you will be loved for your Blackness, your queerness, and your art. To anyone reading this, please let my story serve as a reminder that IT GET’S BETTER. I promise!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CarringtonKelso.com
- Email: carringtonkelso.business@gmail.com
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/CarringtonKelso
- Facebook: www.Facebook.com/CarringtonKelso
- Twitter: www.Twitter.com/CarringtonKelso
- Other: www.Patreon.com/CarringtonKelso
Image Credit:
Sem Roberts (@thr33.roses), Brian Jenosa (@jrianbenosa)
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