Today we’d like to introduce you to Carrington Kelso.
Hi Carrington, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
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 growing up hearing gospel music and Michael Jackson in the house, 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…and dance.
It was quiet at first; my voice. 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. She was patient though, I think deep down she knew I’d come around when I was ready.
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 things like private lessons 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 how that identity intersects with my Black identity, 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 with some help from some amazing friends, I did. (Shoutout to Solar, Jaleesa, Brownie, Kelvin, Marquisha and so many more!)
From that point forward, 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 had no idea what we were doing, but we knew we wanted to make music that felt good. We released our first project, “T.N.T (The New Truth) EP, in 2017. 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 and I am SURE we will be making music together in the future! 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, rebirth, and manifestation.
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”.
That same year I got into my first full-fledged relationship and we will be four years deep come October 2022. This experience has been one of the most amazing, confusing, beautiful, challenging, inspiring events in my life. Growing up, I had never seen a successful relationship up close, queer or otherwise, 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.
2020 was one of the rockiest years of my life, as it was for many others. I quit my job to pursue my music career full-time in March of 2020 and COVID-19 struck days later. This pandemic has prevented me from booking shows, studio time, and doing so many things that make being an artist so fulfilling. Navigating through the pandemic has taught me a lot about myself and about the world. It’s made me reevaluate what success means to me and has also brought me one of my closest friendships to date (shoutout to Marquis Hardy aka 10:20)!
During lockdown, I tried my best to sit with thoughts and feelings that could easily be suppressed though the hustle and bustle of life. In meditating, I found some of the best songs I didn’t know I had in me. Now with the world opening back up a bit, I am polishing up these tunes I’ve been writing throughout the pandemic and getting ready for my next full project! As always, I am looking to my past to set the bar because I am my only competition.
Be on the lookout for my next album dropping soon! And also another surprise venture that I can’t mention just yet!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road has been anything but smooth, but nothing worth having is ever 100% easy. 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.
The journey has also been a bit difficult growing up Black and queer. I recall two specific instances of being called the n-word to my face by two “friends” who said they loved me. Their world’s went on after that day, but it is something that I will never forget. On the flip side, as I grew into my queerness, the narrative wasn’t much different; I was an “abomination”, I was “going to hell”, etc. This type of hatred makes it extremely difficult to traverse through life and truly pursue happiness. Luckily I have an amazing group of friends and family who love me something serious! I don’t know where I would be without them.
It true that the world has become much more accepting and tolerant of the differences that make us all so beautiful, but there is still much work to do.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
The simplest answer to the question is I am a songwriter, but art is never that simple. I love world-building and storytelling and creating experiences; music allows me to do that. Through a lot of hard work and many songs that will never see the light of day, I have found a balance between creating bops that also carry my truth. That is what I am most proud of.
Beyond that, I take pride in my ingenuity. Like I said earlier, I didn’t grow up with all the resources I thought I needed to be an artist, but it forced me to be creative. I taught myself guitar, I taught myself production, I taught myself songwriting, I taught myself how to direct, I taught myself how to edit and so many other creative tricks…all because I didn’t have anyone else to teach me or do it for me. For that, I am proud.
As far as what sets me apart, I’d say it’s my hunger and my heart. For those who believe in astrology, I am a Capricorn Sun and a Cancer Moon. What that means is I want it all and then some, but I am also a big softie on the inside. These two parts of my personality keep me balanced; they keep me striving for excellence in and around my art. That is what sets me apart.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
For those just starting out, I’d say first and foremost that YOU ARE WORTHY! It is so easy to get in your head and criticize your art to the point that you will never put it out. You strive for perfection and when you don’t attain it, you feel worthless.
Know that perfection does not exist; not for humans anyway. All you need to focus on is being better than your last creation…one foot in front of the other. Before you know it, you’ll have a catalog of masterpieces behind you. Just put your head down and do the work. There is no book, no Youtube video, no mentor, no teacher that can do the work for you…YOU have to do it. And it’s hard. But it is worth it.
Also, trust your gut…trust your vision. There will be many people (including yourself sometimes) who try to talk you out of chasing what’s been placed on your heart but do it anyway. Do it for the child inside of you who dreamed about being on that stage or in that room or creating that “thing”.
You only get one life, you should be happy while you live it.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.CarringtonKelso.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/CarringtonKelso
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CarringtonKelso
- Twitter: https://www.twitter/CarringtonKelso
- Youtube: https://www.Youtube.com/CarringtonKelso
- SoundCloud: https://www.soundcloud.com/CarringtonKelso
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4Lih7XFaMllSTt80aCVHE5?si=0XOhnRS0RNqnOVpwxxd35w
Image Credits:
Sem Roberts, Kyle Ference, Jean Nelson
