EJ SAFTNER: HOW ARE YOU TODAY?
CARTER FAITH: I AM GOOD, IT’S A MONDAY, YOU KNOW. I ACTUALLY LOVE MONDAYS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THE WEEK… IT’S A NEW WEEK. SO I’M FEELING GOOD. FALL IS FINALLY HERE AND I LOVE FALL, SO, I’M IN A GOOD MOOD.
—
EJ: DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE LINE YOU’VE EVER WRITTEN? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LINE TO HAVE THE CROWD SING BACK TO YOU?
CARTER: OH GOSH… I FEEL LIKE I AM SUCH A WRITER AT HEART SO I WRITE EVERY WEEK, LIKE A COUPLE TIMES A WEEK. I FEEL LIKE MY FAVORITE LINE IS PROBABLY A LINE I WROTE RECENTLY THAT I HOPE I GET TO RELEASE… IT’S KIND OF SIMPLE BUT IT’S CALLED, “THIS IS GOODBYE AS IT GETS.” I WROTE THIS SONG WITH SOME OF MY FAVORITE WRITERS AND I DON’T KNOW. I JUST LOVE HOW SIMPLE A LINE CAN BE BUT ALSO SAY A LOT. SO, THAT’S PROBABLY MY FAVORITE LINE I’VE WRITTEN… AS OF RIGHT NOW.
AND THEN, I THINK WHAT I LOVE HEARING PEOPLE SING BACK IS “LASSO” AT SHOWS. I HAVEN’T PLAYED A TON OF SHOWS WITH THE EP OUT BUT I LOVE WHEN I GO OUT AND PEOPLE SING “LASSO” BACK TO ME AND GO, LIKE, MAKE A LASSO MOVEMENT. I THINK IT’S SO FUN. I FEEL SO CONNECTED TO THE CROWD. I JUST LOVE SEEING PEOPLE HAVE FUN WITH MY MUSIC. IT’S KINDA MAGICAL, IT’S CRAZY.
—
EJ: IF YOU COULD LISTEN TO ONE SONG FOR THE FIRST TIME AGAIN, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY?
CARTER: OH MY GOSH. I THINK I WOULD LISTEN TO “WHISKEY LULLABY” BY BRAD PAISLEY. JUST NEVER GETS OLD. I FEEL LIKE EVERYTIME I LISTEN TO IT, I GET CHILL BUMPS EVERYWHERE. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE BEEN IN THE ROOM WHEN THAT SONG WAS BEING WRITTEN, YOU KNOW? IT’S JUST SUCH A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF WORK.
—
EJ: WHAT HAS BEEN A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE THAT STANDS OUT AS AN INFLUENCE ON YOUR CAREER?
CARTER: OHHH.. I THINK, I THINK PROBABLY THE FIRST TIME I WROTE A SONG. I DIDN’T WRITE A FIRST SONG UNTIL I WAS 16 AND I DIDN’T RUN WITH IT, I GUESS. I WROTE A SONG AND THEN MAYBE A YEAR LATER, WROTE A SECOND SONG. BUT I WAS SO UPSET ABOUT SOMETHING AND I GRABBED MY GUITAR AND WAS SINGING MY FAVORITE SONGS AND I WAS KIND OF JUST REALIZING IT WASN’T MAKING ME FEEL BETTER. SO I STARTED JOURNALING AND WRITING… WELL, I’VE ALWAYS LOVED WRITING POEMS. SO THAT WOULD ALWAYS HELP, BUT, IT WAS A WEIRD, UNIVERSE MOMENT AND I WAS SO UPSET. I HAD TO DO SOMETHING THAT I HAD NEVER DONE AND I PUT MUSIC WITH WORDS AND I THINK I WROTE A SONG IN LIKE 15 MINUTES. I PROBABLY STILL REMEMBER IT, BUT… I THINK IT WAS THAT MOMENT WHEN I WAS LIKE, ‘WOW.’
IF YOU’VE EVER WRITTEN A SONG, AND THE FIRST TIME YOU DO, IT’S LIKE, ‘THIS IS NOT OF THIS WORLD. THIS IS CRAZY, I JUST WROTE A SONG.’ THAT WAS JUST SUCH A PIVOTAL MOMENT FOR ME. I WAS 16, ON MY BED, CROSS-LEGGED, AND JUST… I THINK MY WHOLE LIFE CHANGED THAT DAY.
—
EJ: YOU HAVE A SONG CALLED “LEAVING TENNESSEE,” – WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE SPOT IN TENNESSEE?
CARTER: I REALLY LOVE THE MOUNTAINS OF TENNESSEE. I’M FROM NORTH CAROLINA, LIKE THE MIDDLE OF THE STATE, AND SO I LOVE BEING ABLE TO GO TO THE MOUNTAINS AND THE BEACH. WE DON’T HAVE A BEACH IN TENNESSEE BUT I LOVE THE MOUNTAINS. I HAVEN’T REALLY GOTTEN TO ADVENTURE AROUND TENNESSEE BUT I’M ABOUT TO ON A WRITING RETREAT IN THE MOUNTAINS SO I THINK I’M GOING TO LOVE THAT THE MOST.
—
EJ: IF YOU HAD TO BOIL DOWN YOUR GOAL IN MUSIC TO ONE PHRASE, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
CARTER: OH, I THINK… THIS IS GOING TO BE A LONG WINDED ANSWER. WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MUSIC IS I CAN ESCAPE INTO IT, BUT IF I ALSO WANT TO FEEL IT, I CAN REALLY DIVE IN AND FIND MYSELF IN THE LYRICS AND ANALYZE THEM. I HOPE THAT MY MUSIC DOES THAT FOR PEOPLE. I HOPE IT TRANSPORTS PEOPLE INTO A MORE BEAUTIFUL WORLD. A WORLD THAT WE ALL HOPE LIFE IS ACTUALLY LIKE, WHERE THINGS ARE MORE PEACEFUL AND BEAUTIFUL AND ROMANTIC.
BUT THEN, IF YOU REALLY GO INTO IT, IT’S LIKE… BUT THIS IS LIFE. LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL ITSELF. WE ARE ALL DIFFERENT AND WE ARE ALL SPECIAL AND I THINK… I DON’T KNOW WHAT PHRASE THAT IS. I GUESS I JUST HOPE SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE TAKE AWAY IS THAT LIFE IS BEAUTIFUL. IT’S BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE THEY ARE IN IT AND EVERYONE AROUND THEM IS IN IT. ALL THE BAD AND ALL THE GOOD MAKES UP ON HUGE WORLD THAT IS BEAUTIFUL.
—
EJ: WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST MUSIC INFLUENCES FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD? WHO ARE THEY NOW?
CARTER: OKAY… DOLLY PARTON WAS ALWAYS AN INFLUENCE OF MINE. I LOVED HER AND OBVIOUSLY STILL DO. I REALLY LOVED THE 70S COUNTRY SCENE AND THEN THE 70S ROCK SCENE, LIKE THE EAGLES. I LOVE LINDA RONSTADT. MY GRANDPA AND I WOULD LISTEN TO THEM IN THE CAR WHEN I WAS LITTLE.
AND NOW, I WOULD SAY MY BIGGEST INFLUENCES ARE PROBABLY ERIC CHURCH AND KACEY MUSGRAVES. JUST GETTING TO APPRECIATE THE LYRICS AS I GET OLDER IS SO SPECIAL. I ALWAYS LOVED THEIR MUSIC BUT NOW UNDERSTANDING IT, I THINK, HAS BEEN REALLY CRAZY. SO, YEAH.
—
EJ: DO YOU HAVE ANYTHING ELSE, EITHER ABOUT MUSIC OR SOMETHING ON YOUR HEART, THAT YOU’D LIKE TO TAKE THE CHANCE TO SAY?
CARTER: I GUESS I’M JUST REALLY EXCITED TO BE STARTING THIS JOURNEY. I THINK PEOPLE SEE PEOPLE COME ON THE SCENE AND THINK IT JUST KIND OF HAPPENED BUT I WROTE MY FIRST SONG AT 16. IT’S REALLY EMOTIONAL LOOKING BACK, FROM WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW.
I GUESS SOMETHING THAT’S HELPED ME IN THE PAST YEAR AND HOPEFULLY WILL FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE IS THAT WE ARE ONLY PUT ON THIS EARTH TO BE EXACTLY WHO WE ARE AND SAY WHAT WE WERE SUPPOSED TO SAY. I’M NEVER GOING TO WAKE UP REMEMBERING THAT EVERY SINGLE DAY, BUT I THINK THAT’S SOMETHING I WOULD ALWAYS LIKE TO REMEMBER AND WISH MORE PEOPLE KNEW. IT SEEMS REALLY SIMPLE BUT ESPECIALLY IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY, AND IN LIFE, OBVIOUSLY, I THINK THAT’S HARD TO REMEMBER, SO… JUST ANY CHANCE I GET I WOULD LIKE TO TELL PEOPLE THAT.
—