Last week, I caught up with my friend Carlie Johnson, who currently away with Belmont West, a program where students are able to take a semester and go to Los Angeles to explore the city and make new connections outside of Nashville through studies and internships. Carlie has been keeping busy with interning and writing new music, including a collaboration that just dropped! Here’s what she had to say about it all:
What made you decide to do Belmont West? My ultimate goal when I applied to the program was to intern under a music supervisor, and now I have the privilege of learning from Alexandra Patsavas at Chop Shop Music Supervision. Film and TV have always been a secondary love of mine to music, and being able to be in an environment that combines the two is overwhelming in the best way! Also, Jodi Marr told me almost a year ago that “I MUST go to LA”, so that was the icing on the cake for me. I had to come out here. Where is your internship? Are you enjoying it? I am REALLY enjoying my time at Chop Shop, and I feel like I’m finally starting to settle in! I still have a ton to learn, but I do know that Alex might be one of the coolest people I’ve met in this industry so far. She’s licensed Amy Winehouse’s music and compiled the soundtrack for Perks of Being A Wallflower! Does it get cooler than that? Do you have any advice for people traveling to LA for school? Give everything (including yourself) a bit of time before giving up on it! There is so much going on here at all times that it is so easy to get overwhelmed, and it is not realistic to assume that you’ll adjust right away. I had to pull over on the 405 to cry more than once in my first week here. It happens. Just keep going, you’ll get the hang of things. Tell me about your new project coming out with Jack Ohmes. I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS. It is a seven-track project of songs we’ve been writing since December of 2017, and we are both so excited about the way it turned out. While our styles are quite different sometimes, I really believe we brought out the best in each other on these tracks and found an equal balance between the two sounds. Coming off of creating my own album entirely by myself, and just existing in today’s political climate, I DESPERATELY needed to create something with positive elements that I could have fun with. I am so thankful for Jack in giving me an opportunity to create in a stress-free environment, and getting me out of the post-album/tour creative funk I’d been suffering from. It came out on the 21st! We are so excited for you to hear!!
Are there going to be any new Calrie singles in the near future? You can be expecting more than that, sister! I’ve got something BIG planned. I’m talking a multi-collaborative, mixed-media community-driven project that will bring a lot of elements together. I had it at the drawing table even before Goodside was finished, but something just clicked when I got out here to LA. That’s all I’ve got for now, but y’all know I can’t keep secrets. You’ll know sooner or later.
Here are links to Carlie and Jack’s pages on Spotify, including their newest project:
CALRIE: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5WXo5QUlwsSiCZz10LBHLp?si=ZVQRLqE-Qv6EEwR-bqbQJQ
JACK THE UNDERDOG: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5SAYvojx5xHsRISXBOZz0A?si=s4z7R6nPRAiNU44aqsevxQ
SEASONS: https://open.spotify.com/album/1iV1jHyEjPjSakY424x5Mb?si=TN2OnW25SmetQvFEYbqMhA
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