A choir girl turned country troubadour, Kristin Carter’s high-energy stage presence and dynamic vocals can move, excite, and empower an audience at any given moment.
In 2016, she turned her full creative attention to the genre and recorded a series of YouTube videos that garnered over 75,000 views.
In 2019 she’s setting her sights on the SiriusXM Top of The Country title. We caught up with Kristin by email and asked her a little bit about her music journey to date, life on the east and the west coast and some other important questions that every Kristin Carter fan (current or future) must know.
SCE: Choir girl turned country troubadour… There’s a huge difference between singing in a choir with maybe a dozen, or so, other voices, compared to singing on your own. Tell us about the decision to go from one of many voices to just you alone in the spotlight.
Kristin: Shout out to all my choir people! My transition to singing solo started with writing songs on my commute to work, and then I would seek out open mics to share my music. I wasn’t in a choir at that point and still wanted to be creative so it was a way for me to keep singing, but I was pretty shy initially because I was so used to having 20 other people around me.
SCE: You studied the most musical subject you could find at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, Economics (ok maybe not the most musical) and you grew up and have returned to White Rock, BC. From one coast and one extreme to the other. Both Nova Scotia and British Columbia have strong musical roots do feel that your style of country is influenced more by one or the other? Or would you say you’ve taken parts of the East and mixed it with parts of the West to create a unique to you sound?
Kristin: I know, weird right? Economics was music to my ears (still is), but maybe not everyone else’s haha. I’m very lucky to have spent time on the two coasts, and my music takes cues from them both. Loved my time in Nova Scotia, gotta love that east coast accent. Sociable!!! The live music scene there is lively and what I love about it most is it invites you to participate as a listener, there’s a lot of stomping and clapping along. I write a lot about the times I had with my friends there singing loudly, and not so proudly, to all the songs we loved. My west coast roots still shine through my writing as well so I’d say I’m a healthy blend.
SCE: If you could own any make, model or style of vehicle what would you own?
Kristin: Currently, I’d settle for one without a flat tire because mine has one… she’s a good car though, I call her “Goldie”. Dream car: batmobile.
SCE: Favourite TV show (all-time)?
Kristin: That’s a tie between The Office and Game of Thrones for me.
Kristin Carter
SCE: If you could tour with any artist, of any genre, who is still alive today who would it be?
Kristin: Shania Twain!
SCE: iPhone, Android or Pixel?
Kristin: iPhone because otherwise people complain when they try to start group chats with me.
SCE: Your ideal brain food?
Kristin: I love McDonald’s and I know it’s bad for me and my brain, but it’s what my brain tells me it wants. Also coffee, does that count?
SCE: Stress management: hit man, spa vacation or Prozac?
Kristin: If someone could tell me how to manage this… I’d appreciate it.
SCE: If you could be any superhero who would you be?
Kristin: Spiderman so I could swing from buildings all day and conquer my fear of spiders.
SCE: Multiple Part Question: Star Trek or Star Wars? If Star Trek pick from the following (Original series, TNG, Deep Space Nine, Voyageur, Enterprise, Discovery or all of them I’m a Trekkie). If Star Wars pick from the following (original trilogy, second trilogy (aka Episodes I-III), third trilogy, spin offs, or all of them I love Star Wars and I’ll watch it as long as it has the words Star Wars on it)
Kristin: Star Wars and definitely the original trilogy so I don’t have to watch Jar Jar Binks, creeps me out.
SCE: In “Kristin Carter, Story of My Life” – The Movie, who would play you?
Kristin: Meryl Streep because she kills it every time.
SCE: What’s been the highlight of your career to date?
Kristin: Singing the anthem for the Canucks game! I’ve been watching that team my whole life, I just wanted to get the boys real fired up to win, ya know?
SCE: Many artists we’ve worked with have crazy pre-show traditions or superstitions, if you will, that they must partake in before they’ll set foot on the stage. What is a must for you before every show?
Kristin: I don’t have any “musts” but I’ll tell ya what does happen, I get super nervous, sweat a lot, and then normally stare into the distance until my guitar player Marcus makes a joke to calm me down. I guess that’s “tradition” for us haha.
SCE: Take a moment to tell country fans across Canada why they should come and vote for you to be Canada’s next Top Country Star!
Kristin: If they come out and vote for me I promise to “Give Them Something They Can Dance To” for many years to come!
SCE: When the dust clears on Top of The Country and festival season what does the next year hold for Kristin Carter?
Kristin: Lots more performing, writing and music making. Stay tuned Canada!
If you want to learn more about this Kristin be sure to check out her website http://kristincartermusic.com/, follow her on social media and above all if you want her to be crowned Top of The Country you have to VOTE!! Voting ends May 17, you can get your votes in at https://topcountry.siriusxm.ca/!
Kristin may be considered an emerging artist but her voice is that of a seasoned, well trained, artist. Her songs are radio worthy and familiar, even if it’s the first time listening to her music. The great thing about Kristin is that she can easily cross between the genres of pop, country, jazz, blues or wherever she wants to be. Her covers of Camila Cabello’s “Havana” and The Beatles “Oh Darlin” are great examples of her unique, and powerful vocal skills. Kristin is definitely one to watch, if she plays her cards right in the next year or two she has all the potential of a major breakthrough! Winning Top of the Country would definitely help her on that quest!
