Exclusive Interview: Kirstin Carter Talks ‘Karma,’ Full Bloom, And More!

Hey, honey bees it’s been a while since we brought you another artist to dive in and enjoy. Today, we thought we would introduce you to an artist who can seemingly do it all, from country to Imogen Heap-core music. Kristin Carter is your girl! Ever since her full album Full Bloom dropped, we have been full-on Kristin Carter fans, with the song basically playing on a loop. So we are sure you’d also enjoy her music.

Well, since we are obviously obsessed with the gal, we won’t stall much longer and give you our interview with this singer-songwriter all about her album, making music, inspirations, a Christmas album, and a potential tour! Let’s dive in.

First of all, hi Kristin it is such a pleasure to talk to you today, and congrats on your first full album Full Bloom. How did you celebrate the album finally hitting streaming platforms? Any special treat you gave yourself?
Thank you! A pleasure to chat with you as well. I hosted a listening party and played some new songs from the album to celebrate. It was a great night, so that was a real treat for me!

The record is all about you reinventing yourself musically and it gives us peak contemporary pop vibes. We also hear a little bit of Imogen Heap in your songs, especially ‘I’m Still Here.’ What inspired you to switch genres?
I’ve been influenced by a lot of different kinds of music in my lifetime; I grew up singing in choirs and loving musical theatre, but I also loved pop music, R&B, and country. All of these genres really drove the diverse sonic landscape of Full Bloom. The approach to making the album felt limitless which was exciting, and I really cherished the process of exploring all the different sounds and pathways that came up. I’m really flattered by the Imogen Heap comparison, I definitely leaned into layering and balancing harmonies.

All of Full Bloom’s tracks are meant to be musical flowers tackling different themes that are big in one’s 20s. However, let’s make an imaginary flower bouquet for the record. What flowers would be in it? 
I would have; peonies that represent bright hopefulness, roses that represent beauty, guarded with thorns to protect, wildflowers and greenery that represent spontaneity and existentialism, and baby’s breath for light and airy romantic energy. The album is very multifaceted in its themes and emotions, so the bouquet would be pretty varied as well. Lots of colors and shapes!

We have to admit we were stunned watching the ‘I’m Still Here’ music video, the visuals are absolutely stunning and the concept is so unique and fitting for the song’s theme of personal resilience. Who came up with the ideas for the music video? How was it filming it with your friends? Any funny or meaningful moments from set? 
Thank you! It turned out even better than I had imagined. My friend and collaborator Eva Tavares conceptualized the idea of the statue in the garden, weathered over time. It was such a blast to film with friends. We were all super excited about the project.

One of my favorite memories from that day was goofing around with the visual effects makeup artist Isabelle Fallu, who created the statue look for the video (no special effects, that was all makeup!).  It was about 3 hours each morning to get into the look, so we got to know each other very fast. The makeup was very durable – so durable that I needed a special makeup remover to get it off. The first day filming, I had run out of it and had to go to the store to get more after the shoot. I tried to hide my face as best as possible, so I didn’t scare anyone but I did give some poor guy a jump scare.

Full Bloom is definitely your most vulnerable work yet and we appreciate getting to see more of Kristin Carter. Let’s talk about how this record came about. Which one was the first song you wrote from the record? What came first melody or a line of lyric?
I can’t remember which song came first, to be honest. It was a several-year process of collecting and writing over time. It was kind of hard to narrow it down at the end! In terms of what came first; lyrics or melody, it really varied. Sometimes I’d think of some lyrics or a topic I really wanted to write about and other times I’d hear a melody. Occasionally my collaborator Marcus Ramsay would also come up with an instrumental loop and we would write to that, it was a really flexible process which I loved. 

Speaking of the making of Full Bloom, how did you decide on the track list lineup? ‘Euphoria’ as one of the lead singles opens the record while ‘I’m Still Here’ can be found rather late on the record. What was your process and the story you wanted to tell?
I wanted to have a smooth mix of upbeat into slow and then upbeat again etc. ‘Euphoria’ has that neat cinematic intro so Marcus and I thought it would be perfect to open the album. From there, we tried to stack things by pace and feel. We ended with ‘Good People Good Wine’ which has that singalong outro. It felt like the perfect way to end the album. 

How does it feel now that the ‘Lazy Sunday’ music video is out for the world to see?
Very exciting. Our whole crew worked super hard on it so it’s great to be able to share it. I never thought I’d learn how to fly in my life, and now I can’t wait to do it again some day. Luckily I’m not afraid of heights!

We can’t talk about your music without mentioning ‘Karma’ and how absolutely addicting it is as a country song. The line “Karma is a boomerang you get what you give” is incredibly catchy and so on point. What’s your favorite line from the song?
Thanks for loving it!  My favorite line would be “The wicked web you wove gonna come unstitched It’s a universal truth hunny Karma, is a…”  because it has some awesome alliteration in there.

Yes, ‘Karma’ has made it onto our line dance playlist. Have you ever had an idea for one for the single? Would you ever love to see your fans do a TikTok challenge to the song? 
I’ll leave that to the extremely talented dancers on TikTok! I would certainly love to see fans having fun with any of my songs, because when I really think about how I want to impact people, my hope is that they connect with my music and express their appreciation in ways that are positive and fun for them. However they want to support me – whether it’s going to shows, listening on streaming platforms, TikTok challenges, or picking one of my songs for a wedding, which blows my mind – that just means I’ve accomplished what I set out to do. It’s an amazing feeling. I appreciate the love in all forms!

Your newest record explores the possibilities of contemporary pop but will we ever get another country, Kristin Carter? Or what other genres would you like to explore?
Full Bloom has a contemporary pop flavour for sure, but the songs are influenced by a wide variety of genres. Country is just one of these genres. I don’t think my music will ever have just one genre label moving forward, because I enjoy exploring different styles and bringing them together. Something I am really excited to explore is recording a Christmas album, which I will be doing next!

This one is definitely not just for us and to get more info about your music taste. But if you had to make a playlist themed around ‘I’m Still Here’ or any other song off of Full Bloom which artists would be on it? What would be the cover photo and name of the playlist?  
If it was based on ‘I’m Still Here’, you mentioned Imogen Heap earlier and her music would certainly be on it. I would also have Adele, Bjork, Enya and Sarah McLachlan. The cover photo would be a black and white picture of the ocean or a wave with the title ‘I’m Still Hear’ for a sneaky little play on words.

And last but not least, if you ever get the chance to tour for Full Bloom, what would a Kristin Carter tour be like? What would be the color concept, the stage design, and most importantly the opening song?
For a stadium tour, the opener would be ‘Euphoria’ – it’s upbeat and gets the vibes going. As for stage design, if I had all the money in the world, I would have a stage that doubles as a projection screen that has flower visualizers and warm lights blooming while the performance is going on with colors to match the theme of each song. The images would interact with me and the band while performing to create an immersive experience for the audience. I would also love to do a more intimate tour where I can speak about the themes and inspiration for the songs. It would feature me on a stage with a grand piano that is bursting with hundreds of flowers falling to the floor. There would be flowers everywhere.

Well, there you have it. We are already saving up for either of these tours that’s for sure Kristin. Also that Christmas album? We are sooo ready. But what about you? What’s your favorite song off the Full Bloom album? Let us know in the comments below or hit us up on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

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