Conversations with Maria Carrelli

Today we’d like to introduce you to Maria Carrelli.

Hi Maria, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today. 
I’ve always had a love of music. Ever since I was a little kid, it just made so much sense, especially when so much else didn’t. Music was always there. I remember being obsessed with musicals and singing all the songs from them. West Side Story, Sound of Music, South Pacific, My Fair Lady… To this day, I love a good musical! My love of music was never limited to just one genre either; I loved anything I could get my hands on: anything from old punk records, 90s and 2000s pop, 80s new wave, 90s RnB… I found a deep love for traditional Irish music as well. Traditional Irish music really seared melodies into my soul as most of it didn’t have words; you just learned a melody line and played it over and over. You were literally pulling history in the form of notes out from an instrument with your fingertips! They were all tunes passed down through generations, wars, and hardships and all with no recording equipment available. It’s like one long, beautiful line of musical telephone. From that adoration of Irish music came my love of old-time American folk and bluegrass, eventually leading to country and beyond. Any song from a great songwriter is fascinating to me. Nothing is as delectable to me as a perfectly written simple song, especially with just an acoustic guitar and a voice. To this day, this is my favorite kind of music. The ability to connect to the deepest part of someone’s feelings, fears, desires, and longing through well-written, poignant words is fascinating to me. That connection between the artist and the audience (whether it be one person or millions) is true magic. Maybe it stems from being a very shy kid growing up. When my shyness wouldn’t let me connect, I could do so through notes, melody, and songs… Ever since the first few times I played in front of people my own songs I was hooked! 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
To achieve is to push past struggle. Especially in an industry such as the music industry. It’s not an easy atmosphere to succeed in, especially being a woman. Especially being a front woman. So much of what you do is scrutinized in ways your male counterparts could never understand. So many of your requests are looked at as unreasonable demands. So much of your kindness is mistaken as weakness. I’ve showed up at a show once in a flannel shirt and was told by the man who booked me for the gig that “I didn’t look like I was dressed to perform,” and then a week later showed up in a dress to another show and proceeded to be verbally sexually harassed by the man running sound. As I said, I’ve always been a shy soul. With that also comes the burden of people pleasing, which I think, to a certain extent, every woman feels the pressure of that burden at some point or another. I’ve really had to take some hard looks at myself and my tendencies to keep quiet in the literal presence of abuse within the industry. It has no doubt made me a stronger person. It also has made me a better writer. I will always remember a man who tried calling himself my manager at one point angrily raising his voice while telling me “I was nothing without him”, that “I would never be anything without him”. And that my songs were “going nowhere.” I’ve had male counterparts in bands whisper under their breath “Nazi” when I asked them to play a part of the song I wrote differently. I’ve had male band members talk back to me mid-show on big stages because I asked them to hold off on certain notes. I can’t tell you how many times I see my male counterparts thriving on stages after being accused of sexual misconduct. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen their behavior under the influence of drugs and alcohol render their shows incoherent, only to have the conduct glorified by their fanbase and enabled by the venue owners who ask them to come back. 

All this being said, I’ve had to learn to listen to myself. To love my own musical ear. To respect and trust it. To never let anyone tell me what sounds better and what doesn’t because that is the beating heart of creation and artistry; you get to make something that is all yours no matter what gender you are. I’ve fallen so deeply in love with music written by other women, that hardly any music written by any man, even the “greats” can touch it. I have fallen unequivocally in love with my own feminine power in writing. Our writing and performances draw from a deep, beautiful pool of love, softness, fire-hot anger, understanding, curiosity, strength, and patience. What a beautiful collection of feelings. 

Some of the most powerful and moving lyrics and performances for me have come from women. Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, H.E.R, HAIM, Margo Cilker, Joni Mitchell, Georgia English, Amy Winehouse, Kathleen Edwards, Lori McKenna, MUNA, Phoebe Bridgers, SZA, Dolly Parton, Lucinda Williams… I’m simply just naming the powerhouses that are on the top of my brain right now, but the list truly extends infinitely. 

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am known for being a singer, songwriter, and performer out of the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area. Guitar is my main instrument, and I write and perform my own songs. I have performed all over the U.S., and my music has even taken me to Mexico. I play both solo and with a full band. I love connecting with others with my songs; there is truly no better feeling in the world to me. I have played music professionally for about 10 years now and my songs have brought so many cool opportunities into my life I could never have dreamed of. I have one full-length album out as of now, and I am currently working on a second studio album. I’m very proud of the music I make and, even more so, the growth I’ve experienced through that music, both personally and as a writer. I think what sets me apart from others in my field is being a female artist who writes all my own music, and I take my own guitar leads as well. I have worked very hard on my own skills on my instrument and have learned so much over the years through playing it. That is actually the name of my full-length album is “Strings on My Guitar” – which is an ode to my instrument that has been with me through so much and has pulled me through a lot over the years. I have literally put food on my table, a roof over my head, and happiness in my heart, all with my guitar and my voice. 

What matters most to you? Why?
What matters most to me is connection. Connection from one human to the other is so sacred to me. I believe it is the foundation to life as people on this earth. I have devoted my life to this connectivity through music because it is such a beautiful way to reach others. I have a science background, so especially on a biological level is this endlessly amazing to me. The sound waves, the literal energy and vibrations of music being played, instantly becomes a shared experience between anyone close enough to the sound waves. The literal vibrations of music notes have to pass through the physical matter that make up our cells and what makes up those cells… how can it not affect us in some way? Through music, you can feel another’s pain, fear, joy, radiance. Even when no words are being sung, you can feel the sadness of a minor chord. You can feel the brightness of a major chord. You can feel the tension of a seventh chord. You can feel all of this and understand where this person is, even who the person is. No matter what background we may have, what gender, what age… We all have the ability to understand each other. There is no emotion in the human experience that hasn’t been felt by everyone at some point. 

Music is one way to achieve connection, but I believe in the importance of everyday encounters as well, even those mistaken as the mundane. A smile at a check-out counter. A compliment on the street. A laugh with a stranger in the rain at a bus stop. To me, life makes sense with these tiny moments of togetherness. 

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mariacarrelli.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mariacarrellimusic
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mariacarrellimusic/

Image Credits
Chuck Loftice
Bri Nicole