Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Carolina is now a pop singer, songwriter, and dancer in LA. She discovered her passion for music very young and started dancing at age 8. Ever since that moment Carolina has been developing her artistic career. She has a talent for creating captivating melodies. Carolina’s single “Better Off on My Own” is a pop song with a catchy melody and electronic undertones. Carolina spotlights her silky voice by keeping the background music at a relaxed energy level, while still maintaining its good beat.
In “Better Off on My Own” Carolina sings about women empowerment. Her goal with the song was to share her genuine beliefs and feelings with her audience by spreading positivity. Her writing represents her talent of creating an emotional response through her lyrics. The lyrics inspire self-love and confidence; it will leave anyone who listens in a good mood. In her songwriting, Carolina paints a picture of her true self by using bilingual lyrics that give the song its culture and originality. In general, Carolina encourages her audience to embrace themselves for exactly who they are. After listening to Carolina’s “Better Off on My Own” you will surely have a confidence boost.
Listen to “Better Off on My Own” here.
What genre of music do you consider yourself to be? Do you have any major influences?
I’m definitely a pop girl and I love everything related to pop culture, therefore my sound is really pop with elements of R&B, urban hip hop, and Latin influence. Since I was born in the 90s some female artists such as Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Mandy Moore, really influenced me when growing up. I was a big fan of them when I was little! At the same time I would listen to Lauryn Hill, TLC, Destiny’s Child, they were the reason why I learned English. I was born in Lima, Peru, so I mainly talked in Spanish, but all these artists and their songs would influence my sound when I was young. Nowadays, artists such as Pia Mia, Tinashe, Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Kiana Lede, Doja Cat, Julia Michaels, Selena Gomez, just to mention some, are the ones who I tend to listen to. At the same time I love Latin American music, so Bad Bunny, Karol G, Rosalia, are some artists who really resonate with me.
During your process of songwriting, do you typically write lyrics or the music first? Do you think one is more important to a song?
Every song is different, so it depends. But usually, I start with music first, either chord progressions and melody, cause they come easier to me, especially melody. I’m a topliner so I’m a big fan of melody writing. When it comes to lyrics, I usually have something in mind, probably not the complete lyrics, but at least a theme, a topic, a concept, a sentence that would complement the music. I don’t necessarily think one is more important than others, I think what makes special a song is how music and lyrics complement each other. So for instance, you can have a typical commercial chord progression in a song, which is pretty constant in pop music. But if you have a unique melody, rhythm, a great vocal arrangement and in addition to that a great topic (lyrics) relatable to people, then boom – you’ve got a great song!
You said you found your passion for music and dance at the age of 8, how did that come about?
I actually started dancing when I was 18. So music was always my first love. Music to me was a way of expressing my feelings, emotions, frustrations. I think when I was younger, I didn’t know how to communicate how I feel although I knew I had feelings. Therefore, writing songs was always a release form, a way of expressing myself. At that time I didn’t want to talk about my frustrations or feelings, but I could write about them, I could sing them, I could be myself in a song. Later on, in my late teenage years, I discovered my other passion, which is dance, and to me, it had a different meaning, also because I discovered it at another stage in my life, so it was about being powerful and confident. Dance definitely encouraged me to become a more confident woman, strong and unapologetic, while music brought out my vulnerability and feelings, and both dance and music are what represents me as an artist.
Who gave you support when you first started writing songs and who did you play your first song to?
Honestly, it was hard for me because I never had a music background in my family. Therefore, they never acknowledge the fact that I had a talent for music and I perceived it as not being supportive. Although my family was not the greatest at supporting my music career, my friends were, cause I always got surrounded by musicians or artists, so they always supported me. The first song that I ever had written, I actually recorded it and post it on Facebook, and my Facebook friends were so supportive so it definitely encouraged me to keep writing.
When you first started in the industry, what was the best advice anyone gave you?
The best advice I’ve got so far is to keep it real and to be honest to myself. Authenticity works in this industry when you know who you are, what you want and what your message is, which translates to music, to songs. Also to keep the hard work, keep writing songs and do not stop pursuing my passion and my beliefs. Money eventually will come.