Blending pop rock with the tradition of storytelling, EJ reintroduces the concept of the singer songwriter by packing an emotional punch and leaving you on the edge of your seat. Her dynamic vocals pair the energy of pop punk with intimacy of a writer’s round, walking the fine line between two different worlds and marking her originality with each vocal run. EJ just finished a successful crowdfunding campaign for her new album, and the lead single “Rising Tides, Crashing Skies” is available wherever you stream your music now.
“Rising Tides, Crashing Skies” is a brilliantly upbeat and deeply thoughtful pop-punk song, one that subtly leans towards country-pop with its fast-paced power-chords and often contagious nature of the leading melody. EJ Carey appears immediately connected to the subject matter at hand, you can hear this in both the lyrics and the emotional, energetic manner in which they’re presented. The intensity and realness really grabs you, and takes you on the full journey of “Rising Tides, Crashing Skies”. It’s a powerful song, enveloping you in the concept and the beautifully melodic chaos of the moment, with professionally arranged guitar-work and a mighty drum-line. Topping it all off perfectly is the grit and urgency of EJ Carey’s drenching you in these reflections on life, effectively prompting you to consider every lyric. EJ Carey expertly form connections with her listener.
Check out “Rising Tides, Crashing Skies” here! Keep scrolling to read more with EJ Carey!
Hey EJ! For those who don’t know, how would you describe your sound and your approach to songwriting?
If pop punk graduated from the garage and went on to write radio-ready songs but stopped in Nashville on the way, you'd get a song written by me. Everything I do is definitively pop, from the vocals to the hooks, but I grew up listening to a lot of pop punk titans like Fall Out Boy, Blink 182, and Motion City Soundtrack. It's super clear in my writing that I'm a former Warped Tour attendee, but I'm also heavily dedicated to the tradition of storytelling and setting the scene, which is something you see more in country music. My approach to songwriting, ever since I was a kid, is that it all has to come out at once. Usually the first line will strike me, and then the rest just pours out. If the entire song doesn't come out all at once (within like 5 minutes or so), it's probably a song I won't end up recording or playing out. I'm super particular about my lyrics, too, and I try not to change too much after the fact.
We love your new track “Rising Tides, Crashing Skies”. What inspired this song?
Thanks so much! The title actually comes from an episode of a show on Cartoon Network called Steven Universe. The first time I watched the episode, I thought, "wow, this would make a sick song title." It took something dramatic happening in my life for me to write the song, but it's one of the songs I am most proud of, so I'm definitely not mad about it!
Your voice is so authentic and powerful! How long have you been singing? Have you have any vocal training?
Thank you! I've been singing and knew I wanted to be a for-real singer since I was five, but my parents/others didn't take me seriously until I was about eight or nine years old. I've been a studio bug since then, spending my high school summers learning how to mix and get my vocals just right behind the mic and recording my last album on weekends between my internships in college. I took lessons as part of my major at Berklee College of Music, and I've been taking vocal lessons again ever since I started gigging more extensively with Brent Barlow out here in Somerville. Taking training is always the key to longevity in your voice, and for anyone on the fence about it, I'd tell you to just dive in!
What challenges have you faced as an upcoming artist? How do you overcome those challenges?
My biggest challenge in all honesty has been getting out of my own way. I was extremely shy as a kid, and it took many, many years for me to realize that I had to step out of my own shell in order to pursue the thing I love the most. So here I am, stepping out of the shell for good!
What’s next for you through 2019?
Recording my next album! I just finished a successful crowdfunding campaign to get my next album going, and I'll be spending the fall and beginning part of the winter in the studio getting all my songs in order. I'm EXTREMELY excited to be going on this adventure, and I'm aiming to release the album in Sping 2020.
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