Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile
Brandi M. Carlileis an American alternative country and folk rock singer-songwriter. Born in Ravensdale, Washington, she dropped out of high school to pursue a career in music, teaching herself piano and guitar. Her first commercial album, Brandi Carlile, was released to critical acclaim but to limited commercial success. Carlile garnered wider recognition for her 2007 single The Story, from the album of the same name, was a greater commercial success, and was used by General Motors for commercials...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionCountry Singer
Date of Birth1 June 1981
CityRavansdale, WA
CountryUnited States of America
I feel like the kindest thing that I do to my voice is sing.
If I learned to play guitar it was so that I would have something to sing to, if I learned to write a song it was so that I would have something to sing. So the gut feeling you're talking about comes from singing and communicating the lyrics and what it is that we feel.
People sing each other's songs and they cultivate standards. That's the reason why we have folk music and folk stories. History is told through song.
Even before I had a daughter, I was passionate about global women's issues, but now that she's here, I'm even more inspired to leave a better world for Evangeline.
You can't change people, but most importantly, unless you're their momma, you don't even know what's best for them.
I used to turn to nature and animals a lot. And fishing. I spend time still with my Bible and the gospel music, and I still have to feed the animals! But my wife and daughter have brought me a world of perspective when I'm feeling just a little "extra important."
It's impossible to just come up with one thing that I could say to the world. That's why I've spent my life in the pursuit of the opportunity to sing to it. Summing it up goes against what fuels me.
Privilege and complacency paralyze me with fear sometimes.
In life, I'm most inspired by entertaining people and driven by the desire to do it by such a powerful force that I think it influences everything I do.
I'm not sure I'll ever be famous by anyone's definition. I can only hope to be allowed by the audience to continue my life's work.
I feel like a lot of the singer-songwriters in my genre and in my generation have gotten more and more snooty about covering other people's songs. They believe that creativity is the intersect of expression.
When I turned 30, I started to feel all those miles. At times, you want to turn the faucet off a bit, but I never want to stop traveling. That's what it's all about - taking the music to the people.
'Hallelujah' is going to be a standard that our grandkids, our great-great grandkids will learn to sing in church. It's one of those really, really special songs.
It's really important to me to promote worthy causes. But not in a heavy, obligatory, responsibility way. I really admired that as a kid, learning about the 'Elton John AIDS Foundation.' And I was obsessed with The Indigo Girls. And they are the consummate activist group, always reaching out, especially to Native causes and things like that.