Carmela is a singer-songwriter and performer from Los Angeles. She has loved playing guitar and composing since she was a kid, and has been making music for about 15 years. She currently streams live on Twitch three times a week and is working on a new album.
How did you start making music?
When I was young, I loved musical theater, so I started doing that. There was a local theater where you could just really go and partake in the musicals, so I did that. I grew up on super songwritery artists like John Denver, so I picked up the guitar and I just fell in love with it. My dreams of being on Broadway quickly shadowed and I wanted to start writing my original songs and playing the guitar. So, I taught myself and kind of just started from there. I’ve been a musician since I was 11 I think, and now I’m doing it as my career, which is super cool. It has always been the thing that I knew I would do, and nothing else really made sense to me as something to pursue. For me, it has always really been music.
What genres do you do?
I love blues music, so a lot of my music kind of stems from the blues, but I love rock, funk, folk, indie. So, I try to throw all of those genres into my music too.
You’re a songwriter, do you also make covers?
I definitely do covers. On twitch, for example, I stream three times a week and I do five-hour sets, so obviously I can’t cover all that time with originals, I definitely include some covers there. What I like to do is try to make the covers my own and put my original spin on them.
What is your occupation? Are you a full-time musician?
Yea, I’m a full-time musician. Now I’m also a streamer on Twitch, which I discovered due to the pandemic, and now is my full-time job. I also do some studio work at a local studio, but my main job is Twitch.
How has your experience been on Twitch?
For years I had a couple of friends say to me “You should try live streaming on Twitch, there is a big music community there that is growing, you should try it out!” and for years I’d say “No, I’m too busy for that kind of stuff”. But, when the pandemic hit and I had plenty of time, I decided to just check it out, so I logged on to Twitch, clicked on the music category, and browsed, and there was some amazing stuff going on. It was a whole new crazy experience, and I decided that I wanted to try it out. I started doing live streams on Twitch, and I’d tell my friends on Instagram and Facebook about it, and it all kind of built up from there. I had like five viewers on my first stream, and now I get over a hundred.
Do you also write for other artists, or just for yourself?
I’ve done a few writing sessions for other artists and I love it, and I honestly want to do more of that as time goes on. Also, I love collaborating in songwriting, it makes it so much better!
How did you find out about Make Music Day?
I used to go to an open mic night called the Night Owl, and someone there said Make Music Day was happening. They gave me an application form and I just filled that out, then they gave me like three different venues to play at, which seemed really cool!
How would you describe what music means to you?
Music is therapy, it’s a friend that is always there for me and that can get me through anything whether it’s positive or negative. Music is that one constant that has always been in my life through everything. It’s therapy for yourself. And for people that don’t make music, they can relate to your music, which I think is magical.
What would you say your goal in music is?
All in all, I just want to make people happy and give people a break from their days. Not just happy, but validated. If I write a sad song, I want someone to hear it and feel understood and seen.