Advice for 17 year old self

Q:

Hi Karly! I just wanted to say that as a 17yr old growing up in Asheville, that your art makes a huge huge impact!! My question would be what would you like to tell your 17yr old self? love you :)

A:

Damn,,,,, idk.

I had some p shitty stuff happen to me when I was 17 that I never thought I’d be able to recover from.

I think I would tell myself that everyone who told me that “everything happens for a reason” were wrong.

Some shit is senseless and violent and chaotic for no reason.

BUT I would tell myself that experiencing that loss and pain and healing from it would eventually really inform who I was in adulthood, would help me relate to other people more easily, and would help me channel pain into something that would define my life and help me find my purpose.

I don’t think that shit happened when I was seventeen in order for me to discover that stuff about myself in some divine intervention…. cause I think that centers myself in a pretty selfish way. But…. in a way i’m thankful for the experience looking back.

I guess the short version of this is like: life is gonna be painful and sad sometimes and you’re gonna be like what the fuck is the point???? But then on the other side you’re gonna be thankful that you are capable of feeling a full spectrum of emotions and experiencing love, loss, happiness, sadness, anger, passion, kindness, selfishness, closeness and loneliness at different times in your life. As long as there’s a lil bit of everything that shit is what makes life fucking incredible.

lol idk !!!! damn honestly writing that out was therapeutic af for me… haha thanks for asking ur q

Where do I See DIY Going

Q: Where do u see diy going? For a lot of us it often times feels like this ebs n flows but the state of the world is so crazy and the rise of recessions pop makes it feel like diy is doomed. At the same time, astrology people have convinced me that diy and small art is on the come up lol. What r ur thoughts on how diyers can grow with or without the help of labels/mgmt etc? Any advice for small artists trying to make a living off of music? Also love your art and hope to see more Wednesday shows in tx this year!!! Peace and safe travels

A: I still think all the most interesting bands come out of DIY backgrounds. You just inherently learn so much from having to be resourceful and you get so much out of the experimentation and process of figuring out how to even write and make recordings. Plus it’s nice to have time to learn and grow into your full potential as a band before a ton of eyes/expectations are on you. My DIY touring days were grueling but I wouldn’t trade the experiences both good and bad for anything!!

Plus I think getting into playing music with just the pure intention of like…. playing house shows and having fun with your friends is madddd underrated in our grindset ass world. But I get it too cause like you gotta survive!!!

DIY definitely aint doomed…. people will always be making music and expressing themselves in any condition. Is touring gonna get more and more costly and inaccessible?? Maybe?? but if the musics good and youre nice to people you’ll find it’ll get you very very far. People will wanna help u out !! At least if they are truly tapped in to the DIY spirit.

I think that shit is especially gonna be flourishing in smaller more affordable towns. Like Greensboro is where I live rn has a few cool DIY spots cause its slightly on the more affordable side of living…. but idk I’m not a city girl so I can’t really speak on the state of DIY in cities really and truly.

Advice for small artists : for real think long and hard about your lyrics…. I feel like I hear bangers but if the lyrics suck i’m like “damn what this person tryin to say”

Like not saying it has to be “good” writing?? But just…. care???

Like not all the lyrics in BRAT for instance are “good” but it rocks because you can tell Charli gives a fuck about sayin what shes sayin!! idk…. people just connect with people that care

And yeah just to reiterate…. the best advice I have to DIyers who want to make a career is be nice and kind. Build up your hometown scene and bring them up with you. Create a community. Make genuine connections w people not just network. And of course find ur own voice and style, no one really wants music that’s just a carbon copy of some other band in the long run (in most cases).

Hope to be in TX soon (I know of at least one thing thats planned atm but idk if it’s near where ur at cause its a big ass state). Peace