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Carolyn Hudson:
Soulful, Sultry, and Sophisticated
By David Chiu
Carolyn Hudson moved to New York
almost six years ago to make her mark as a singer. Whereas most
people would see that as a logical step for her career, Hudson's
other main motivation for going to the Big Apple was slightly
more personal.
"I came here because I called
off a wedding," the 37-year-old remembers via telephone
from Los Angeles as she was over there for a brief stop. "I
decided I wasn't in love with this man, and I literally ran
away to New York. I knew [only] one person when I got there."
A heartbreaking moment like that
might have proved devastating to most people, but Hudson channeled
those feelings into her songwriting. Simultaneously the move
to New York was a period of self-realization and a turning point.
"As I was in New York, I
kept meeting artists, singers, musicians, and actors. And I was
like God there's a whole life I don't know about. I became friends
with these people and I asked, What am I doing and, quite frankly,
bury my talent?"
That experiences as a transplanted
New Yorker make up the songs on her debut self-released album
Living in My Skin, which came out late last year on her
own Box of Bees label. "There is nothing on the record that
is fiction," she says. "Yeah it's all real life. It's
about a certain period of my life right before I moved to New
York. Most of the songs are about the five years before I moved
to New York." Hudson also delves into the matter of her
broken engagement on two tracks: Wrap around is the 'why' I left
[my fiance] and Which One is she is 'how' I left him."
A strking blonde, Hudson performs
soulful music for the adult alternative crowd. "From an
industry perspective, people are saying an edgier Diana Krall,"
she responds when asked to draw a comparison. "And I agree
with that somewhat. I would say sophisticated pop, rock, and
jazz for mature ears exploring mature topics."
Hudson is positioning herself
as an emerging artist to watch out for. It is a part of the musician
spent a considerable time on the record-approximately nine months
recording it-while also holding a marketing job for a consulting
company. Hudson is at a point where is she not far away from
devoting to her music full-time and being self-sufficient. "I
am almost there-six months to a year from doing that. I just
want to cut the ties and not be scared. I feel like if I didn't
give this 110%, nothing's gonna happen."
Now that the record is out, Hudson
is making the rounds performing in and around New York City,
as well as meeting with industry people. Having a marketing background
is certainly useful in the sometimes byzantine world of the record
business. "Once the "product" had been created,
now I'm into the next phase, which is promoting the record and
making the record. One aspect of promotion is promoting it to
the five majors. Certainly I would love to have help with the
distribution. And I'm out of money. It took every last dime to
release the record."
Hudson also knows a little thing
or two about the publicity machine having worked in media relations
for then-Senator Connie Mack of Florida. As it applies to her
own situation as a singer seeking wide exposure for her music:
"At the end of the day, I'm not naïve," she says.
"I'm marketing a product. I see myself active in the promotion
of any of my records."
Carolyn Hudson's arrival to where
she is now started out simple as someone growing up in an artistically-inclined
household in Fort Myers, Florida; both her parents were involved
in the performing arts in the community. At several points, they
had over at their house Marcel Marceau, Vincent Price, and the
ballet company as if they were just part of a family. "There
wasn't a day when my parents didn't have the stereo blasting,"
remembers Hudson.
During her adolescence, Hudson
developed and formulated her tastes in music, especially from
the decade of the singer/songwriter-those influences can be heard
on Living in My Skin. "The '70s was my touchstone decade.
Laura Nyro is to me such an icon of outstanding songwriting and
just raw emotion when she sang. She didn't care at all wanting
pretty; she wanted to express herself. She really didn't think
she was making music; she thought she was communicating. That's
what I kept going back to."
She developed a love for the
theater early on and was involved with that; but she knew that
over time, she would have to be practical about her career goals.
"My parents said You will go to college and when you graduate,
you will get a job. I knew I was always a writer and I knew there
was a career in communications and public relations."
Now Hudson is on the opposite
end of the media spectrum, going from the behind-the scenes-person
to center stage. It's a positon that the singer-who have already
performed at venues such as Tribeca Blues, the Village Underground,
and the Bottom Line-relishes. She is not intimidated to playing
in front of people who don't know who she is. "I love it,"
she says. "It's like, 'Bring it on.'"
The fruits of her labor came
from a recent January date at Joe's Pub where Hudson played to
a packed crowd, a rare occurrence for a newcomer. "I think
it was my best performance," she says. "I really felt
it was the culmination of four years of hard work writing the
songs and finishing the record, and this was the pay off. It
was always my dream to play Joe's Pub. The energy in the room-you
could've heard a pin drop.
"It was the first time that
not only was I fearless but I enjoyed myself where I felt comfortable
enough with the material and the bandthat I actually had fun
up there."
Hudson is not yet resting on
her laurels. She plans to get out her music to a wider audience
and is already planning the next record. She's gotten past those
early experiences that made up Living in My Skin and is
looking ahead. "I'm so done with it. I've had tons of therapy
[since]. I'm just really excited about [writing] new topics and
where I am today."
As for what she would like to
leave with those listening to her music: "Just to make their
day or moment a little easier or perhaps listening to one of
the lyrics and they say, Ah ha, I've been feeling that way and
I couldn't put it into words."
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