First Look: Carmen Grant



Carmen Grant is not a name that you hear on many people's lips. Her folk rock genre has suddenly become a booming one, and some names are merely swept under the table, and never thought of again. Sometimes these occasional sweepings are good; some singers don't have what it takes to make it, or a different enough sound to be distinguished between the other artists are the same genre. But sometimes these sweeps do more harm than good, and keep the general public from hearing amazing music. This is the case for Carmen. Coming from Port Laoise, in the Midlands region of Ireland, Carmen grew up as the youngest of four, her being the only girl. As a child, Carmen's parents knew that Carmen would either become something great, or get herself killed by the time she was sixteen. Young Carmen was constantly climbing the tallest tree she could find, swimming in the deepest lake, or jumping from the highest roof. There was never a dull moment, and all of Carmen's brothers constantly felt the need to look after her at all times. This sense of being spoiled is probably what has made Carmen into the young woman she is today.

When I first arrived at twenty-one year old Carmen Grant's large apartment in the center of Port Laoise, I could hear commotion coming from inside. I knocked once on the door, but nobody answered. I tried knocking again, but the moment my knuckle hit the door, it flew opened, and there stood Miss. Grant. She was wearing her hair up in a low ponytail, her clothes were grubby and far too big for her, and she had dirt smirked across her cheek and all over her hands. "Um... hello!" is the first thing she said to me, in a surprisingly high pitched voice, her eyes shining with both pure happiness, and confusion. When I explained who I was, she beamed a smile at me and apologized, explaining that she had forgotten all about the interview and that she had been outside, gardening. She beckoned me inside and offered me some lemonade while she went to go change her clothing.

From inside the house, I could see what was causing all the commotion: Two dogs, four small birds, and a cat were seen running around the house, all playing together quite peacefully. I took a seat at Miss Grant's kitchen table and watched them for a moment before Miss Grant came back in a fitting "Save the Pandas" t-shirt and some clean jeans.

Interviewer: Cute animals you have there.

Carmen: Oh yeah! They're Carmen's babies...

One of the dogs, a Lhasa Apso jumps up into Carmen's lap and stays there for the rest of the interview.

Tell me about the type of music you make.

Oh! This is about my music, hey? Alright... Um... My music is mostly of the indie rock or folk-rock genre.

There's a lot of singers that have put themselves into those categories now.

Oh, Carmen knows! But Carmen better than all of them!

She gives a small smile and giggle, showing that she's kidding, but is also very confident in herself.

Well, what's something that you want everybody to know about you?

Hmmm... Carmen wants everybody to know that I am super cute and super awesome, and I make super cool music, so everybody should listen to me!

Okay... Anything a bit more substantial than that?

Sub...stan...tial? What does that mean?

Nevermind. Who is your favorite singer?

Hmmm... I very much enjoy Ada. That cute little German redhead! But Carmen is also a rather big fan of Pixie, and Katie Coyle, and Weekend, and Andrea Kahn, and everybody! Carmen loves loves loves music.

Alright... And what are some of Carmen's-- I mean, your favorite hobbies?

Carmen loves playing her guitar, and playing with my animals... But I also do a lot of volunteer work, mostly for endangered animals and 3rd world countries. Carmen wishes that everywhere could be nice and lovely and pretty... Carmen just wants everybody to be as happy as I am...

She pauses, looking genuinely upset as she thinks about all the people and animals suffering as she pets her dog. Finally, she beams another smile at me and offers me some cookies that she had made a couple hours before.


Fault me if you wish, ladies and gentlemen, but I couldn't help but love this little redheaded angel. She was like an eight year old stuck in a twenty-one year old's body. Her tendency to refer to herself in the third person, her sudden giggles, her baking... She could give you diabetes if you licked her. I'm sure some people would find girls like Carmen Grant annoying, and maybe people as sweet as her aren't meant to be in such a cut throat industry as the music industry is, but I wish her all the best.

CARMEN GRANT
Age: 22
Occupation: Musician, songwriter
Instruments: Vocals, percussion, piano, guitar
Genre: Indie rock, alternative country, folk-rock, americana
Label: Permanent Reminder