Katrina Carlson
Encyclopedia
Katrina Carlson is an American
singer-songwriter
and actress.
, the youngest of 11 children. By the age of 13, she was playing both piano and guitar, and composing songs. Carlson attended college at Brown University
, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts
degree with Honors in International Relations, Foreign Policy and Diplomacy with a focus in Nuclear Arms Control. After graduating from college, Carlson moved to New York City
and was admitted to the Manhattan School of Music
and Brooklyn College
’s opera
program.
review, You Never Know. She also lived in Washington, D.C.
where she performed in many plays and musicals at various theaters.
In 1993, Carlson moved to Santa Monica, California
where she continued to perform in local and regional theater. Carlson also garnered appearances in films and television shows including: In the Line of Fire , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
as a Bajoran
Officer and Special Delivery. Carlson placed two of her songs, “I Never Believed” and “Bring it On” in Special Delivery’s soundtrack.
feature film
Go Tigers!. “Winning’s Everything” was used on NBC’s Lost
and the title track "Apples For Eve" was featured on the daytime drama Passions
. Carlson’s song “Friday Night” aired as the theme song for ABC’s TGIF Friday Night Line up in the fall/winter of 2003-2004.
Carlson was a finalist in the Rolling Stone/Jim Beam emerging Artist series in 2002, finishing second.
and for his work with Meredith Brooks and Brian Setzer, produced the album. Special guests on the disc included Goo Goo Doll drummer Mike Malinin, Oingo Boingo bassist John Avila, hit singer-songwriter Benny Mardones and drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle, Guns N’ Roses).
Four singles from the Untucked CD spent a combined 18 months in the Top 30 of the Billboard and R&R Adult Contemporary charts: “Suddenly Beautiful,” “Drive,” “Count On Me”, and “I Know You By Heart”. Carlson’s success on the Billboard charts with these singles put Kataphonic Records in the Top #20 in Billboard’s 2005 Adult Pop Power Players special issue (July 23, 2005) with Gregg Bell at the helm as General Manager of the label. Other record labels on the Adult Pop Power Players list included Columbia, Epic, Universal, Island Def Jam, Warner Bros, Atlantic, Capitol, Interscope, and Lava.
The first single from Untucked was the pop ballad “I Know You By Heart,” which featured Benny Mardones, best known for his 1980’s hit single “Into The Night.” Nationally syndicated radio host Delilah was a big fan of the track and played it on her show, and Carlson also appeared on the Delilah show on several occasions. “Drive,” a cover of the Cars’ 1984 hit, was a bonus track on the Untucked CD and was recorded immediately following the album sessions. A mash up of Carlson’s “Drive” and the original “Drive,” featuring the Cars’ Benjamin Orr, spent 3 weeks at #1 on Los Angeles radio station KBIG FM and also hit the Top 5 at sister station KOST FM. In their review of the “Suddenly Beautiful” single, Billboard
magazine declared the song "Beautiful, indeed".
Carlson had numerous songs from the Untucked album included on television shows. Dawson’s Creek featured “I Know You By Heart” and “Blue Steak Cadillac,” and “Dive” appeared on the Bravo reality show Blowout 3. In 2008, “Go-To Girl” and “Getaway Car” were also featured on the teen drama South Of Nowhere
.
Carlson won two awards at the 2003 Los Angeles Music Awards. Untucked was selected as “Best Independent Pop Album,” and “Dive” was selected as "Indie Single of the Year".
In 2005, “Suddenly Beautiful” was featured on the Music Is Hope compilation. The record was issued on Robby Takac's (Goo Goo Dolls) Good Charamel records and also included tracks by Goo Goo Dolls and Ani DiFranco.
Also in 2005, Carlson released the original song “You Are Christmas,” produced by Tal Herzberg. Musicians on the track include Tim Pierce and John Beasley
. In December 2005 television show Extra! aired the song as well as an interview with Carlson.
In 2008, the track “Mother” was included on Stork Tunes: Songs for a Happy Birth Day, a compilation released by the March of Dimes foundation. Billy Joel, Kenny Loggins, Norah Jones, The Dixie Chicks and Celine Dion also appeared on the disc.
produced the record and played guitar, bass and keyboards. Matt Chamberlain
played drums on the record.
Here and Now’s first single was an updated take on the Howard Jones
classic “No One Is to Blame
,” with a guest appearance by Jones himself on vocals and piano. The single reached #20 on the Billboard chart and hit #1 on the ACQB chart, making it Carlson's first #1 song. Billboard Magazine’s review of the track declared the song “Utterly charming.”
Carlson’s audience grew significantly in 2008 when “Feel For Me,” was featured in two episodes of the N Network’s 3rd season of the teen drama South of Nowhere. "Feel For Me" was eventually released as the third single from Here and Now.
Here and Now’s lead-off track, “Be The One,” won first place in the Pop category at Indie International Songwriting Contest and “Be The One” music video won first place at the Indie Gathering. In September 2007, Extra!
premiered the “Be The One” video on their show.
In 2008 Carlson played a show at the Briar Rose Winery in Temecula with special guest host Kate Linder of the daytime drama The Young and the Restless. Her performance inspired Briar Rose winery to name their 2007 Estate Zinfandel “Katrina”.
Also in 2008, Carlson was selected to attend hit country songwriter Jeffrey Steele’s Songwriting Bootcamp. Hundreds of people applied from the US and beyond, and only twelve people were selected. The bootcamp is a three day, three night songwriting event where songwriters get one-on-one coaching and critiquing from Jeffrey Steele
.
In her career, Carlson has performed with Lindsey Buckingham, Howard Jones, Chicago, Kenny Loggins, Rick Springfield, Eddie Money, Julie Roberts, Joan Jett, Tal Bachman, Richard Marx, and Kimberly Locke amongst others.
Katrina Carlson is endorsed by Fender Guitars, Taylor Guitars, Martin Guitars and Dean Markley Strings.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and actress.
Early life
Carlson was born and grew up in Paradise Valley, ArizonaParadise Valley, Arizona
Paradise Valley is a small, affluent town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2005 Census Bureau, the population of the town was 14,558. Despite the town's relatively small area and population compared to other municipalities in the Phoenix metropolitan area, Paradise...
, the youngest of 11 children. By the age of 13, she was playing both piano and guitar, and composing songs. Carlson attended college at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree with Honors in International Relations, Foreign Policy and Diplomacy with a focus in Nuclear Arms Control. After graduating from college, Carlson moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and was admitted to the Manhattan School of Music
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music is a major music conservatory located on the Upper West Side of New York City. The school offers degrees on the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition...
and Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College
Brooklyn College is a senior college of the City University of New York, located in Brooklyn, New York, United States.Established in 1930 by the New York City Board of Higher Education, the College had its beginnings as the Downtown Brooklyn branches of Hunter College and the City College of New...
’s opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
program.
Early career
During her time in New York, she appeared in an Off-Broadway Cole PorterCole Porter
Cole Albert Porter was an American composer and songwriter. Born to a wealthy family in Indiana, he defied the wishes of his domineering grandfather and took up music as a profession. Classically trained, he was drawn towards musical theatre...
review, You Never Know. She also lived in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
where she performed in many plays and musicals at various theaters.
In 1993, Carlson moved to Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
where she continued to perform in local and regional theater. Carlson also garnered appearances in films and television shows including: In the Line of Fire , Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe...
as a Bajoran
Bajoran
In the Star Trek science-fiction franchise, the Bajorans are a humanoid extraterrestrial species native to the planet Bajor. They were first introduced in the 1991 episode "Ensign Ro" of Star Trek: The Next Generation and subsequently also featured in episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and...
Officer and Special Delivery. Carlson placed two of her songs, “I Never Believed” and “Bring it On” in Special Delivery’s soundtrack.
Apples For Eve
In 1999, Carlson started her own record label, Kataphonic Records. Carlson released her debut record, Apples For Eve, in September 2001. The album was produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Ron Cohen. Three songs from Apples for Eve, “I Know You By Heart”, “Friday Night” and “Winning’s Everything”, were featured in the documentaryDocumentary
A documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
feature film
Feature film
In the film industry, a feature film is a film production made for initial distribution in theaters and being the main attraction of the screening, rather than a short film screened before it; a full length movie...
Go Tigers!. “Winning’s Everything” was used on NBC’s Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
and the title track "Apples For Eve" was featured on the daytime drama Passions
Passions
Passions is an American television soap opera which aired on NBC from July 5, 1999 to September 7, 2007 and on The 101 Network from September 17, 2007 to August 7, 2008....
. Carlson’s song “Friday Night” aired as the theme song for ABC’s TGIF Friday Night Line up in the fall/winter of 2003-2004.
Carlson was a finalist in the Rolling Stone/Jim Beam emerging Artist series in 2002, finishing second.
Untucked
Carlson’s second album, Untucked, was released in May 2003. David Darling, best known as a member of the Boxing GandhisBoxing Gandhis
The Boxing Gandhis are an American alternative funk/soul band from Los Angeles founded by music producer David Darling The Boxing Gandhis are an American alternative funk/soul band from Los Angeles founded by music producer David Darling The Boxing Gandhis are an American alternative funk/soul band...
and for his work with Meredith Brooks and Brian Setzer, produced the album. Special guests on the disc included Goo Goo Doll drummer Mike Malinin, Oingo Boingo bassist John Avila, hit singer-songwriter Benny Mardones and drummer Josh Freese (Nine Inch Nails, A Perfect Circle, Guns N’ Roses).
Four singles from the Untucked CD spent a combined 18 months in the Top 30 of the Billboard and R&R Adult Contemporary charts: “Suddenly Beautiful,” “Drive,” “Count On Me”, and “I Know You By Heart”. Carlson’s success on the Billboard charts with these singles put Kataphonic Records in the Top #20 in Billboard’s 2005 Adult Pop Power Players special issue (July 23, 2005) with Gregg Bell at the helm as General Manager of the label. Other record labels on the Adult Pop Power Players list included Columbia, Epic, Universal, Island Def Jam, Warner Bros, Atlantic, Capitol, Interscope, and Lava.
The first single from Untucked was the pop ballad “I Know You By Heart,” which featured Benny Mardones, best known for his 1980’s hit single “Into The Night.” Nationally syndicated radio host Delilah was a big fan of the track and played it on her show, and Carlson also appeared on the Delilah show on several occasions. “Drive,” a cover of the Cars’ 1984 hit, was a bonus track on the Untucked CD and was recorded immediately following the album sessions. A mash up of Carlson’s “Drive” and the original “Drive,” featuring the Cars’ Benjamin Orr, spent 3 weeks at #1 on Los Angeles radio station KBIG FM and also hit the Top 5 at sister station KOST FM. In their review of the “Suddenly Beautiful” single, Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine declared the song "Beautiful, indeed".
Carlson had numerous songs from the Untucked album included on television shows. Dawson’s Creek featured “I Know You By Heart” and “Blue Steak Cadillac,” and “Dive” appeared on the Bravo reality show Blowout 3. In 2008, “Go-To Girl” and “Getaway Car” were also featured on the teen drama South Of Nowhere
South of Nowhere
South of Nowhere is an American teen drama television series created by Thomas W. Lynch. Aimed primarily at teenagers, it first aired on November 4, 2005 and was one of six original series on The N. The second half of the third and final season aired October 10, 2008 and the final episode aired on...
.
Carlson won two awards at the 2003 Los Angeles Music Awards. Untucked was selected as “Best Independent Pop Album,” and “Dive” was selected as "Indie Single of the Year".
In 2005, “Suddenly Beautiful” was featured on the Music Is Hope compilation. The record was issued on Robby Takac's (Goo Goo Dolls) Good Charamel records and also included tracks by Goo Goo Dolls and Ani DiFranco.
Also in 2005, Carlson released the original song “You Are Christmas,” produced by Tal Herzberg. Musicians on the track include Tim Pierce and John Beasley
John Beasley
John Beasley may refer to:*John Beasley , American actor*John Beasley , American basketball player*John Beasley , American football player...
. In December 2005 television show Extra! aired the song as well as an interview with Carlson.
In 2008, the track “Mother” was included on Stork Tunes: Songs for a Happy Birth Day, a compilation released by the March of Dimes foundation. Billy Joel, Kenny Loggins, Norah Jones, The Dixie Chicks and Celine Dion also appeared on the disc.
Here and Now
Here and Now, was released August 2007. Ron AnielloRon Aniello
Ron Aniello is an American; Grammy Award nominated, multi-award–winning, multi-platinum record producer. Some of the noteworthy artists that he has worked with include; Lifehouse, Barenaked Ladies, Guster, Jars of Clay, Days of the New, Sixpence None the Richer, Leigh Nash, Ashley Tesoro, Patti...
produced the record and played guitar, bass and keyboards. Matt Chamberlain
Matt Chamberlain
Matthew Chamberlain is an American drummer, producer and sound engineer. He is currently based in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
played drums on the record.
Here and Now’s first single was an updated take on the Howard Jones
Howard Jones (musician)
Howard Jones is a musician, singer and songwriter. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums, "Jones is an accomplished singer-songwriter who was a regular chart visitor in the mid 1980s with his brand of synthpop. Jones, who was equally popular in the U.S., appeared at Live...
classic “No One Is to Blame
No One Is to Blame
"No One Is to Blame" is a song by British new wave musician Howard Jones. The song, in its original version, can be found on Jones's second studio album, Dream Into Action, which was released in 1985. Following the success of the previous singles taken from the album, the original track for "No One...
,” with a guest appearance by Jones himself on vocals and piano. The single reached #20 on the Billboard chart and hit #1 on the ACQB chart, making it Carlson's first #1 song. Billboard Magazine’s review of the track declared the song “Utterly charming.”
Carlson’s audience grew significantly in 2008 when “Feel For Me,” was featured in two episodes of the N Network’s 3rd season of the teen drama South of Nowhere. "Feel For Me" was eventually released as the third single from Here and Now.
Here and Now’s lead-off track, “Be The One,” won first place in the Pop category at Indie International Songwriting Contest and “Be The One” music video won first place at the Indie Gathering. In September 2007, Extra!
Extra!
Extra! is a monthly magazine of media criticism published by the media watch group FAIR. First published in 1987, its first full-time editor was Martin A. Lee. Since 1990, it has been edited by Jim Naureckas...
premiered the “Be The One” video on their show.
In 2008 Carlson played a show at the Briar Rose Winery in Temecula with special guest host Kate Linder of the daytime drama The Young and the Restless. Her performance inspired Briar Rose winery to name their 2007 Estate Zinfandel “Katrina”.
Also in 2008, Carlson was selected to attend hit country songwriter Jeffrey Steele’s Songwriting Bootcamp. Hundreds of people applied from the US and beyond, and only twelve people were selected. The bootcamp is a three day, three night songwriting event where songwriters get one-on-one coaching and critiquing from Jeffrey Steele
Jeffrey Steele
Jeffrey LeVasseur is an American country music singer and songwriter, more commonly known by the name Jeffrey Steele...
.
In her career, Carlson has performed with Lindsey Buckingham, Howard Jones, Chicago, Kenny Loggins, Rick Springfield, Eddie Money, Julie Roberts, Joan Jett, Tal Bachman, Richard Marx, and Kimberly Locke amongst others.
Katrina Carlson is endorsed by Fender Guitars, Taylor Guitars, Martin Guitars and Dean Markley Strings.
Discography
- Apples for Eve (2001)
- Untucked (2003)
- Drive (2003)
- You Are Christmas (2005)
- Here and Now (2007)
- Rock Your Beautiful (2009)
Compilations
- 4th Annual NSAI Song Contest (2004) – New Shoes
- Women at Work (2005) - Underground
- Music Is Hope (2005) – Suddenly Beautiful
- Stork Tunes (2008) – Mother
- Los Angeles Women In Music – Best of the Best Soiree (2007-2008) – Here and Now
- Stomp Out Cancer (2008) – Count On Me
Awards
- 2002 Finalist in the Rolling Stone/Jim Beam emerging Artist series
- 2003 Untucked won “Best Independent Pop Album” at the Los Angeles Music Awards
- 2003 “Dive” won “Indie Single of the Year” at the Los Angeles Music Awards
- 2004 “New Shoes” was a Runner-Up in the 4th Annual CMT song Contest
- 2006 Finalist in the Billboard Songwriting Contest
- 2007 Finalist in the Billboard Songwriting Contest
- 2008 Finalist in the Billboard Songwriting Contest
- 2008 “Be The One” music video won 1st place in The Indie Gathering contest
- 2008 “Be The One” won 1st place in the Pop Category at the Indie International Songwriting Contest
Radio charts
Billboard/R&R AC (Nielsen BDS-based)| Song Title | Year | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| I Know You By Heart (with Benny Mardones) | 2003 | 25 |
| Count On Me | 2004 | 26 |
| Drive | 2005 | 18 |
| Suddenly Beautiful | 2005 | 30 |
| You Are Christmas | 2006 | 14 |
| No One Is To Blame | 2007 | 20 |