For Edmond Memorial High School senior Carter Wright, music was never just a side hobby. From the age of 7, Wright has used it as a way to express himself and connect with others. Now that Wright is further into his musical journey, he has experienced things he never imagined, such as making his own songs, performing live and even producing his first album. 

As Wright continued learning more about what he could accomplish in music, he began creating songs with intention behind them. Rather than creating music to impress others and follow trends, he began using his music as a way to communicate his emotions and experiences. Even though the stories in his songs are all fake, Wright still tries to use his life to reflect in his songs with a slower tempo. This gives his listeners time to process the message behind the music. Wright’s songs focus on moments that remind him to reflect on his growth, with themes of moving forward and learning from the past appearing consistently throughout his music. 

“I want people to actually hear what I’m saying, not just listen to it,” Wright said. “A lot of my songs are about not getting stuck in your past. You can always move on and find a new starting point.”

“He takes moments from his own life and turns them into something that actually makes you feel [the] song,” Allen said. “I would describe Carter’s music [as] telling a story. His songs capture the emotion and energy of his past experiences, and it’s very cool to experience the way he can turn his everyday life into art.”

Wright shares his creative process with his friends, so they have seen firsthand the meticulous refining that goes into every bit of his work. Seeing a song evolve shows his passion behind each and every release.

The attention to detail becomes apparent even more during the recording process. Recording is one of the most demanding parts in Wright’s process to produce music, requiring him to stay patient while dealing with the repetition it takes to record a song.

“Recording is awful,” Wright said. “It can take me an hour, or it can take me months. I’ll listen back and realize it sucks, take a break and then come back to it.”

While recording requires isolation and focus, performing live allows Wright to see how his music resonates with others. Being on stage allows him to step back from the technical side of his music and see how the audience reacts to the emotions of his work in real time. Playing in front of different crowds has helped him grow more comfortable on stage and trust his instincts as a performer. Ethan Marten is one of Wright’s friends and future drummer in Wright’s band.

“He just has an energy when he gets on stage [where] that you can’t help but listen,” Marten said.

Another way Wright is able to connect with his fans is through social media. He uses his platform to share funny videos to engage with his audience and humble posts about his progress as an artist. Wright always receives his feedback gratefully and uses it to continue to improve his work.

“People always laugh at his social media videos because they’re funny and natural,” Marten said. “He just makes it up on the spot with no script.”