Music Star Charlie Rogers On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry
An Interview With Guernslye Honoré
Learning to read music and understanding music theory will also lead you to write more interesting, more evolved songs from a musical standpoint, that’s not to say there aren’t whole sections of the industry built around the idea of three chords and the truth.
As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Charlie Rogers.
Charlie Rogers is an Oregon-born, Kansas-raised genre-alchemizing country singer-songwriter based out of Nashville, TN. His genuine, often widely varied sound aims to bridge interpersonal gaps that keep each of us from feeling seen & understood through his distinct ability to tell a story with the use of charming lyricism & textured musicality, all while simultaneously putting an end to the quandary of where contemporary country ends & pop/rock begins.
Rogers has opened for the likes of Brothers Osborne, Russell Dickerson, & Janelle Arthur. He has played CMA honors ceremonies for the likes of Charley Pride & Ricky Skaggs. His artistic work & writing has been shared the world over & encompasses stages from all over the US, Spain, & the UK as well.
Rogers has been a proponent of music his whole life & began singing & writing even at a very young age. His inspiration for his musical pursuits is & has always been to communicate the commonalities between us, especially for those groups who often feel unseen or unheard, often extending a hand across rigid genre lines to do so.
Rogers’ most recent release, “Just Another Late Night” and “When He Was Me” received over 115k streams independently & has been featured on radio stations & popular playlists the whole world over.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
I have two anecdotes that come to mind immediately, both center around how unknowingly far reaching my music has become. The first came shortly after the release of my song “Too Many Miles” I had a friend who was on a date, things were going well, and they went back to the date’s place for drinks. He decided to put on his “sexy” playlist and what song pops up first but “Too Many Miles.” My friend requested a change of song to which the guy replied, “what, you don’t like this one?!” She said “it’s not that at all, in fact I’m a huge fan of this song, the singer is just a rather close friend of mine.” The second story takes place across the pond in the UK. My dear friend, country radio host, Ali Donowho, was at a country festival of which he had no affiliation or input and my song, “Just Another Late Night” came on the in-between set playlist over the festival’s loud speakers. Both of those stories make me feel some kind of way because it shows that there are actually people out there listening to my music aside from those who ‘have’ to because of their affiliation with me.
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I think one of the funniest mistakes I would say most artists make in the beginning is that of imitation. Sure, we all have our influences and sounds that we like but a lot of us go into our musical genres learning how to sing, write, perform, or play based on the people that came before. I know I did that! Listening to country I thought we all had to be ‘yeehaw’ to be a part of the country world, but country is less about a specific set of dialects and more about storytelling and the feelings that come with it. A lot of my early recordings, much like Taylor Swift’s early recordings, feature a drawl that I simply do not have. Looking back on those tracks and how outright ‘hick’ I tried to be makes me chuckle. There is only one you on this planet. There is only one person with the same set of influences, life experience, thoughts, etc. and that is you, yourself. So why would you try to fit into the shoes of someone else’s you? Be the best you that you can be and create something uniquely original because you’re the only one who can from your perspective.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My parents have always been very helpful to me where the music world is concerned, even though they still to this day can’t make heads or tails of it. Other than that, I worked with a producer, Joshua Gleave, since I was around the age of 16 or 17. He really took me under his wing and was always crucially honest with me where music is concerned. I wouldn’t have the sound or the ingenuity that I do without his assistance over the years!
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
I have a friend that is a life coach, his saying is often “go where you’re celebrated, not just where you’re tolerated” and it’s something I struggle to live by in my day to day. The music industry, if we’re being honest, is a bit of a popularity game most of the time. It’s who you know and who knows you and how much those people like and want to support you. I often struggle with trying to push and forge those relationships simply out of the names or associations attached to them even though they’ve made it abundantly clear, and I know deep down, that they couldn’t care less about me and that sucks. We all want to be liked, we all want to be a part of the ‘in-crowd’ but that’s not nurturing or helpful to our mental and spiritual state as humans. So go where you’re celebrated and screw everybody else.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
So, I’ve been somewhat forced into a producer swap, which is fine, it pushes me in a way that I’ve grown far too comfortable avoiding. I’m trying out a bunch of new producers on the new music going forward! Additionally, I still have a hold on another of the Shay Mooney track, “When He Was Me” being the first, and I’m excited to get to work on it! I think the music I’m about to lean into is a lot more raw and painfully honest and that’s a scary thing to put out into the world, but it’s a step that I know I need to take. As always, I have my weekly blog, of which I’m trying to pull more in the direction of travel and food! I have a great knack for both and am often the taste maker amongst my friends, so I’m excited to explore that more with a broader audience.
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Diversity in media is incredibly important, not just from a representation standpoint but also simply because it expands the lens in which we are allowed to tell stories. I like to explain the upswing in diversity this way to those who don’t seem to get the reasons behind the need. You have a favorite song, yes? How did it feel the first time you heard that song? How many times did you listen to it? How many people did you share it with? The reason that you felt so utterly attached and in love with that song is because it spoke to you, it was representative of something in your uniquely personal life and made a connection between you as a listener and the artist as storyteller, even though the two of you have never met and may never meet. Now imagine you’re scrolling through music that’s just not your style. You listen for thirty seconds, aren’t feeling it, hit next. You listen for thirty, not it, next, and so on and so on. That is what it feels like to not be represented by art. You have no attachment to the piece and therefore it fails to make a connection. Now imagine this genre that you’re ‘meh’ on is the only option of music for you. Just because the products of a diversified market don’t speak to you, doesn’t mean they’re not someone else’s favorite song. Diversifying our media not only casts a broader net, but it allows the unseen to feel seen, the unheard to have a voice, and a future of wild and endless possibilities for those whom it inspires. I hope that answers your question.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?
I think I already spoke to the first one which is
- Be authentic. People can always point out a fraud and there’s only one person in the world that offers your exact unique experience, that of course being you.
- Content is king. Unfortunately, we live in a world of doom scrolling and increased playback speeds, everybody wants constant content to consume whether that’s video, music, or something else. You need to basically have a near constant feed of content not only being generated but also being posted. You have to constantly be thinking ten steps ahead and planning accordingly but don’t let it run you ragged.
- Next is a bit of a two parter; learn the business and get a good music business lawyer. There are so many crooks out there who take advantage of artists and writers because they don’t know what they’re supposed to accept and not accept. There’s a great book called How To Succeed In The Music Business that gets updated often and is a really in-depth guide on all things music biz. On the other side of that coin a great music lawyer, especially one who is willing to take you under their wing, will skim and help you to weed out bad contracts and agreements.
- Going further into the music side of the business, especially as someone who is a singer, you’re never going to regret learning an instrument. In addition to giving you the ability for self-accompaniment, it also allows you to better understand and communicate with those who you will be playing with in a band setting.
- Learning to read music and understanding music theory will also lead you to write more interesting, more evolved songs from a musical standpoint, that’s not to say there aren’t whole sections of the industry built around the idea of three chords and the truth.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Oof, do you have any you can share with me?! I think that exploration is always the key. We as human beings crave novelty so always, always find ways to reinvent what it is that you’re doing. Switch up the creative routine, throw a wrench in your system, try writing with a different instrument, different chords, a different medium if you will. Authenticity is what sells, especially in our current market, so showcase who you are and what makes you shine. Find the topics that make you light up and chase those sparks. Don’t be afraid to ditch the model and start from scratch.
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)
That beginning part feels like it should be an affirmation. I would want to inspire a movement that allows people to live freely as who they are. To put aside the fear of letting go of conditional love and expect and only accept better for themselves. I would want people to see their potential, see the beauty in their individuality and the individuality of others and co-exist amongst their peers in a patchwork tapestry of everyone living as they are to the fullest extent. Constantly learning, evolving, enriching, and lifting each other up instead to being pit against those you have been taught to see as your adversaries. There are so many laws and regulations being put in place to keep people boxed in social norms and all it does is make our society worse.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
You know I really fought back and forth with myself on who I wanted to pick for this. There are so many successful and wonderful humans that I’d love to sit down with and pick their brains but really, I think that I ended up landing on someone that I already have mentioned in this interview, one Miss Taylor Swift. She has built a long lasting, ever evolving music empire and is in the peak of her career in her mid-30s in addition to being one of the greatest songwriters of all time. I’d love to hear anything she’d be willing to tell me and pick her brain on how she got to the incredible heights she’s at, even if the end result is just a bit of insight.
How can our readers follow you online?
Through any of my socials, most of them bare the handle of @CharlieRMusic, or though my site www.CharlieRogersMusic.com, where I post weekly blogs in addition to all of the other content you’d expect from an artist website!
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.
